Teachers

Laura Ziegler
JAM Director and Lead Teacher in NYC
Laura is a music educator from Illinois. She graduated with a bachelors in music education from Illinois State University and has taught and performed in various settings throughout her career. Her work includes solo and group performances, teaching private lessons to all ages, teaching adults with (dis)abilities in a rock band setting, studying and teaching traditional Jamaican drumming in Jamaica, and founding and teaching the K-7 general music program at Great Lakes Academy in South Side, Chicago. She is part of day-to-day operations and is the lead teacher for all groups and private lessons at JAM in Astoria.

Kim McCord
JAM Founder and Director in Southern CT
Kim is Professor Emerita of music education at Illinois State University and adjunct professor at New York University and the University of Bridgeport. She received her doctorate in music education with a secondary emphasis in special education from the University of Northern Colorado. Her accomplishments include performing in professional rock and jazz groups, decades of teaching experience in public schools in Colorado and Illinois, serving the International Society for Music Education (ISME) as a Board member, founding and being first chair of the ISME Jazz Special Interest Group, and as the past chair of the ISME Commission on Music in Special Education. She founded and served as the first chair of the National Association for Music Education Special Research Interest Group on Children with Exceptionalities, and was a co-author for Exceptional Music Pedagogy for Children with Exceptionalities and author of Teaching the Postsecondary Music Student with Disabilities published by Oxford University Press. Kim is the founder of JAM and the lead teacher of all groups and private lessons at JAM in Shelton.

Lucy Kubrin
JAM Voice and Piano Teacher
Lucy is a music educator from Ridgefield, Connecticut. She now studies under Founder and Director, Kim McCord, at New York University. Living in New York City, she has had the opportunity expand her work as a teacher and performer. Her teaching career began as a traditional private voice instructor, and has expanded to leading A cappella groups, teaching private piano lessons, and teaching adults with (dis)abilities in a rock band setting. In joining JAM, Lucy has worked on building JAM's social media and marketing platforms to gain experience in the music business industry as well. She is the voice and piano teacher for JAM in Connecticut and hopes to expand her work to New York City as well!

Connor Bowman
JAM Travel Teacher
Connor is a music librarian in New York City. He graduated with a bachelors degree in music education from Illinois State University. Afterwords, he graduated with his masters degrees in music history and library science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Connor has experience teaching elementary and junior high school students in the music classroom. He has played multiple brass instruments, starting on trumpet, studying horn, and even playing the serpent in an early music ensemble. Connor will be teaching in the Manhattan area!

Annie Stone
JAM Teacher
Annie Stone (Nirschel) is an NYC based musician with several years of teaching experience. She's led music classes for little ones between the ages of 0-5 since and has worked at theatre workshops, taught dance, voice, and guitar for years and years and years. Right now, she performs all around NYC as the front woman of the band "Luxury Bones", as 1/2 of the duo, "Sanderling", and as a solo artist. She loves being at JAM and working with all the amazing musicians!

Joe Riggenbach
JAM Travel Teacher
Joe studied music performance in trombone and voice at UW-Milwaukee. He performed with Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, and many other theaters in southeast Wisconsin. He was also a liturgical musician for many churches and synagogues in Milwaukee. He's taught music lessons in piano, voice, and trombone for the past 5 years and just joined JAM after relocating to NYC this winter.

Patrick Chan
JAM Teacher
Patrick graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music performance from the University of Arkansas Monticello. Shortly after, he left Arkansas and moved to New York where he received his master degree in music performance from SUNY Purchase. Today, Patrick is performing and teaching all throughout NYC. Patrick has performed in a wide variety of musical situations ranging from rock shows, musicals, all the way to quiet cocktail hour. Patrick has had over five plus years of teaching experience. He has taught beginner percussion, classical percussion, drum line workshop and drum set studies. He currently has students ranging from the ages of 5 to 65 and up

Jahnvi Seshadri
JAM Travel Teacher
Jahnvi Seshadri is a music educator, originally from Monroe Township, New Jersey. She is currently studying Music Education at New York University and is in her third year of vocal studies at the university. Jahnvi has been teaching private vocal, piano, and music theory lessons to students from ages 2-40 and students with (dis)abilities for 3 years and she is excited to continue to do so. Aside from teaching, Jahnvi is an avid performer and enjoys gigging all around NYC and playing the guitar, piano, clarinet, and flute. She can't wait to instill a newfound love for music in all of her students and to get them ready to JAM!

Ian Tucksmith
JAM Travel Teacher
Ian graduated Berklee College of Music with a bachelor's degree in music performance. He resides in Brooklyn and enjoys attending live music performances as well as performing with his jazz combo. He is well versed in music theory, and is available for price drum set, piano, and trumpet lessons.

Russ Stone
JAM Teacher
Russ Stone is a multi-instrumentalist and educator from Austin, Texas with several years of teaching experience. He has been playing piano for 26 years but also has a love for the melodica, occurina, theremin, and kazoo. Currently, he plays drums in a local band called "Luxury Bones" that can be seen playing all over the city. He will be graduating from Queens College summer of 2023 with a Masters in Chinese Education and he is so excited to be part of the #JAMFAM!