Music is reflective of who we are and what we can become through it…

When I was eight years old I started to take lessons at a local teacher's place here in Monmouth County. I got turned off by a teacher that only wanted to show me what he thought I should learn. Questions I had were left unanswered and I decided to learn music on my own, as much as I could. Finally, when I was 12 or 13, I started thirsting for knowledge I couldn't find anywhere else. I met Gregg and he nurtured the feelings I had as I was falling in love with music. He didn't push me to learn things I wasn't interested in, he showed me how to apply all the feelings I was having while I was following my heart, playing guitar. Gregg is not just a music teacher, he is an authority, schooled in life's lessons and how music applies to them. The inspiration he brought me when I was 12 still carries on to this day. Gregg is the kind of teacher that doesn't just teach, he inspires and that truly is the best teacher of all. It takes a lot of patience to be able to sit down with someone and be so giving while someone looks to you to answer all their questions and help them become better at anything. If you are seeking out knowledge and find that you may be falling in love with music, Gregg will be the guy that can make the marriage happen. He will also stand by you to see it through when he watches your spirit become one with the notes. He's not only helped me to become better as a musician…but a better person as well.

- Gordon Brown

Songwriter/ Guitar Player                    
Epic Recording Artist                                          www.highwaynine.com
Highway 9

Music lessons are not all about the music…

I was at a point in my musical education, as a kid, where I felt I had hit a huge wall. The instructors I had been going to, fell short of what I was looking for. Not that they weren't good instructors, it's just that they lacked in something else. It seemed as though they did not have the ability to connect with me as a musician and more important, as a person. After a few years of trying to excel in music on my own, I realized it was time to have the ego take a back seat and look for a better instructor. At about the age of 17 I had met Gregg. After the first lesson I knew there was something different about his methods. It seemed as though he wanted to get to know me as a person not only as a music student. Doing this he was able to know where I came from and where I wanted to go, and that, I feel, is essential in helping a student grow as a musician and person. During my lesson years with Gregg, many musical worlds and styles were opened to me. He was always pushing and inspiring me to get to that next level musically. Along with receiving all the music education one needs to become a better musician, I was also inspired to push and strive for that next goal, whether it be in music or in life. Through the years of lessons with Gregg I cannot remember a dull or boring lesson. His methods, patience, and knowledge truly bring out the best in you. When I was young I had this burning desire to become a musician and composer. Gregg and the Village East Conservatory were the fuel for that fire, that every student should be fortunate enough to come across. A few years back I was an instructor with 'The Village East Conservatory', so I can vouch for the fact that Gregg expects as much from the team of instructors as he does of himself.

- Kevin Riepl

Composer for                                      
Film, Television, & Video Games
Kevin Riepl Music                                           www.xplorestudios.com 
Los Angeles, CA