About the Studio

Little Bird Music offers customized piano programs that range from preschool to intermediate and advanced levels. Students may choose to take separate music theory and/or composition lessons that focus on a range of individualized topics.

The mission of Little Bird Music is to help students cultivate a lifelong love of music and learning. We welcome students ages four and older who are intrigued by the piano and willing (along with their parents) to put the time and effort into making music a part of their lives.

Little Bird Music takes pride in providing high quality instruments and the latest teaching tools. The studios are equipped with six-foot Yamaha grand pianos.

The name of the studio derives from the ancient legend of St. Gregory. One day, a little bird flew onto Gregory's shoulder and sang a song. Gregory was so moved by the music, he created a system to write it down. Thus emerged Gregorian chant, Western music notation, and the saying "a little bird told me."

Read more about the story and philosophy of Little Bird Music in the Tahoe Quarterly.

Alice Cotter, Ph.D. Musicology, Founder/Director/Instructor

Alice Cotter, Ph.D., grew up in Nevada City, CA and has played the piano since the age of four. She went on to study music theory, composition, and piano performance at the University of California at Berkeley, where she received her B.A. in Music in 2006.

In 2009, Alice moved from Truckee, where she taught many piano students, to Princeton, NJ to embark on her graduate studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Musicology from Princeton University. Alice has presented her research on contemporary American opera at conferences throughout North America, published articles and reviews in several scholarly journals, and is a contributor to Oxford Online. She has taught in the music departments at Princeton, UC Berkeley, and UNR. A working musicologist, Alice is currently writing a book on the operas of John Coolidge Adams. She is an active member of the American Musicological Society, the Music Teachers' Association of California, the National Guild of Piano Teachers (for which she is our region’s chairperson), and is on the board of directors of the Music Teachers’ Association of California Placer Branch. Alice is also the Executive Director and Founder of MusicWings, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit music scholarship organization.

Settled in Truckee, Alice is able to combine her enthusiasm for teaching music with her scholarly interests and love of the mountains. She is respected for her fun, creative approach to teaching and the positive learning environment of her studio. Alice is a mother herself, loving every moment with her family: nine-year-old daughter (Ingrid), seven-year-old son (Cody), and husband (Paul). She also loves rocking out with her fellow bandmates in the all-women’s rock band, The Steel Sparrows.

Brooke Chabot, M.A. Education, Piano Instructor/Music Educator

Brooke Chabot, M.A., has had a song in her heart as far back as she can remember. She has always been interested in making music, listening to music, and exploring instruments. As a teenager, she learned to play guitar, which opened a vast world of musical expression and connection. 

At the University of Vermont, Brooke took classes in music theory and music appreciation to supplement her Social Science degree. She continued her graduate education at Mills College in Oakland, California, where she earned her California teaching credential and Master’s Degree in Education. For over twenty years, Brooke has been teaching children and adults in a variety of subjects and school settings. 

In 2012, Brooke opened Truckee Tahoe Music Together, offering music education for young children and their families in fun and joyful classes. In addition, she has been teaching private lessons in ukulele, guitar and voice. 

Creating music is important to Brooke. She has been writing music and performing in front of audiences for over 20 years. Currently, Brooke plays locally in solo and small group performances. She is also in the band BC & the Remedy, which creates soulful rock and blues music for audiences in the Tahoe area.    

Brooke has been studying piano for many years, and she is excited to bring her love and passion for music and piano to Little Bird Music. She loves exploring music with young musicians as she bears witness to the glimmer in their eyes and the magic in their hearts with each new song. 

Jessee Freeman, B.A. Music, Piano Instructor/Composer

Jessee Freeman holds a B.A. in Music from UC Berkeley, where she studied piano performance, music theory, and composition. She is a member of the Music Teachers’ Association of California and a certified Certificate of Merit instructor. Jessee enjoys improvisation on the piano and finds her instrument a useful tool for composing. She has written for piano, violin, cello, voice, marimba and organ. Recordings of her pieces can be listened to on SoundCloud. She loves many genres of music: classical, jazz, indie rock, bluegrass, hip-hop, flamenco, heavy metal, and other styles.

Jessee grew up in Truckee, CA and began her piano journey while at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, where she studied piano, music theory, and dance before transferring to UC Berkeley. Now, more than a decade later and having gone through years of music and pedagogical training, she is passionate about sharing her love of learning music with her students. As someone who came to piano in college, she understands that it can be challenging to learn to play an instrument and to read music at a later age, and because of this feels strongly that people of all ages and backgrounds are capable and deserve the chance to harness the joy of self-expression that comes with learning an instrument. Jessee wants to help bring meaning and fulfillment into people's lives through teaching others about music, just as her teachers have done for her. In her free time, Jessee's interests include yoga, traveling, concert-going, snowboarding, camping, hiking in nature, and culinary arts.

