Cristina Kalmanson has been teaching music privately for over two decades and brings a strong background in music therapy, which heavily influences her approach to instruction.

She holds a Master of Science in Music Therapy from the State University of New York at New Paltz. As a Board Certified Music Therapist, Cristina has worked in a variety of settings with ages ranging from babies to preschoolers to adults.

As a teacher, Cristina believes in meeting students at their level musically and helping them find their own unique pathway to success. She does this by identifying student areas of need, creating achievable goals, and building practical skills that can apply to both music and other areas of learning. Cristina’s teaching style regularly employs a combination of structured learning, coupled with musical games, student-preferred songs, and improvisation.

As a performer, Cristina has been a member of symphonic bands, orchestras, and musical theater productions as both an instrumentalist and musical director. She’s also been a part of community chorales, big band ensembles, jazz ensembles, and she is a founding member of the group, Absolute A Cappella. Cristina plays and teaches piano, guitar, woodwinds, and brass.