Stefan Benkowski is a board-certified music therapist who believes strongly in the idea of fostering joy in music. He is confident that an individual can reach his or her full musical potential if there is enjoyment in the experience. Stefan has been teaching piano, guitar, voice, brass, beginner drums, music theory, and songwriting for the past 15 years. In addition, he has been a music therapist working in hospice as well as with children with developmental and behavioral differences in both educational and private settings.

Stefan spent his childhood studying and practicing classical technique and theory. He began his professional career at NYU as a jazz trombone performance major and subsequently spent two years touring in a pop-rock band independently developing his songwriting and production skills. Ready to resume an education, Stefan achieved his Bachelor's Degree in Music Therapy from Arizona State University and his Master's in Music Therapy from Colorado State University, specializing in Neurologic Music Therapy.

Stefan's approach to music instruction is always student-centered. Together as a team, he and his students figure out the goals of the lessons and work to develop a plan to achieve them. He believes that music is not a "one size fits all" endeavor and what success looks like for one individual can be different for another. Stefan consistently aims to keep his students on their toes, making sure they’re engaged and having fun!