At Grisafi Music Institute (GMI), we offer one-on-one lessons with the most experienced teachers in the Philadelphia area.
We specialize in all styles of music including: Rock, Jazz, Blues, Classical, Country, Folk and Funk.
Gary Grisafi, owner and instructor has been teaching professionally for the past 35 years. He has taught at the Nelly Berman School of Music, Georges Music, Pats Music and privately. Gary has been performing and recording for the past 40 years with artists such as Bobby Rydell, Al Martino, Lee Andrews & The Hearts, Peter Erskin, Stewkey from the "NAZZ" and many well-known local bands. He has recorded and has worked as a studio musician in local recording studios. Gary studied music (Jazz Guitar) at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts) and studied Guitar with Pat Martino, Ed Flanagan and Howard Herbert. He is co-author of two music instruction books.
Nicholas Zaborowski, has been teaching for two years as a private teacher and more recently at Grisafi Music Institute. Nick has been performing locally in Philadelphia since 2015 as a solo acoustic musician as well as in multiple bands. He is currently a Music Therapy student at Temple University, where he has studied with Craig Ebner, Mike Moreno, and Greg Kettinger. Nick is also a church musician and has played regularly at St. Jerome’s Church and Maternity BVM Church. Nick utilizes an individualized approach in which students of all levels can reach their full musical potential in order to become well-rounded musicians.
With over 25 years of experience, I offer private lessons for guitar and bass guitar. Focusing on the students needs, I create a personal, organized practice system to follow that works towards achieving your individual goals, exposing weak points to make them strengths. Learning correctly from the start and building necessary foundation skills will save you from forming debilitating bad habits and techniques. Bad Technique leads most to great frustration and giving up the instrument. I teach students of all ages, including kids, and all levels of study from beginner to advanced. Public and Private school teachers as well as parents and former students recommend me for the simple reason that I get results. Many of my students started from scratch and became working professional musicians. Former students have acquired college scholarships to colleges like Berklee school of music.Let my decades of successfully training guitarists to play at their highest level work for you!
Students are shown how to play songs note for note exactly as the artist played them. Simplified versions are presented to beginners if the original music is too complex. Special CD's of the material studied are created in my recording studio allowing the student to practice along with the music at different speeds while still maintaining the original pitch of the music. Ear training exercises, modal, scale, arpeggio, improvising, and many other "extras" are also given to students on CD to study with. This creates a working MUSICAL environment for the student where theoretical playing concepts can be put to immediate, practical use.
Taught under some of the best private teachers on the east coast ie, Joey D′Angelo (studied with RICH FALCO), Peter Disquale (studied with JOE PASS) and Joe Stump. Extensive research and information obtained from schools such as Berklee, Juliard, Atlantic Grove School, and GIT. Sample of Alex playing
Patrick Robinson is a pianist, guitarist, composer, producer and educator based in Lower Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His compositions have graced multiple Grammy nominated CD’s, and he won a Grammy award as a producer in 2012. Diversity is the key for his status as an in demand keyboardist, working in jazz, rock, folk, children’s, Christian, and cabaret, sometimes all in the same week. In the past, he has performed, or recorded with likes of Julian Lennon, Bobby Rydel, Melba Moore, The Classics 4, as well as members of Trout Fishing in America, Bruce Springsteen’s E street band, and The Hooters. He’s performed at the Academy of music, Sellersville Theater, World Café Live, Bethlehem music fest, and the WXPN Xponential festival, among countless other locations. Patrick teaches piano, guitar, and theory with an emphasis on fun and creativity.
Mike has been playing Woodwinds for over 40 years. He has been teaching for over 25 years. Mike's initial playing experience was with the Philadelphia Mummers Stringband Division, most notably Ferko Stringband. He left Stringbands to play in a professional Big Band for 10 years. His focus the last few years has been teaching. Understanding the goals and intentions of his students is his primary concern. Reading music, Theory, Improvisation are all areas Mike could help with. Young players to adults all welcomed.
Jimmy has been playing the drums for 44 years now and loving every minute of it. He started playing professionally at the age of 16 but knew how to play from the age of 6 years old. Although he was blessed with natural talent, he went to Philadelphia's top two drum instructors from 1971 through 1984 for formal instructions. Jimmy's teachers preferred to teach him how to play from the heart with guidance from the ears and eyes. They also taught him about having a philosophy on drumming which leads to individual concepts. This is the essential and ultimate guidance system for any successful drummer.
Through out his career, he has played in every musical situation you can think of except for maybe opera!! He plays all styles and considers himself to be a pure "Grooveologist". Which interpreted means he gives you the authenticity within the feels and grooves of every genre of music when he "locks" it in. He has done some session work at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios and at Alpha International Studios and many of the local recording studios in the Tri-State area. Jimmy can lock into click tracks and sequences and make them groove. This is a specialty of his.
He has played all of the Atlantic City Casino's and has performed in a few local shows like Tony and Tina's Wedding. Through out his career he has worked with many of the top local club and wedding bands such as Full House, Jill Carr and Control, Totally Hot, The Exceptions and The Quake plus national acts like the Intrigues, Vikki Allen and the Image and Lee Andrews and the Hearts. For two years [2006-07] he was the house drummer and musical director for the Monday Night Live show, hosted by Michael Barrkann on Comcast Sportsnet. He is currently working with the local wedding/private affair band Bounce and the Blu Dogz.