Who are we?
Who are we?
About Us
Whether it’s online instruction or in-studio lessons Real Brave is a complete music learning experience that offers a wide range of custom, gamified, goal-oriented music instruction for anyone ages 5-105. Our certified music instructors use our Real Brave Method to form a unique music learning experience using our proprietary software PracticePad and an outreach program called After School Rocks that helps formerly homeless children get access to free music programs.
About Us
Whether it’s online instruction or in-studio lessons Real Brave is a complete music learning experience that offers a wide range of custom, gamified, goal-oriented music instruction for anyone ages 5-105. Our certified music instructors use our Real Brave Method to form a unique music learning experience using our proprietary software PracticePad and an outreach program called After School Rocks that helps formerly homeless children get access to free music programs.
Our Story
Real Brave™ was born in Queens, NY and founded by songwriter & performer Daniel Powers Jr. Originally started as part recording studio and part lessons, the company was a place that Powers could rely on to continue creating his own music. Having been in the music industry for 15 years to that point, he also wanted a place where people could go like he could and discover the world of music, express themselves and be a second home for them. Real Brave™ was started so a new generation of people could find mentors like he found as a kid and so this new generation of musicians could find the courage to get up on their own stage. Powers’ own journey into music was wrought with obstacles that mostly had to do with the fact that most learning institutions had ineffective curriculums that meant well but only worked for a certain type of individual. Because he learned differently and mostly by ear, he wanted to build an organization that catered to all individuals regardless of their learning style, capability, goals and potential. Music, he felt, is a universal language to be shared by all, not a few. He wanted Real Brave to show true progress, bringing students together and offer the communities he served a staff that are People First, Musicians Second. Every student at Real Brave gets a chance to go From The Studio to the Stage and ultimately Real Brave helps them to Find Your Stage™. Together with a multidisciplinary and relatable staff they have built a community of inspiring and engaging performers that tug on the heart strings with every in-studio performance at each studio’s built in venue. Real Brave offers an experience like no other with offerings you can only find at Real Brave.
He developed PracticePad™ with his team of developers and trusted team of advisors to help develop an effective learning resource that helps students see their progress week to week but also has a revolutionary audio and video suite that engages and inspires them to move forward. Real Brave’s PracticePad™ software includes an expansive video recording studio that helps students learn by showing their journey to their goal with fun gamified learning, point rewards for progress and an immersive experience that rewards for progress not ability.
Our Story
Real Brave™ was born in Queens, NY and founded by songwriter & performer Daniel Powers Jr. Originally started as part recording studio and part lessons, the company was a place that Powers could rely on to continue creating his own music. Having been in the music industry for 15 years to that point, he also wanted a place where people could go like he could and discover the world of music, express themselves and be a second home for them. Real Brave™ was started so a new generation of people could find mentors like he found as a kid and so this new generation of musicians could find the courage to get up on their own stage. Powers’ own journey into music was wrought with obstacles that mostly had to do with the fact that most learning institutions had ineffective curriculums that meant well but only worked for a certain type of individual. Because he learned differently and mostly by ear, he wanted to build an organization that catered to all individuals regardless of their learning style, capability, goals and potential. Music, he felt, is a universal language to be shared by all, not a few. He wanted Real Brave to show true progress, bringing students together and offer the communities he served a staff that are People First, Musicians Second. Every student at Real Brave gets a chance to go From The Studio to the Stage and ultimately Real Brave helps them to Find Your Stage™. Together with a multidisciplinary and relatable staff they have built a community of inspiring and engaging performers that tug on the heart strings with every in-studio performance at each studio’s built in venue. Real Brave offers an experience like no other with offerings you can only find at Real Brave.
He developed PracticePad™ with his team of developers and trusted team of advisors to help develop an effective learning resource that helps students see their progress week to week but also has a revolutionary audio and video suite that engages and inspires them to move forward. Real Brave’s PracticePad™ software includes an expansive video recording studio that helps students learn by showing their journey to their goal with fun gamified learning, point rewards for progress and an immersive experience that rewards for progress not ability.
What sets us apart from other schools?
Practice Pad™
Software
Frequent
events &
concerts
Unique
customised
curriculums
Flexible
scheduling
Guaranteed
enjoyment
What sets us apart from other schools?
Practice Pad™
Software
Frequent
events &
concerts
Unique
customized
curriculums
Flexible
scheduling
Guaranteed
enjoyment
What sets us apart from other schools?
