New Jersey School of Music

09/02/2026

Introducing Dalton Hooper! Dalton will be teaching trombone and other low brass instruments on Wednesday at our Medford location beginning 10/7/26.

Dalton Hooper earned a Master’s in Trombone Performance from Temple University where he studied with Philadelphia Orchestra trombonist Matt Vaughn. He also earned Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Trombone Performance from the University of Georgia, studying with Professor of Trombone Dr. Josh Bynum.

Based out of Philadelphia, Dalton has enjoyed performing in musicals, festival orchestras, local symphonic groups, and a variety of brass ensembles. In 2025, he was a fellow in the National Orchestral Institute + Festival. He also competed as a finalist in the 2026 American Trombone Workshop Solo Competition.

Committed to education, Dalton has been teaching private lessons, masterclasses, and group lessons since 2021. From 2024-2026, he was the Graduate Assistant trombone lessons instructor for the Community Music Scholars Program at Temple University where his students have gone on to participate in the Philadelphia All-City Band and Orchestra, Philadelphia Music Alliance Youth Artist program, and admittance to collegiate music schools. Dalton advocates that a strong foundation of fundamentals facilitates efficient ex*****on and musical development, ultimately leading to fulfillment in playing the instrument.

01/17/2026

Meet Matt Wall:

Matthew Wall is a graduate from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts with a Bachelors of Music Performance in Bass Trombone. Matthew has a true passion for performing and playing as he regularly performs with Local Orchestras and Bands across the state such as the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra and the Princeton Brass Band. His love of teaching has also grown tremendously in the past few years and he has worked with students of all ages and many different styles of music.

Matthew has had the pleasure of performing for many artists in the brass world in Master classes such as Christian Lindberg, Joseph Alessi, David Rejano, Carlos Jimenez Fernandez, George Curran, Matthew Guilford and Christopher Davis. He has also participated in summer music festivals like the International Trombone Festival in Conway Arkansas, and the DC Trombone Workshop in Washington D.C. He also attended the Southeast Trombone Symposium at Columbus State University where he was a finalist for the Orchestral Excerpts Competition. Matthew has studied with George Curran, Dr. Noreen Baer, and Jennifer Wharton. Matthew grew up in Mount Laurel and graduated from Lenape Highschool

Low brass lessons with Matt are available on Wednesdays at the Medford location.

01/16/2026

Meet Nayyirah Wood:

Nayyirah Wood started her venture with string instruments at the age of seven in the second grade, when she started playing the violin. She trained with this instrument for five years, and in the seventh grade, she transitioned to the viola. In June 2020, Nayyirah graduated from the High School of Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), where she was the second chair in the viola section of the orchestra. Now, she is attending Rowan University as a Music Education Major.

In High School, she held her passion by being involved in several music programs during each school year. Not only was she accepted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth for five years, but Nayyirah was also the principal violist at the end of her senior year of High School. In the Summer of 2018, she was accepted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) and was in the Chamber Players Orchestra. Further, she was a student at the Philadelphia Youth Artist Orchestra and a member of the All-City Philadelphia High School Orchestra.

Throughout her high school career, she had several mentors and influences. In her Freshman year, she had the pleasure of being taught by Adelya Shagidullina at CMSP, where she developed more control over her craft. In her Sophomore year, she was instructed by Yecheskel Francis at CMSP, where she learned different genres of music and the functionality of music in any given period. In the Summer of 2018, Nayyirah was instructed by Michael Casimir at the Curtis Institute. He assisted her with audition pieces and helped her understand the emotion in these pieces. From the Summer of 2018 to 2020, at Temple Prep, she was trained by Sam Quintal from the Jasper String Quartet. She continued to focus on audition pieces, intonation, and rhythm. During the fall of 2019, she was an Honorary in the Philadelphia Orchestra All City Fellowship and was trained by Philadelphia Orchestra Member Marvin Moon to help her with the upcoming college audition.

