Meet the Teachers
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chloe white
Bywater
Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Piano
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finley coover
Mid-City
Guitar, Drums, Piano
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Grace livingston
Bywater
Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Piano, Preschool
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jordan haywood
Bywater
Piano, Voice, Ukulele, Songwriting
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mickey hayes
Mid-City
Guitar, Drums, Piano, Ukulele, Songwriting
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Michael Sze
Bywater
Violin, Mandolin
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Errol Blackstone
Bywater
Cello, Violin, Viola, Piano, Voice
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Quinn Gleeson
Uptown
Guitar, Bass, Piano, Ukulele, Music Theory
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More to come...
Chloe White
Chloe White hails from North Carolina with a strong pull towards hard bop, fusion and traditional jazz repertoire. As a child she studied Suzuki piano and spent many evenings listening to bluegrass and jazz in Asheville, NC. During high school she was awarded the Woody Herman and Louis Armstrong and studied under Jacob Rodriguez and Steve Alford. After graduating from the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences she studied music performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program. Her time in school led to many great opportunities including touring/leading her own quintet, arranging for Roxy Coss, producing for UNCG's college radio station; WUAG103.1, and competing in the 2022 Jack Rudin Competition.
In April of 2022 she performed with UNCG's big band at Jazz at Lincoln Center, playing lead alto and soprano. She was named outstanding soprano soloist and got feedback from a panel of judges including Ayn Inserto, Randy Brecker, Camille Thurman and Jeff Hamilton. In April of 2023 Roxy Coss performed Chloe's student arrangement of "Free to Be" with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's big band. Throughout college she worked in radio, recording bands live in the station, training DJs, maintaining equipment and hiring artists for WUAG events. This gave her valuable experience in running a non-profit and music production. In July of 2022 Chloe spent a few weeks in Eastern Kentucky studying clawhammer banjo with Cowan Creek Community School. During this time she performed in the Levitt AMP Whitesburg Music Series on the Mountain Heritage Festival Stage and got to work with S.G Goodman, Randy Wilson, Montana Hobbs, Linda Jean Stokley and Don Rogers. In July of 2018 Chloe volunteered with nonprofit, Girls Rock NC, where she mentored young girls, transgender, and gender non-conforming youth in song writing and performance. Throughout 2021-2024 Chloe has taught private lessons with Jackson's Music in Winston Salem, NC and New Orleans School of Music. Her experiences working with students make her excited for the future of jazz education. Chloe lives in New Orleans, LA, where she works for Preservation Hall and is focused on performing and developing her artistry.
Chloe has performed at the Knight Theater, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, KingFisher Club, Bombay Club, The Spotted Cat, Apple Barrell, Snug Harbor, Asheville Music Hall, US Cellular Center, Ornithology, The Flat Iron, Revolution Mill, Smalls Jazz Club, RJ Reynolds Auditorium, Stevens Center, Balcony Music Club, etc…
FInley Coover
Finley is pretty cool and has yet to write his bio.
Grace Livingston
Grace is a passionate music educator with a Master’s degree in Music Education from William Carey University. She has experience teaching students of all ages, from preschoolers discovering music for the first time to advanced musicians refining their craft. Grace specializes in woodwinds, but also teaches beginner brass, piano, violin, and theory. With a background in both classroom and private instruction. She believes music learning should be joyful, creative, and tailored to each student. Her goal is to help every student grow in skill and confidence while building a lifelong love of music. Grace's philosophy is that music is both a discipline and an art form-and that middle ground is where the magic happens. Grace encourages students to find balance between hard-work, skill-building, & discipline and creativity, fun, & expression.
Jordan Haywood
Jordan is a pianist from Denver, Colorado. She studied at Metropolitan State University of Denver under Dr. Jooeun Pak. She has also studied piano with Dr. Greg Harris at Red Rocks Community College. While at MSU Denver, jordan had the opportunity to play with the Colorado Wind Ensemble. Jordan specializes in classical piano. She also teaches beginner and intermediate voice and beginner ukulele.
Mickey Hayes
Mickey is a guitarist and composer from Saint Louis, Missouri. He earned his degree in jazz guitar from Loyola University New Orleans where he studied under Don Vappie and Adam Bock. Mickey began his professional teaching journey in 2021, but he’s been teaching informally for over ten years. Mickey teaches beginner to advanced guitar, as well as beginner and intermediate drums, piano, and ukulele. He enjoys working with students of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels.
Michael sze
Michael Sze is a San Francisco-born, New Orleans-based violinist and composer.
He is an active performer in New Orleans as a bandleader, in which his characteristic sound is marked by odd meters and improvisation, and also as a sideman for local artists such as the grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers, as well as James Jordan, Olivia Barnes, ZOOMST, CloudSave, and others.
He released two albums as the leader of Prog-Fusion Band Skeptic Moon, and will release his debut solo album in the Spring. He has also recorded as a sideman with ZOOMST, Jank Setup, Lyla DiPaul, and on upcoming releases by Olivia Barnes and James Jordan.
Michael has an M.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of New Orleans (2025) and a B.F.A. in Jazz Studies and History from Tulane University (2022).
Errol Blackstone
Errol is a local New Orleans musician and music teacher that has many years of classical experience. At age 10, Errol started learning the cello through the music program at Lusher Charter School (now The Willow School). During his secondary education, Errol sharpened his cello technique through private lessons and participating in the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra (GNOYO). By the end of high school, he became a proficient All-State orchestra cellist and a self-taught composer.
In Spring 2020, Errol earned a B.A. in Music from Grinnell College. His college education focused on cello performance, voice performance, and music composition. At Grinnell College, he became involved with the Grinnell Symphony Orchestra, Grinnell Singers, and Con Brio (acapella group). While gaining performance experience from these different collegiate music groups, he improved his choral and string writing for classical and contemporary genres. From neo-romantic string works to lush choral writing to pop-y acapella covers and r&b songwriting, Errol’s compositional catalog expanded as his collegiate career progressed.
After obtaining his undergraduate degree, Errol came back to New Orleans to start teaching music. He has taught at many programs including Louisiana Academy of Performing Arts (LAAPA), Upturn Arts, Louise S. McGehee School, and GNOYO. Errol specializes in cello and vocal instruction, but can teach piano and other bowed-strings (violin/viola). Additionally, you might catch him gigging with local orchestras like the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), Loyola Symphony Orchestra (LSO), or string groups such as Strings Jam. Errol is excited to continue growing his passion for music with NOCMS and future students.
Quinn Gleeson
Quinn is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from New York who specializes in classical, jazz, and rock guitar, music theory, and music production. After earning a B.M. in Music Composition with a focus on Jazz Guitar and a double major in Physics at Loyola University New Orleans and studying under Don Vappie, Adam Bock, and Dr. James Walsh, he started teaching private lessons as well as working as a music copyist, producer, and arranger for various musicians and bands. Most recently, he arranged orchestral parts for six songs by the Lilli Lewis Project to be played with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Quinn teaches all genres of guitar ranging from beginner to advanced and piano, ukulele and bass guitar ranging from beginner to intermediate, as well as music theory and production.
Opportunities await…
Thanks for your interest in teaching with us! We’re a very new company, so our capacity to hire is somewhat limited. As we grow we hope to provide opportunities for more teachers to join our mission!