Practice Pad™
At Real Brave, we offer an incredible experience like no other place in music lessons far everyone by guiding them from the beginning stages of getting to know an instrument all the way through performing for family and friends on stage.
Practice Pad™
Software
Frequent
events &
concerts
Unique
customised
curriculums
Guaranteed
enjoyment
Flexible
scheduling
Our Outreach
Programme
Programme
Most programs for ASR (After School Rocks) are in supportive housing shelters. Through fundraising, we have been fully funding these music programs for children in these shelters who have been chronically homeless. Bring the joy of music to them has been the most rewarding gift anyone can give. The Program: 20 weeks
Practice Pad™
PracticePad is an online lesson companion with built in web apps that track your progress, gives you powerful video and recording tools to help you learn and comes with HUNDREDS of tutorials you can unlock to trigger a tsunami of learning potential!
Meet our ever growing band
Every music teacher at Real Brave Audio has dedicated his or her life to learning and playing music. With a burning passion for music, most of our instructors have been pursuing music since grade school. For decades, the instructors here have been committing their time and focus on mastering instruments, giving them the ability to play and teach music at the highest levels.
Meet the band
Zachary Thomas
Drums, Guitar, Piano, Bass, Vocals, Ukulele
Zach is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn. He is 33 years of age. Playing with ensembles since age 11, Zachary has been formally recognized as a professional musician for 12 years and running… He has a decade of combined experience as a music educator, both in formal classroom and less formal “one-to-one” settings. Being signed to a major subsidiary of Sony Entertainment throughout his twenties, he was formerly sponsored by Pearl drums, Silver Fox drumsticks and Soultone cymbals during busy times in his performance career. His work has been licensed and featured on networks such as MTV, ESPN, Oxygen, and TRU TV. He has played over 500 shows, sharing national stages such as Irving Plaza, Gramercy Theater, B.B. King’s, House of Blues, Hard Rock Cafe, National Harbor and the Viper Room with acts such as Three Doors Down, Eve 6, Third Eye Blind, Ryan Cabrera and Fastball…to name a few. Over the past few years, Zach has realized that his true passion lies in educating people in music – how to play, how to appreciate, how to discuss, and how to stay inspired! He believes this aspect of the craft is the most essential, because educating and informing future generations perpetuate the ancient and sacred arts of composing and performing. Zach says he’s grateful to have connected with the Real Brave family — He is a big advocate of Practice Pad (Real Brave’s signature program that allows teachers to track the progress of students for the purpose of being referred to and accessed by parents, students and teachers). More importantly to Zachary, however, is his enthusiastic belief in what Real Brave stands for: Student-centered learning that is meant to be fun, educational, and confidence building. Also, it “rocks and rolls”…a school after his own heart!
Zachary
Thomas
Meet the band
Regina Fierro
Piano, Voice
Regina Fierro is a New York City-based singer and pianist hailing from Queens, NY. She began her musical training at age 6 after begging her parents for piano lessons and hasn’t stopped since! As a teenager she studied at the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s High School Singers Intensive and she has recently graduated summa cum laude with a B.M. in Classical Vocal Performance from New York University. She has performed in operas, musicals, concerts, and new works in the NYC area (NYU, Anina Art Events, Make Music NY), regionally (Winter Harbor Music Festival), and internationally (Villa La Pietra, FAVA Young Artist Program).
Regina is passionate about music education and accessibility for students of all ages. Outside of private lessons, she has extensive experience teaching choir, music theory, and early childhood music training. At NYU, she served as the president of the Classical Voice Collective, an independent chamber opera company dedicated to producing operas and concerts with primarily female casts and creative teams – an effort towards equity in the arts. As an educator, Regina encourages students to embrace the music that inspires them while also fostering thoughtful, efficient technique in order to reach their personal musical goals. She is excited to join the Real Brave team!
Regina
Fierro
Meet the band
Josh Lombardi
Drums, Guitar, Piano
Music has always been my life. I played the drums for the first time when I was 4 years old and I picked up a guitar not long after that. When I was 8 years old I got my first drum set and started taking private lessons. By the time I was 10, I was already playing gigs every weekend and playing percussion in the school band and orchestra. In high school, I discovered a passion for teaching and I decided to pursue my degree in education at UMASS Amherst. My education became my primary focus, but I never stopped performing. Playing drums for the band Tensor, I became very immersed in the Boston music scene. We recorded a great deal of music in a short time and played constantly all over the east coast. The first time we played in New York, I remember thinking “this is where I need to be.” When I finished college, I moved back home where I was offered a teaching position at Music Elements. It was a full circle moment when I began teaching at the school where my music career began and I am extremely grateful for that time in my life, as it helped me become the teacher and person that I am today. I have lived in New York now for over 4 years and played with countless musical projects across a broad spectrum of musical genres as a drummer and also as a guitarist and vocalist. I currently play drums for the The Goodnight Darlings and the up and coming hip-hop group, Hippie Tribe. I feel so at home at Real Brave. It is a musical community that continues to inspire myself, just as much as it does my colleagues and our wonderful students.
