Founders
Sasha Dubyk
Sasha Dubyk is a Philadelphia-raised, Brooklyn-based musician with a voice that can just as easily soar through a bluegrass harmony, glide over a smoky jazz standard, belt a musical theater anthem, or cradle a folk ballad in stillness. Classically trained yet endlessly adventurous, she blends the precision of her Berklee College of Music Degree (Music Therapy + African Studies) with the heart and soul of a lifelong performer.
For over a decade, Sasha has taken her music on the road — touring the U.S. and internationally with her high-energy bluegrass band Damn Tall Buildings as lead vocalist and upright bassist, and bringing European folk traditions to life as lead vocalist for The Klezmeranians.
In 2017, she put down roots in New York and began pouring her energy and heart into education and building community. Sasha co-founded Crown Heights Music School, a family-run hub offering private lessons for all ages, and launched a women’s community choir.
Her belief is simple: performing is a privilege, and great performers mentor, teach and give back. That ethos fuels her work as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Education, sharing and exchanging American music/culture with artists worldwide. Most recently, she traveled to Ethiopia, France, Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, performing and leading masterclasses.
On stage or in the classroom, Sasha’s work is about connection — reminding us that music is not just to be heard, but to be shared.
Max Capistran is a Brooklyn-based performer, songwriter, manager, and educator, and the Co-Founder of CHMS. A summa cum laude graduate of Berklee College of Music, Max holds a Bachelor's Degree in Songwriting, with additional studies in music theory, music business, and guitar performance across blues, jazz, and bluegrass styles. Max is the manager, primary songwriter, and lead vocalist/guitarist for the nationally touring bluegrass band Damn Tall Buildings.
Over the past decade, he has built a strong reputation in both performance and music education, offering private instruction in songwriting, music theory, and music business. In recognition of his artistic and cultural contributions, Max also serves as a United States Cultural Ambassador, sharing American music traditions around the world.
Our Instructors
Tyler Jenkins
Guitar | Piano | Drums
Yami Foreman Schwartz
Guitar | Piano | Bass | Ukulele
Benjamin (Yami) Forman Schwartz is a multidisciplinary musician, instrumentalist, producer and DJ.
Yami is a seasoned musician, playing the guitar as well as bass guitar, ukulele, Piano and synths since the young age of 9. Yami is a jazz-trained musician with over 15 years of musical experience, including a graduate degree from the prestigious Berklee College of Music with a focus in Guitar performance, Production and songwriting .
He has participated in several festivals and performances, including the Monterey Jazz Festival in California, as well as winning first place in the annual Jerusalem guitar competition. He is currently an active member in the band Zaltys, playing lead synthesizer, drum machine and guitar.
Yami is a lifelong tutor and mentor with a natural knack for teaching the wonders of the musical world. Teaching since he was in high school, Yami has over 10 years of teaching experience working with students of all ages and levels.
Tyler is a multi-instrumentalist artist and composer known for his original work on film and theater productions. He has opened for and accompanied major artists like Alicia Keys, Masego, and Amine. He has played in the San Francisco Bluegrass Festival, headlined the International Festival of Arts and Ideas and played in the historic Palace Theater among many others.
He is a recipient of many fellowships and awards including the National Endowment of the Arts Artist Corps Fellowship, Best Original Score at the LA Crime and Horror Film Festival, the Mellon Foundation funded New Haven Composer Spotlight Fellowship.
Faith Quashie
Voice | Piano | Songwriting
Isabel Alvarez
Voice | Piano | Songwriting
A seasoned traveler across stages as a soloist, bandleader and sideman, Faiths versatility and command over her craft are mesmerizing. Beyond the stage, Faith stands as a cornerstone within her community, a driving force in the movement to elevate women in music. Collaborating with luminaries like Cyrille Aimee, Candice Hoyes, and Sasha Berliner through the Women in Jazz Organization, Faith is not just a vocalist, but a catalyst for change. A recent participant in The Woodshed Network Residency program alongside the legendary Dee Dee Bridgewater and an assembly of industry titans including Sheila E., Faith's trajectory is set to soar even higher, propelling her career into new dimensions through the alchemy of networking and transformative workshops.
Isabel Alvarez (she/her/they), aka Velise, is a singer-songwriter from New York. Isabel has spent the past twenty plus years studying, performing, living, and breathing music. Under the direction of legendary Metropolitan Opera soprano, Ms. Atarah Hazzan, her focus has been in classical voice, opera, and breathwork, with a repertoire spanning six languages. Isabel has also studied with world-renowned singer, composer and bandleader, Jazzmeia Horn, vocalist-composer Charles Turner, as well as saxophonist-composer Jon De Lucia. In 2023, Isabel was selected to participate in The Woodshed Network, a professional mentorship program connecting women in jazz under the artistic direction of multiple-award winning jazz singer and actress Dee Dee Bridgewater. This experience fueled and funded Isabel's (Velise's) debut EP, Velise, released in November 2024. Ms. Alvarez is focused on using the gifts of music to spread love, motivate, and inspire. Isabel believes in the revolutionary, historical power of activism through music. Through teaching music, Isabel aims to provide a fun, disciplined, and nurturing environment, where students feel liberated in all areas of life, beginning with finding, exercising, and honoring our own unique voices.
Max Hollenbeck
Drums | Piano
Join Our Team
Max is a multi- instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and graduate of the Berklee College of Music. He studied a rich and diverse repertoire of drumming styles, from jazz to rock, to Afro-Caribbean and Latin styles. He graduated with a degree in Drum Performance, Music Education, and Sound Engineering.
Max began playing piano at age 5, and went on to explore the clarinet, drums, and guitar. He currently records and tours with several bands, including the Wildman’s, an Americana-folk rock group, and For Opal, a Brooklyn based alt-rock group. Max has traveled across the country as a live performer, playing at festivals such as Americana Fest, Evanston Folk Fest, and Fresh Grass. He regularly performs in New York and Brooklyn at venues including the historic Cafe Wha. Max also writes, records, and produces his own music, performing all the instrumental and vocal parts himself.
Max has always had a passion for teaching, passing along musical knowledge and experience, and adapting his teaching approach to best fit the needs of the student. As a lifelong student of music, Max is adept at breaking down concepts for students of all ages and skill levels.