Ezra Guitar
The story of a Brooklyn guitar studio and those who make it…
Everyone knows that New York brings people from all over the world together. Many people come together to cohesively form communities based on our interests and share what we love, maybe it’s food or art. In the case of Maoz Ezra, it was music. The sound of classical guitar has run through his veins.
Moaz began studying classical guitar at the age of ten in his birthplace Israel. He eventually decided that he wanted to further his studies in Paris at the well renowned “L’Ecole Normale de Musique.” Later, he began his teaching career by teaching other young musicians first in Israel then Paris. In 2005, Maoz moved to New York. There, he began individually teaching guitar until in 2014, he opened his first studio in Brooklyn. This studio is where many found their start in music, including myself.
When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit in March of 2020, normal functioning was put on hold. Schools closed, restaurants were forced to shut down, and EzraGuitar, too, shut down. The typical one-on-one instruction that EzraGuitar typically offered had to be adjusted. Just like most schools were forced to switch instruction from in person school to virtual, the night of the shutdowns, Maoz and Leilah, the executive director of EzraGuitar, sat down and decided they were going to have all their students learn online. This would work, for the most part, yet there proved to be a challenge for them: group lessons were not easily conducted online. Because EzraGuitar holds lessons at many elementary schools, like P.S 889, for younger students, there was a large number of students affected by the switch to online.
They came up with one solution: they would take on every student individually. The amount of online lessons they were having was unimaginable. At one point, they were teaching almost 500 students online.
As we all know, many families moved away from their homes in NYC during the pandemic, away from many of the small businesses and restaurants they have long supported. This undoubtedly had a negative impact on these already struggling businesses trying to stay alive. When students from EzraGuitar moved, though, they were still able to continue their guitar journey due to EzaraGuitar’s virtual option, which many grew to prefer. Many stayed learning classical guitar from all over, from the Hudson Valley to Colorado. The seemingly detrimental effects the pandemic had on them ultimately turned positive as this new option proved to be revolutionary for their business, making them more accessible for so many more people. Sarah Fabbricatore Alwa, an active member of EzraGuitar, says they have been incredibly lucky the past two years to have had this new opportunity arise, and without it, EzraGuitar might not have survived.
Many are elated that they persevered during the pandemic, losing EzraGuitar would mean losing opportunities to work with the truly passionate individuals teaching here. Similar to Maoz, many of the instructors of EzraGuitar come from overseas, like Nancy Goudinaki who came to New York to pursue her career as a guitarist and Jazz vocalist from Greece. Their passion is truly contagious and influences their students in the best way possible. Nancy Goudinaki shared the impact music has on her, “music makes me feel alive!” and hopes her students feel similarly, she said, “I keep saying to my students to follow your dreams, follow your passion, and never give up!” Nancy has released her album “I Wanna be Your Star,” and aims to produce even more music in the future. Recently, she has released her own guitar record “What I Was For You,” with many original compositions which can be found on nancyg.bandcamp.com. If you have ever considered picking up an instrument, don’t hesitate to come to EzraGuitar, their patient and accommodating environment caters to everyone, no matter what age. Coming here makes you a part of a family connecting through the love of music. It is truly rewarding to be able to be a part of that community.