Josh
Lombardi
Meet the band
Jerod Kaszynski
Bass, Clarinet, Drum, Flute, Guitar, Piano, Sax, Ukulele, Voice, Woodwind misc.
Jerod Kaszynski has been a professional musician for over 12 years. He has performed on many instruments including: saxophone, clarinet, flute, piccolo, piano, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, ukulele, and recorder. Starting piano and guitar as a small child, he enjoyed playing along to all types of music he was exposed to. When it came time to learn a band instrument, saxophone was his first pick and ran with it. His first ‘gig’ was sitting in with Minnesota local band GB Leighton. That was the true spark that burned for performing. Jerod went to UW Eau Claire to get a degree in classical saxophone while filling out his musical knowledge with every genre he could find. He and his friends started many groups of differing styles to satiate his hunger. By the time he graduated, he was one of the most sought after saxophonist in Wisconsin. He played in several bands and was asked to join the Steel Bridge Songwriting Festival where he has collaboratively written many songs, arranged horn lines, and performed on even more. In 2017, he was offered a position in the Glenn Miller Orchestra. This is the last full time touring big band that can date it’s founding back to when Glenn Miller himself was alive. With the band, Jerod performed in all 48 lower US states and all of the southern provinces of Canada. They also did 2 tours of Japan. Jerod left the band when he was offered a spot in the Masters program at the Aaron Copland School of Music under the tutelage of Antonio Hart in New York City. He just finished the program this past spring pursing a Masters in Jazz Performance. During this time, he has played and performed in a variety of bands including his own jazz quintet “The JKQ”, his rock trio “The Dark Sky Hustlers,” other friend groups including “Parlay,” “The Alex LoDico Ensemble,” “Kate Vargas,” “Tim Armacost Orchestra,” and many more. Since joining the Real Brave team in December of 2018, Jerod has enjoyed sharing his love of music and performing with a great many students. He welcomes anyone and everyone who has any interest in exploring this beautiful series of sound waves that coalesce in the ear drum to create the pantheon of emotional breadth that we call music.
Jerod
Kaszynski
Meet the band
Terence Ma
Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Terence started music lessons at an early age, with extensive training in both voice and classical piano. Despite a promising start to his musical career, he decided to settle into the financial sector in New York City. Eventually, he grew tired of the rat race, and set out on a soul-searching journey across the country– often traveling by foot. After temporary stints as a farmhand and a cob mason, he finally returned to the stage, and soon after found his calling in teaching. Through the years, he has done classical performances in world-renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Steinway Hall, and took to more contemporary stages at NYC such as the Bitter End, the Mercury Lounge, and the Duplex. As an instructor, Terence believes in a rounded approach that encourages students to find their own voice while offering technical advice to help along the way. He loves to see new students coming for lessons, and strives to give them the confidence and voice to unlock their true potential. When not teaching, Terence enjoys listening to Motown while chowing down on a slice of pizza… or six.
Terence
Ma
Our Mission
As a tech savvy company that is people first, musicians second we help the world discover themselves through learning an instrument, unleash their inner rock star and find their stage through in person and online learning.
Meet our ever growing band
Every music teacher at Real Brave Audio has dedicated his or her life to learning and playing music. With a burning passion for music, most of our instructors have been pursuing music since grade school. For decades, the instructors here have been committing their time and focus on mastering instruments, giving them the ability to play and teach music at the highest levels.
Meet the band
Yazan Al Hajari
Yazan started playing piano and making his own songs at the age of 9. He later attended the Fine Arts College in Damascus, and then studied Jazz Piano and Music Studies at William Paterson University. He made a variety of art and music workshops and taught music for several years. He has performed and recorded music with his jazz band and made compositions for media. His interest in music covers a large scale of genres from classical music, jazz, improvisation, songwriting, composition, folk and world music. He has written many songs for different singers and has won funding and prizes in the Middle East. Music and teaching for Yazan is creative, discovery and fun with limitless horizons.
