About

Helping students of all ages discover confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love of music through patient, personalized instruction

Our story

Where Music Becomes a Lifelong Journey

Lifelong Music School was created with one simple goal: to make high-quality music education welcoming, encouraging and accessible for every student. Whether someone is picking up an instrument for the very first time or continuing years of musical study, every lesson is designed around the individual learner.

We believe that learning music is about much more than mastering notes on a page. It builds confidence, creativity, discipline and a lifelong appreciation for the arts. Our supportive environment allows students to grow at their own pace while discovering the joy of making music.

Expert violin and viola instruction

Meet your teacher

Dr. Elizabeth Garbee

Violin • Viola • String Ensembles

Dr. Elizabeth Garbee started her music journey at age 4 learning to play the violin as a Suzuki student. She was the concertmaster of both the Oberlin Orchestra and the Arizona State Community Orchestra while she pursued a bachelor’s degree in physics and a PhD in education policy. A certified Suzuki teacher herself (as well as middle school math instructor), Elizabeth is delighted to join Lifelong Music School as a violin and ensemble teacher!

Expert flute and piccolo instruction

Meet your teacher

Abrielle Scott

Flute • Piccolo • Chamber Ensembles

Abrielle Scott is a flutist, chamber musician, and educator known for her rich sound and versatility. An advocate for new music, Abrielle collaborates regularly with today’s composers and has premiered several works to date. Her most recent premieres include Whitney Sheng’s “Foxfire” for alto flute (2026, University of Miami), as well as a consortium premiere of Juri Seo’s “Birds, Bees, and Electric Fish” for two flutes and two percussionists (2024, Vanderbilt University). Abrielle is flutist with the South Florida New Music Collective, a performer-composer group dedicated to performing new works primarily written by composers of the South Florida community.

An educator particularly interested in amplifying voices of Black and Brown musicians, Abrielle has recently collaborated with the National Flute Association and Music by Black Composers, an organization dedicated to inspiring and diversifying audiences and performers of classical music, to make reference recordings of their first volume of Beginner to Elementary level flute music. In June 2026, she was a flute teaching fellow at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where she taught masterclasses and coached student ensembles of the festival’s Woodwind Quintet Seminar.

Abrielle is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the CUNY Graduate Center under the tutelage of Professor Tara Helen O’Connor. She has recently received a Master’s degree from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where she was a flute studio teaching assistant and Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra Fellow. Abrielle also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.

Expert clarinet, saxophone, flute and oboe instruction

Meet your teacher

Hunter McDonald

Clarinet • Saxophone • Oboe • Flute • Piccolo

Hunter McDonald is a highly sought after woodwind doubler and educator based in the NYC-Metropolitan area. Prior to moving to New Jersey in 2025, Hunter lived in Nashville, TN where his private students have earned positions in the Tennessee All State Band, regional honor bands, and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, a three week intensive for advanced high school musicians.

Hunter teaches B♭, E♭ and bass clarinet, flute and piccolo, soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, and oboe.

Hunter earned a masters degree in multiple woodwind performance from Middle Tennessee State University. He previously earned his bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance from Towson University. In his free time he enjoys reading, knitting, and baking sourdough.

Expert voice instruction at Lifelong Music School in Whitehouse Station, NJ

Meet your teacher

Cynthia Cook

Voice • Violin

Cynthia Cook is a classically trained mezzo-soprano with a 15-year professional career in opera, spanning the United States and Europe. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Hartford and an Artist Diploma in Opera Performance from the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. 

Her performance credits include productions of Bernstein’s Candide with Opéra National de Bordeaux, Dialogues des Carmélites with Washington National Opera, and An American Tragedy with The Glimmerglass Festival. She also spent two years as a member of the Choeur du Capitole at the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse in France, performing in a 45-singer ensemble under a permanent contract.  

Cynthia’s musical training began in Whitehouse, New Jersey, where she also studied violin and piano from age age 8 to 18 before pursuing vocal performance professionally. Drawing on years of formal training and real-world performance experience, she brings a patient, encouraging approach to teaching, helping students of all ages and levels build confidence, technique, and a genuine love of music.

piano lessons in Hunterdon County, NJ

Meet your teacher

Mr. Steve

Guitar • Piano • Bass Guitar • Ukulele • Banjo

Music has always been at the heart of Mr. Steve’s life, and sharing that passion with students is what inspires his teaching every day. He believes every student can succeed with the right balance of encouragement, patience, and structured learning.

As the founder of Lifelong Music School in 2023, Mr. Steve set out to create a welcoming community where students of all ages can build confidence, develop strong musical foundations, and enjoy the lifelong rewards of learning an instrument. His lessons emphasize steady progress while keeping music enjoyable and motivating.

Our Growing Team

Meet Our Future Teachers

Our school continues to grow. As we expand, we’ll introduce talented instructors across many musical disciplines.

piano lessons in Hunterdon County, NJ

Voice Teacher

Professional voice instruction for singers of every age and experience level.

guitar lessons in Hunterdon County, NJ

Percussion Teacher

Drumset • Hand Drums • Mallet Instruments & More!

guitar lessons in Hunterdon County, NJ

String Teacher

Violin • Cello & More!

A girl playing the flute on the stage at Lifelong Music School in Hunterdon County, NJ

Woodwind Teacher

Flute • Saxophone • Clarinet • Oboe & More!

An adult student playing piano at Lifelong Music School in Hunterdon County, NJ. He is reading sheet music while playing a prelude from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier.

Piano Teacher

Classical • Jazz • Pop & More!

guitar lessons in Hunterdon County, NJ

Guitar Teacher

Classical • Electric • Acoustic • Bass • Ukulele & More!

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