meet our staff

Valerie Pezzulo

Voice and Piano Instructor

Al Marino

Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Violin and Ukulele Instructor

JEANNE MARINO

Co-owner and Piano and Voice Instructor

MARK MARINO

Co-Owner and Guitar, Bass Guitar and Piano Instructor

BARRY SHAPIRO

Casting Director and Acting Coach

MORE ABOUT US

Since 1990, MM Music has been serving Massapequa, NY and the surrounding areas with quality vocal and instrument lessons. Led by all professional musicians/teachers, our professional staff guides the music students of all ages and levels to master their respective instruments. Students also learn music theory and are offered several chances to perform each year. Our music teachers also prepare students for college auditions and for shows in both school and local and professional theaters. Students can choose to be  prepared for NYSSMA adjudications, and they are invited to perform in our annual recital each spring. Read on to learn more about our staff, or contact us today for more  information! You will receive a FREE consultation on the instrument you are interested in!

HAVE LESSONS THE WAY YOU WANT!

Lessons are available in our Massapequa Studio, in your home or virtually via FaceTime, Zoom or Google Duo.

MARK MARINO

 Mark Marino began studying guitar at the age of 10 in Mineola, NY. He has studied with Joe Monk, Jim Hall, and Gene Bertoncini. Mark has been playing jazz guitar professionally in and around the New York area since 1977. He has appeared at the Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall with The Valerie Capers Jazz Ensemble. With this same ensemble, Mark has played the Half Note nightclub in Athens, Greece, and the Nante Jazz Festival in France. He has been guest soloist with the Nassau Pops Orchestra at the Tilles Center. Mark has also performed at the Jazz Standard, City College in Manhattan, Nassau County Museum of Art, Nassau Community College, to name a few. He has also been featured at the Long Island Guitar Festival at CW Post College. Other artists that Mark has performed with include Lionel Hampton, Ruth Brown, Billy Mitchell, Joe Morello, Joe Dixon, and Jim Chapin. Mark currently performs at the Garage Restaurant, 99 7th Ave. South, NYC, on the third Saturday of each month. Mark is a professor of Jazz Guitar Studies at Long Island University/C.W. Post Campus, as well as a private teacher at his music studio, MM Music in Massapequa, N.Y. His recordings include: Valerie Capers' latest CD, "Wagner Takes the A Train," on Elysium Records "Deeply Rooted" on Cats Paw Records "Standard Stretch" on Harbour Records Mark's latest recording is a solo guitar CD entitled "Just Us" on LSE Records.

JEANNE MARINO

Born and raised in Massapequa, NY, Jeanne Marino started her musical education at the age of seven when she took her first piano lesson. She continued studying music throughout her school years playing classical piano and singing in the choir and select groups at school. She graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a degree in Music Education and shortly after started teaching voice and piano privately. Since 1990 Jeanne and her husband Mark Marino, an accomplished jazz guitarist and Professor of Jazz Guitar Studies at LIU CW Post, have had a music teaching studio in their home called “MM Music”. Jeanne also started a summer camp in 2007 called “Love to Sing Summer Day Camp.” She is also the music teacher at Pixie Nursery School in Wantagh, NY .Once her two children were grown, Jeanne, at 57, embarked on an additional career. She started performing as a Cabaret singer. Jeanne also writes comedic parodies and she has performed them in various venues on Long Island, and at the Duplex and Triad Theater in NYC.

AL MARINO

Al Marino holds a bachelor degree in music performance from LIU Post. He studied both classical and jazz guitar under the instruction of professors Harris Becker and Richard Iacona. He currently studies with Michael Ricchiuti (pianist / arranger for Patti Austin). Mr. Marino has performed at various venues on Long Island and Manhattan including but not limited to the Lenox Lounge, Treme, Zinc Bar, Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, and The Garage Cafe. He teaches guitar, bass guitar, piano, ukulele and violin at MM Music in Massapequa. Mr. Marino has had the pleasure of working and performing with many gifted musicians and continues to learn.

VALERIE PEZZULO

Valerie Pezzulo received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance at Long Island University. She has performed at both the Rose Theater and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center with the Long Island University Chorus in productions of I Gioiella Della Madonna by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari and Pietro Mascagnis Il Piccolo Marat. She toured with the Long Island Sound Vocal Jazz Ensemble to the South of France for the 50th Anniversary of the Jazz Juan Festival, and again for the 50th Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, where they were featured at the world-renowned festivals as up-and-coming jazz talent. She and the ensemble were hired to sing backup for Barry Manilow in his concert at the Prudential Center during his final One Last Time Tour. She has also been a Cabernette backup singer for Jeanne Marinos' many parody cabaret shows at Manhattan venues like The Duplex and The Triad. As one who has studied voice for over fifteen years and built a repertoire across genres such as Baroque, Classical, Romantic, American Popular Song, Contemporary, and Vocal Jazz, Ms. Pezzulo teaches voice and piano lessons to her private students at MM Music and also teaches music at Harbor Child Care. Ms. Pezzulo performs for various private events as well as for dinner entertainment at several restaurants on Long Island. She plans to continue teaching, performing, and collaborating with fellow musicians. 

BARRY SHAPIRO

Barry is Owner of Herman & Lipson casting. He has been with Herman & Lipson for over 38 years casting over 8000 commercials for products such as Burger King, Toys R Us, Coke, Kraft and many other top accounts. He casts for commercials all around the world and also casts for film, television and theater. besides being a Casting Director, Barry also keeps busy on the weekends traveling around the country conducting acting workshops and attending talent conventions. In New York, Barry teaches commercial technique and improv classes for kids all across the country and also directs comedy showcases for children.