Meet Our Teachers

Massachusetts native, Bill Ricciardelli, is an enthusiastic and patient instructor who has been immersed in music his entire life. He began his musical journey at age five playing the alto saxophone before switching to drums at age 12. Upon graduating high school, Bill attended Berklee College of Music to further his studies on the drum set and percussion. Since earning his B.M. from Berklee, he has performed and recorded with various artists throughout the U.S. and Canada, and also maintains a busy schedule as a private instructor. As of 2019, Bill has been the Director of Percussion at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, MA, where he instructs the FXD7/8 percussion sections as well as the Concert Band & Hawkforce1 Drumline. Since 2011, Bill has been a private drum set instructor at Needham Music!

Alexandra Stoetzel began studying piano at age 5 after tagging along to her mother’s classical piano lessons, and has been teaching piano for 15+ years. Graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Music Performance from Berklee College of Music, she continues her education through apprenticeships, private lessons, and real-world experience. She also led as a musical director in several contemporary ensembles, including blues, pop/rock, country, and jazz. Alexandra is passionate about introducing students of all ages to music and its powerful ability to lift their spirits, help them grow, and have fun. As a teacher, she focuses on balancing inspiration, explanation, and technique!

With Needham Music since 2003, Boston’s Bruce Millard teaches a range of string instruments and styles, from rock to jazz to folk and more, on guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and bass. A Berklee College Professional Music Scholarship and John Abercrombie Award recipient, he’s performed both locally and nationally since 1990. He has worked with Howard ‘Louie Bluie’ Armstrong, Tarbox Ramblers, the Tower of Power Horns, Toni Lynn Washington, Jim Kweskin, Men & Volts, Bob Moses, Jethro Burns, Dennis Brennan, Luther ‘Guitar Jr.’ Johnson and others, in venues as diverse as The New York City Blues Festival, Boston Folk Festival, PBS-TV, Boston Rock Pipeline Festival, and Country Music Hall of Fame. Patience, empathy, inspiration and fun are the cornerstones of his teaching.

Tobias Duke is a Freelance Musician & Business Consultant operating in the Greater Boston Area. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2022 from Castleton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Associate of Science in Business Administration. He subsequently graduated in August 2023 from Castleton's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with a concentration in “Leading Organizational Change”.
Outside of his freelance career, Tobias works as an "Accompanist" for the Needham Public Schools and Old Stoughton Musical Society, the longest continuously performing choral ensemble in the US. Beyond his collaborative roles, Tobias works at Needham Music as a Private Piano/Voice/Trumpet Teacher and has served as the "Music School Administrator" since August 2023.
As a musician, Tobias has always enjoyed working as a collaborative artist and helping others perform at their best, whether it be as their accompanist or supporting on stage myself. As a person, Tobias always enjoys working with people and helping them reach their goals.

Valeriia Kuzmuk, also known as Valeriia Vovk, is a composer, producer, pianist, and singer from Ukraine. She started her musical journey as a classical pianist at Odesa Special Stolyarsky Music School. Since then she studied music in various schools around the world including Berklee College of Music from where she graduated in 2022. Apart from being the Berklee World Tour Scholarship recipient, Valeriia was also selected for the 2021 Vocal Writing Award by the chair of Contemporary Writing & Production Department at Berklee, and 2019 Diversity Grant for her achievements as a club leader. She has been teaching since 2017 as a private instructor in piano, vocals & theory. In 2020 she started a music school at LouderHub in Odesa where she taught students as young as 3 years old in private & group classes. She believes that uncovering musical potential requires an individualized teaching approach, and aims to create a comfortable environment for every student.

Zoe Gelinas has been teaching voice, piano, and ukulele lessons since 2013 when she graduated from Berklee College of Music. She has taught at Needham Music, Needham Public Schools, and at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education. Zoe has a Master’s degree in Music Education with an Autism Concentration from Boston Conservatory at Berklee and will soon complete a Master’s in Special Education at Curry College. Zoe believes strongly in meeting every student where they are through creating personalized lesson plans and encouraging students’ love of music by ensuring they are learning music that they are passionate about while also learning the foundations of music. In addition to her passion for teaching, Zoe has also worked as a touring and studio musician in the New England area.