Expertise • Enthusiasm • Excellence
Rebecca Gruenfeld
Voice, Piano
A vocalist, pianist and composer, Rebecca was awarded her BA and MA in Elementary Education from Queens College, CUNY, coupled with extensive training at CUNY’s Aaron Copland School of Music. Her principal teachers were Merle Langs Greenberg and Sharon Pesenti.
Rebecca maintained her own voice and piano studio in New York from 2001 – 2022. She was also Musical Director of student productions at both Shulamith Middle School and HAFTR High School in Long Island. As a performer, she sang in Tizmoret, a professional A Capella group in Long Island. Rebecca has created and recorded many vocal covers and original songs.
Rebecca loves to teach all genres including classical, pop, musical theater and contemporary, for both voice and piano. Since moving to MA in 2022, Rebecca has re-established her private studio, and in addition to Wayland School of Music she also teaches at Music Connection in Danvers.
Meet Rebecca
- How/what age did you start your instrument?
I have been singing pretty much since I was able to speak. I started playing piano by ear at the age of 5 or 6, and then my parents decided to give me lessons. - Did you come from a musical family?
I come from a very musical family. My entire immediate family enjoys music and likes to sing. My mother sang in choir after college, and my father can play both piano and guitar by ear. Both of my parents’ fathers were cantors. My mother’s mother was an amazing singer and recorded some songs professionally. A lot of members of my extended family are extremely musical, and well known in the music world in California. - Best or funniest (or even worst!) musical memory from childhood?
Best musical memory from childhood was getting to watch my cousin, Jay Gruska (John Williams’s former son-in-law, but also well-known and accomplished in his own right), play piano. I was about seven or eight and had never ever seen someone play the keys with that much talent in my life. Even now, over three decades later, I still remember it vividly. I also remember thinking while watching him play, I want to do that when I’m older! - A highlight or two from your performing career:
I absolutely love the thrill of performance. I loved performing all over with my professional A Capella group. I loved singing with the group, but having solos where I had moments to shine also always made me feel special. I remember performing at both my middle school and high school graduation - I played the national anthem on the piano for hundreds of people and felt really proud. - What do you love about teaching?
What I love about teaching is being able to show my students my passion and enthusiasm for music, piano, voice, and teaching in general. I like making a difference in other people’s lives and hope that I can continue to do so for many years. - What would you like your students to know about you?
I auditioned for both American Idol and The Voice in younger years. Although I didn’t make it, I hope it may motivate them to know that the sky is the limit and if at first you don’t succeed, you can always try again. You can be really talented and just not get the lead part of your school play, or not make the cast of a big audition. It doesn’t mean you’re any less talented or less of a musician or person. It just means there’s a lot of talent out there, and some of it is luck. Keep going! Never give up. - Can you share a non-musical fun fact about you?
I LOVE animals, especially dogs. I am hoping to one day become a vet, even if I’m the oldest vet in the world! After my passion for music comes my passion for veterinary medicine and I hope to go back to school for that one day in the future! Perhaps even to combine my music and veterinary passions (I have some ideas).