Zach Lauzon, B.A. Music Industry, Piano Instructor/Composer/Band Support

Zach Lauzon, B.A., is a professional musician hailing from Upstate New York, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry and minor in Audio Production from the State University of New York at Oneonta. For nearly a decade, Zach worked as a professional trombonist in both the Albany area and the greater New York City area, playing everything from bebop and swing music to hip hop, reggae, and classical. Trombone is his predominant instrument, but through his extensive work as a band leader and music director, he studied piano, guitar, ukulele, bass, trumpet, and drums. In 2021, Zach took a leap of faith and moved to Lake Tahoe to pursue a life as a skier. For the past two winters, he has worked as a ski coach and instructor at Palisades Tahoe, an experience that has offered him a deeper understanding of young people, learning styles, and developmental processes. Zach holds a certificate in Child Development. He is also an avid composer and in 2023 released an original, “Feels Like Home,” available on all music streaming platforms. At Little Bird Music, Zach aims to share his love of music and teaching with the next generation.

Vincenzo Pellegrino, B.A., Piano Instructor/Jazz Studies

Vincenzo Pellegrino, B.A., is a graduate of the music program at the University of Nevada, Reno. He started playing piano at age seven and has since become a working jazz musician while attending UNR for jazz studies. Vincenzo is also a former student of Little Bird Music, where he strengthened his love for music and prepared for the road ahead. 

Vincenzo grew up in the Tahoe area and participated in the music programs at North Tahoe Middle School, Alder Creek Middle School, and Truckee High School. He became seriously invested when he joined a band with friends right before high school, an experience that gave him a taste of the “gig life” and the joy of playing music he loves. He has performed with the Truckee Jazz Collective, the Reno Jazz Syndicate, Full Blast Band, Never That, Phat Mark, and various jazz trios, quartets, and quintets. He was the President of the UNR Improvised Music Club, an organization dedicated to teaching improvisation to all who want to learn, and a member of the World Percussion ensemble, which focuses on non-Western styles of music like Samba, Rhumba, and West African Ewe drumming. 

His piano playing is a direct reflection of his favorite pianists, including Keith Jarrett, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Brad Mehldau, McCoy Tyner, Shai Maestro, Alice Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Geri Allen, and Aaron Parks. On top of that, he enjoys all types of music and artists, with some of his favorites being Hiatus Kaiyote, Stevie Wonder, Anderson .Paak, Billie Eilish, and D’Angelo.

Vincenzo strives to share his love of music with all who care to listen. Moreover, he hopes to share his passion with students and show them that with the right amount of dedication to and admiration for music, a viable career is possible. 

Jordan Guldman, Piano/Trumpet/Improvisation Instructor - Summer Session

Jordan Guldman grew up in Truckee, California and started playing piano at six years old and trumpet at 11 years old. Jordan is in his final semester at Oberlin College in a double degree program majoring in jazz trumpet performance and history.

Jordan’s musical journey began in elementary school where they gained a love for piano and music while studying with Alice Cotter. After discovering the trumpet in sixth grade, the significance of music in their life became increasingly clear. In high school, Jordan was mentored on the trumpet by Ralph Alessi and played in the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Reno Youth Symphony Orchestra, and various other groups in the Reno-Tahoe area. They capped off their high school music career by being named second trumpet in the California All State Jazz Band and earned the outstanding high school trumpet soloist award at the Reno Jazz Festival. 

At the Oberlin Conservatory Jordan studies under the guidance of Eddie Henderson and Gary Bartz. Surrounded by students and faculty rich with knowledge and passion, Jordan has flourished musically. They have played in the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble and numerous small ensembles. In the 2022/23 academic school year they were accepted into the Oberlin Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble and toured New York City doing community service performances for underserved school districts and ended the trip by playing at the famous Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center. Jordan also plays trumpet and composes for The Music Quintet, a group that met at Oberlin. In 2022, the group released their debut album, Plays Music, and toured in the midwest and on the east coast. The Music Quintet went on a North American tour in 2023. Jordan’s most recent album, Leatherwood, features a collaboration for trumpet and drums.

Jordan began teaching at Little Bird Music in 2019 and continues to find joy through teaching music.