Guitar and Piano

Ivan Liptak is a multi-instrumentalist and teacher who enjoys performance, composition, production, and the many varied forms of music. With experience in a wide range of settings, Ivan is eager to grow further in his own journey and share his knowledge with his students. He currently holds a BA in Guitar Performance from Berklee College of Music, where he graduated magna cum laude.

As a child in New York City, Ivan’s first instruments were electric bass and guitar. Beginning with rock and blues during elementary and middle school, he took lessons and performed both in and outside of school. He then began to study jazz in high school, taking private lessons with local guitarist Greg Loman and performing in the Jazz Ensemble at Sidwell Friends School. During the summer, he attended the Berklee five-week summer music program in jazz guitar. In college he took private lessons with classical guitarist Phillip De Fremery at Amherst College. He completed the Music Theory curriculum and participated in many varied performance ensembles. As a highlight, he also attended the Summer Institute of Contemporary Performance Practice’s Electronic Music Workshop at the New England Conservatory.

As a secondary instrument, Ivan began learning piano in middle school, taking a beginners’ piano course to start in 6th grade.  He received private lessons through high school, avidly practicing the music of Phillip Glass and Erik Satie as well as standard Jazz repertoire. In college he continued to play and perform pieces by Bela Bartok, Meredith Monk, and Morton Feldman. He took composition classes at both Smith and Amherst while at Hampshire College, and often uses piano as a tool for composition and analysis in the classical and the jazz idioms. In addition to piano, Ivan teaches how to use the voice as a way for students to deepen their relationship with the sound of their instrument.

Ivan started teaching private lessons during high school and went on to major in Performance Pedagogy at Hampshire college. During his collegiate years, he was also a teaching assistant in the Jazz Improvisors’ Laboratory and in the class Contemporary Musical Practices, which covered twenty-first century classical music. He taught a rock band class at a summer camp in Maine for kids ages 7-13 and volunteered at a public school in Massachusetts for grades 7-12 teaching ensemble fundamentals. Ivan currently teaches private lessons in guitar, piano, and music theory in the DC area. He continues his studies with local guitar guru Anthony Pirog.

Ivan is personable and well-equipped to share his knowledge about the many facets of music, theory, and technique, and loves to devoting his time to the study of all things music. He particularly enjoys new music, and he prides himself on keeping a very open mind. When Ivan meets his students, he tailors lessons and finds pieces best suited to each individual student’s learning style and musical interests. He believes that patience and persistence are the best tools to turn anyone into a great musician. Learning to perform and compose music was very important for Ivan in his formative years, allowing him to discover his creative voice. He teaches music so his students can experience the same joy and fulfillment that he did and still does to this day.