Teacher Biographies
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George Seror III
George holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Psychology from the
University at Albany and Associates degrees from Schenectady County Community
College in Music Performance and Music Business. He studied classical guitar with
Sten Isachsen and Joel Brown, jazz guitar with Ed Wasilewski, blues guitar with
George Fletcher and electric guitar with Mike Campese. He is currently pursuing a
PhD in Cognitive Developmental Psychology. George's research focuses on music
perception.
George has performed for Proctors Theater as well as private parties and
restaurants as a classical guitarist. He has also performed for the Classical Guitar
Society of Upstate New York. He has played with various rock and blues bands as
a guitarist, keyboardist, bass player and vocalist including performances for the
Northeast Blues Society and the Allstate Blues Festival. George began teaching
guitar, bass and beginning piano in 2002. He opened Jay Street Music Studio in
August of 2005.
Michael Copeland
Mike has been playing musical instruments since the age of seven, when he
started on the baritone horn. At thirteen he switched to guitar and studied classical
and commercial music with Mike Sienkowicz at Music Emporium on Long Island.
He attended Towson State University in Maryland starting in 1996. There he
studied jazz guitar with Bill Biesecker (U.S. Army Band) and Sheryl Bailey (Ibanez
endorsee), and classical guitar with Ronald Pearl (Aurora Guitar Quartet) and
Michael Decker (Grammy winner). He also spent six years working for the largest
musical instrument retailer in the world and has gigged with ensembles ranging from
classical to top 40 to punk in cities from Baltimore to Lake George.
Lisa Russo
Lisa Russo has been in the field of Early Childhood Education since 1987 and
in music for a lifetime. She has worked locally as a preschool teacher, a music
teacher and as a dance instructor. Lisa has earned her BA in Music and Child &
Family services from SUNY Plattsburgh, and has attended Sage Graduate School for
Elementary Education. Her instruments include voice, piano, guitar and flute. Since
1996, children all over the Capital District have experienced the magic of music with
her program designed specifically for early childhood education.
Lisa is committed to growth of the Arts in the community and the school
district. She is thrilled to bring an affordable, high quality children’s music program
to Schenectady and join the growing arts forum downtown. Lisa is currently
serving as Chairperson of the Schenectady City School District’s Fine Arts Advisory
Committee to the Board, and is a Board recipient of the 2008 National Award from
the Kennedy Center and the National School Board Association for Outstanding
Support of the Fine Arts, and Exemplary Fine Arts programs in the school district.
Donna Sobel
Donna is the Music Program Director at Hamilton Hill Arts Center in
Schenectady where she organizes and oversees the Music Program and teaches
various woodwind instruments. She was born in Binghamton, New York. Her early
music training involved playing bass clarinet and baritone saxophone in marching,
band, and jazz ensemble. She was a member of a recorder ensemble in Binghamton,
New York for sixteen years.
She also is a community member of the Schenectady County Community
College Wind Ensemble and Rotterdam Town Band. She has also taught the
privately at the Community Music Center in Binghamton as well as her own
children, who continued their music education in college. Mrs. Sobel received her
Certificate of Music and Associates in Performing Arts at Schenectady County
Community College.