Zachary
Thomas
Meet the band
Yazan Al Hajari
Yazan started playing piano and making his own songs at the age of 9. He later attended the Fine Arts College in Damascus, and then studied Jazz Piano and Music Studies at William Paterson University. He made a variety of art and music workshops and taught music for several years. He has performed and recorded music with his jazz band and made compositions for media. His interest in music covers a large scale of genres from classical music, jazz, improvisation, songwriting, composition, folk and world music. He has written many songs for different singers and has won funding and prizes in the Middle East. Music and teaching for Yazan is creative, discovery and fun with limitless horizons.
Regina
Fierro
Meet the band
Yazan Al Hajari
Yazan started playing piano and making his own songs at the age of 9. He later attended the Fine Arts College in Damascus, and then studied Jazz Piano and Music Studies at William Paterson University. He made a variety of art and music workshops and taught music for several years. He has performed and recorded music with his jazz band and made compositions for media. His interest in music covers a large scale of genres from classical music, jazz, improvisation, songwriting, composition, folk and world music. He has written many songs for different singers and has won funding and prizes in the Middle East. Music and teaching for Yazan is creative, discovery and fun with limitless horizons.
Josh
Lombardi
Meet the band
Yazan Al Hajari
Yazan started playing piano and making his own songs at the age of 9. He later attended the Fine Arts College in Damascus, and then studied Jazz Piano and Music Studies at William Paterson University. He made a variety of art and music workshops and taught music for several years. He has performed and recorded music with his jazz band and made compositions for media. His interest in music covers a large scale of genres from classical music, jazz, improvisation, songwriting, composition, folk and world music. He has written many songs for different singers and has won funding and prizes in the Middle East. Music and teaching for Yazan is creative, discovery and fun with limitless horizons.
Jerod
Kaszynski
Meet the band
Yazan Al Hajari
Yazan started playing piano and making his own songs at the age of 9. He later attended the Fine Arts College in Damascus, and then studied Jazz Piano and Music Studies at William Paterson University. He made a variety of art and music workshops and taught music for several years. He has performed and recorded music with his jazz band and made compositions for media. His interest in music covers a large scale of genres from classical music, jazz, improvisation, songwriting, composition, folk and world music. He has written many songs for different singers and has won funding and prizes in the Middle East. Music and teaching for Yazan is creative, discovery and fun with limitless horizons.
Terence
Ma
Our Mission
As a tech savvy company that is people first, musicians second we help the world discover themselves through learning an instrument, unleash their inner rock star and find their stage through in person and online learning.
FAQ’s & Policies
Our policies differ between locations. Please see our Policies page for details. Broadly, we require notification before we open on the day of the lesson.
It is possible depending on the circumstances. Please see our Policies page for complete details.
We will match you with someone at first that we think fits your goals. You can absolutely switch at any time!!
For guitar age 8, piano age 5, violin as early as 4-5, ukulele as young as 4-5, every other instrument generally is 9+ (except for the large instruments like double bass)
Prices vary depending on location and program. It’s best to contact the location nearest you for complete details.
We specialize in beginners and teach the confidence you need to become proficient beginner musicians. This is about finding where you belong, not having us test you on whether you make the grade. Just by wanting to do this, you are already miles ahead of the pack. Don’t be afraid of what peoople will think of your non-musical background. you’ve got this.
As much as you can. Start with 5 minutes a day or as much as you can. At first, practice isn’t everything. Coming to the lessons weekly will guarentee you some steps forward and your instructor will teach you habits to get in to the swing of things. Practice is learned, not inherent PLUS you have to love what you are learning! That’s why at Real Brave we are goal oriented to give your inner “why” some food for thought. We will focus on music that you want to learn in the very beginning to make sure we have you with a laser focus on some music to get you going. Then, with a few tunes or basic melodies under your belt we will expand upon that with new melodies, songs and exercises in your musical journey.
Yes. Contact Us if you need help choosing the right guitar for you.
If you own an electric guitar, then yes. However, you don’t need to bring it to your lessons.
Not necessarily. We can start with a drum pad, a small, inexpensive pad to learn basic techniques and rhythms.
Yes, if we can film it!
Yes, a small keyboard to start is recommended. You can start with a 49 key keyboard as long as it has a stand and a seat for you to sit on. You want to be able to have it at the right level so your hands do not get fatigued. Some people put their keyboard on a table but it has to be at the right level!