At Rowan University, she worked with Dr. Timothy Schwarz and Dr. Ana Tsinadze to improve her craft to become a future educator. She was Founder and President of the Rowan University Student chapter of the American String Teachers Association and President of Sigma Alpha Iota in 2024-2025. As well she stays as an active member of the American Viola Society.

Nayyirah is now pursuing her dream as a String Teacher in New Jersey and striving to give her students opportunities to learn to make music.

Violin or Viola lessons with Nayyirah are available on Wednesday at the Medford location.

01/15/2026

Meet Dave Thaker:

Dave is a multi-genre guitarist, bandleader, and composer that has been highly sought out in his short time in the Philly area. In just one year, he has made appearances performing at venues such as Cellar Dog Philly, NuBlu Classic, Clifford Brown Jazzfest, Ardmore Music Hall, TIME Restaurant, Silk City, and others all over the east coast. His unique blend of Jazz, R&B, and Funk is the hallmark of his sound and style. Dave is the newest addition to Legacy Band of East Coast Entertainment (ECE).

Dave has been playing guitar since the age of 6. He started out as a rock/blues guitarist, and eventually moved to metal music. In high school, he found his musical "home" in jazz music and has continued to study it ever since. Growing up, his biggest influences included Dimebag Darrell (Pantera), Marty Friedman (Megadeth), Synsyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold), and more. Today, Dave utilizes skills learned from many different genres to create a unique blend of music. His biggest strengths are his improvisation and groove.

Originally hailing from Des Moines, Iowa, Dave continues to make a name for himself as a consistent, reliable and dependable player in the Philadelphia area music scene. He maintains a busy year-round gigging schedule as both a leader and sideman, as well as a private instructor.

Dave offers guitar lessons on Monday at the Medford location.

01/14/2026

Introducing Macey Roberts!

Macey is a Board-Certified Music Therapist from South Jersey, who earned her Bachelor's of Music Therapy degree from Temple University with a piano concentration in 2025. Her clinical background includes group work in mental health, alternative and public schools, and a pediatric nursing facility. Additionally, she has experience in settings serving children with emotional and behavioral disorders, at-risk youth, a day camp for cancer patients and their siblings, and neurorehabilitation. As a music therapist, Macey’s approach is grounded in iso-principles and humanistic philosophy. She believes each musical interaction should be individualized rather than applied uniformly. This allows her to address immediate needs before the session fully begins, supporting engagement and creating a safe therapeutic environment.

Outside of her music therapy training, Macey worked as a recreational therapy assistant in assisted living and memory care before beginning music therapy training. Shortly thereafter, she taught in-home lessons in Philadelphia, further developing her passion for empowering individuals through music. Not only did Macey grow up classically trained by multiple teachers, but she also grew up playing the piano in her church and singing in school choirs. In high school, she accompanied the choirs for four years and was awarded “Best Accompanist” in the tri-state area in a 2019 competition called Music In The Parks as well as serving as the Alto section leader.

With voice as her secondary instrument, she has performed with choirs at the Kimmel Center and the MET in Philadelphia, as well as in two cover bands that played multiple times at the iconic Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. She served as the Music Director for Liachorus, an ICCA quarterfinal–winning a ca****la group, where she self-arranged, taught, and performed a ca****la music across a variety of venues. When she’s not performing covers in her free time, she finds joy in spending time with her dogs (or any dog, for that matter), enjoying NJ beaches when it's warm, and searching for the best cuisine throughout the tri-state area.

Excited to start her career as a music therapist and piano teacher at NJ School of Music, she can’t wait to support clients working on their goals and discover what they’re capable of through music and a safe client-therapy relationship. She is also excited to help piano students achieve their musical goals and to pass on the valuable knowledge she has gained through her years of lessons from multiple teachers and musical training.

Macey will be offering Music Therapy sessions and Piano Lesson on Monday and Friday at the NJ School of Music in Medford

12/11/2025

10/01/2025

Thank you T. Whitaker Painting for refreshing the exterior of our Cherry Hill building.