Bronwyn Bird
Nyckelharpa, Accordion, Guitar, Piano
Co-Founder: Birdhouse Center For The Arts,
BA, Music Therapy, Berklee College of Music
Bronwyn is a co-founder of the BirdHouse Center for the Arts and a 2009 graduate of Berklee College of Music. Throughout her music therapy clinical work she has provided services for a wide variety of populations including Early Intervention, at-risk youth, Adult Dayhab, Geriatrics, and individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Bronwyn discovered the joys of music through Swedish, Irish, and American folk dancing, and it has been her passion ever since. She is particularly drawn to unusual instruments, including the accordion, and Nyckelharpa (keyed-fiddle), which she studied abroad in Sweden. When not engaged in clinical work, she tours both nationally and internationally as aprofessional musician, performing and teaching educational workshops in root music and dance. Bronwyn strongly believes that community creates music, and music in turn creates community.
MEET THE TEAM
We are lucky to have such a dynamic group of dedicated music instructors!
Justin Nawn
Guitar, Piano
Co-Founder: Birdhouse Center For The Arts,
BA, Music Therapy, Berklee College of Music
Justin graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2009 with a concentration in Music Therapy. During the completion of his undergraduate degree, he received extensive training in folk, rock, jazz, slide, and blues guitar. As a part of his clinical training, Justin completed a six-month internship at a unique residential school for kids called The Center For Discovery. Complimentary to working therapeutically with the school's life-changing student body, he also received extensive training on improvisational piano methods.
Justin describes his work as thus:
"Each person is unique, as is their musical taste. Regardless of working with groups or individuals, I’m always excited to learn about the melodies that move people, for these are the keys to their heart, and they open the gates to unseen avenues of self expression. When forming musical relationships, my aim is simple: to help people create the sound that uniquely defines them."
Nancy Brown
Violin/Fiddle, Flute
Alumni: New England Conservatory
Nancy Brown is a classically trained violinist with a degree in violin performance from New England Conservatory of Music, '85. She has since played mostly folk music, including a stint with the Celtic Folk band, "Mollyhawkes." She is an experienced teacher, having taught violin, fiddle and viola to children and adults of all ages. She prides herself on her gentleness and flexibility in meeting the individual needs of her students. Her focus is on making sure that her students have a positive experience with music in the process of "learning how to learn."
Aidan Young
Guitar, Piano, Bass, Ukulele, Drums, Mandolin, Voice, Songwriting
Aidan has been teaching music to individuals and coaching ensembles since 2003. He started out learning bluegrass songs on the mandolin at the age of 8 and spent his teenage years learning grunge riffs on the acoustic guitar. Over his 18+ years of teaching he has played multiple instruments, learning literally thousands of songs by artists across every genre of music.
Aidan believes that joy comes first in learning music, and strives from day one to help every student learn a song they love. Every song has something it can teach us about music and our instrument, and the more we enjoy the music we are learning the more time we will dedicate to our musical growth.
Dan Kassel
Cello + Drums
Dan Kassel is a versatile cellist who performs extensively throughout the Tri-State area and Philadelphia in a variety of ensembles ranging from classical to electronica, jazz and rock. Dan's career has taken him around the globe, and he's as comfortable in a chamber ensemble as he is accompanying a modern dance troupe. He's been featured on recordings alongside jazz-fusion giants Mike Stern and Randy Brecker and is the "go-to" cellist for many notable Philadelphia artists such as Lotus, Suzanne Sheer, MINKA, and Keegan Tawa.
Dan is one of a burgeoning group of cellists who strive to take the instrument outside of its strictly classical context into the world of improvisational music. HIs approach to the instrument has seen him play alongside rock stars from Ween and Henry Rollins Band as well as in gospel churches, electronica groups and a wide variety of rock and jazz ensembles where he's as comfortable ripping into a solo as the guitarist standing beside him.