Mineral Point Guitar Teacher Helen Avakian

03/21/2025

Very cool news about my friend and former music student, Conor Walsh, singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist/podcaster/radio personality! (He is one talented and hard working artist!)

Conor is up for a number of awards for Best of the Hudson Valley (NY)! If you want to help him win It is very easy to vote for him in the different categories he is up for here. No donation required, just a quick registration and you can vote from anywhere. I just voted from WI. Thank you for considering!

Note from Conor
"Walsh Wednesday is in the running for Best Local Podcast for Best of Hudson Valley! On top of that, I am also nominated for Best Male Vocalist, Best Singer, and Best Radio DJ. With this, no money is required. It takes less than a minute to vote! I'd really appreciate it if you could please place your vote; you only have to do it once between now and April 6th. This linktree can take you to each of the categories that I'm nominated in. Thank you so much, have a good one, and enjoy your weekend!"

The Walsh Wednesday Podcast is nominated for Best Local Podcast for 2025!

02/05/2025

I just LOVE this performance of singer/songwriter, Sam Kogon and band at WFUV radio in NYC! Sam was my guitar student when he was a young kid. I was his first guitar teacher. So wonderful to hear what he is doing these days!!! Beautiful work! Please share if you feel inclined. : )

http://wfuv.org • Follow : http://ow.ly/flLAg Sam Kogon performs "America" live in Studio-A. Recorded 11/13/24.Sam Kogon: Guitar and Lead VocalsEabha F...

07/29/2024

Honored and delighted to appear on one of my top favorite podcasts, Full Spirals with Stacy Ann Parrish in an encore episode!
Spoiler alert; a new interview with me is due to drop August 21!

09/22/2023

I am moved and proud to share this video from by my student, Kathy Nebus Mark, produced by her daughter, Valerie Mark, who also provided vocals and was my student for several years when she was a kid. Her younger sister also appears in the banner picture above as she took guitar with me as a child. (A bit off topic, but one of the best rewards of teaching music is working with and getting to know wonderful individuals and sometimes whole families!)

Here is a quote from Valerie’s page to give you more info on this project.

“Over a year ago, we lost the incredible Mary Linacre. Ever since her passing, Kathy Nebus and I have been planning and working on a tribute fit for this beautiful person. Around the time of Mary's wake, my mom was listening to Muriel Anderson's "Castles in the Sand," and was struck by the lyrics in this new context. Mary certainly created a "beautiful thing" by the way she led her life, the family she created, and the way she made her friends and colleagues feel completely at ease and at home.

So, we got to work. Helen Avakian and my Mom spent about a year working on the arrangement of this piece. We recruited Marj Markowitz on the harp, and Skye Sadowski-Malcom on violin. I was honored to lend my voice to the project. And now, we get to share our final product with all of you.

Sending love always to the Linacres.”

Cover of Castles in the Sand by Muriel Anderson, in memory of Mary Linacre. Arrangement: Kathy Mark and Helen Avakian Guitar: Kathy MarkHarp: Marjorie Markow...