Info & Locations

A fantastic teacher

Isabella is a fantastic teacher. I have been taking weekly lessons with her for the past 8 months and as an absolute beginner she made me feel very comfortable and confident. My progress has been very rewarding and I owe it all to her skill as an instructor. She makes sight reading and playing an absolute joy as her pace is very carefully matched to my ability. She knows how to help me through the tough parts and since she is so experienced as a teacher she knows what to emphasize and how to help me get over the inevitable “bumps”. I will continue to work with her for as long as she continues to teach!!!

Play Classical Guitar Like a Professional!

I do not know how I would have progressed as a guitar player and musician without Isabella’s lessons. Coming in to lessons, I had a very strong guitar playing background but only a rudimentary ability on the classical guitar, and almost no ability to sight-read. I used to be stuck and feel hesitation when I looked at a piece written in sheet music (vs guitar tablature). I now feel the opposite way and confident that my ability and repertoire are going to grow even further.

Isabella has a wide knowledge of composers and styles. She has helped me find music that I enjoy playing and also helped me to improve my technique and discard bad habits I had brought to the classical guitar from playing other instruments. I would recommend Isabella to anyone who wants to expand their ability as a musician and play the classical guitar like a professional, even if they only play as a hobby.

Balancing Challenge with Support and Encouragement

I went to Isabella for classical guitar lessons after not playing regularly for almost two decades and having never learned to sight read music! Isabella has been a wonderful teacher and is able to balance challenge with support and encouragement. My playing and understanding of the mechanics of music has improved drastically with her support. I highly recommend her as a teacher at any level.

Scored 95/100 for the Royal Conservatory of Music Exam!

My 10-year-old son has been working with Isabella for around 8 months now learning the guitar. None of my family knows how to play the guitar to teach him and at first we were not sure if learning a musical instrument through zoom would work. However, my son has been having a lot of fun since his first class and he was able to get a 95 for the RCM exam after preparing it with her. Isabella is very kind and a great teacher who makes the class so my son can concentrate for 45 minutes. If there is something he doesn’t understand, we can reach out to her and she will send us a video demonstrating it and always writes what my son has to do by his next class. I feel very lucky that Isabella is my son’s teacher.

Yes, I Can!

I’ve been studying with Isabella for about 9 months now. At the start I was concerned I’d be spending most of my time on scales and more-or-less mindless technique exercises. While they have not been ignored, she has had me spending more time on the music.
The usual advice seems to be not to work on materials above one’s technical level. Isabella turned that around, giving me pieces I had serious concerns I would never be able to play, and showing me that I can. Actually seeing progress has been immensely gratifying, and motivates me to keep progressing.
Thank you, Isabella–for showing me you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Extremely Knowledgeable and Helpful Teacher

Isabella is a GREAT teacher!! She’s attentive, patient, caring, extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Whatever your goals are, she is going to help you meet them. She’s the perfect teacher for adult students looking to advance themselves. She’s really helped me grow and feel more confident as guitarist and musician. I came to her after feeling very down about my skills, I had a very bad experience with past teachers and I was starting to hate guitar. It took me sometime to feel good again but I am so glad I found her. I look forward to my lessons and I feel energized about playing guitar again.

A Great Help

I have been working with Isabella for a little over 6 months. She has been a great help providing with what I need to reach the next level. She also invited me to a Summer masterclass last year to watch other students’ performance. Watching other’s performance is very important in learning any instruments. I am relatively new to guitar but I majored in classical piano. Isabella is a true professional who will help you reaching your goals at any level.

An Entirely New Path

Isabella is an insightful and enthusiastic teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge of music, guitar theory, and concepts. She also possesses a wealth of teaching and practice strategies for helping students advance their playing. For example, it is routine for teachers to tell students to relax more. It is extraordinary when that instruction is accompanied by multiple strategies and exercises to achieve greater relaxation. When I was fortunate enough to find Isabella, I had been playing classical guitar for more than 15 years, but the last 3 were spent without a teacher. I practiced and maintained, but I wasn’t advancing and wasn’t sure how to advance. It took Isabella only a few minutes to unpack my playing, help me break out of my rut, and send me on an entirely new path with a combination of tangible and conceptual goals. This even included participating in a master class during the 2021 Lanciano International Guitar Seminar. My lessons usually start with a discussion of if and what I practiced, and what challenges or questions I encountered. Whether it is something about sight reading, repertoire, technique, performance anxiety, interpretation, practicing with kids in the house, etc, Isabella is able to speak to it and help with it. She is supportive in her critiques, specific with her instructions, and a joy to listen to playing guitar and speaking about it. I look forward to every lesson.

An Amazing and Enthusiastic Teacher

Isabella is an amazing and enthusiastic teacher. She is very patient and knows how to explain theory very well. Her practical advise has brought a great deal of improvement in just a few months for my daughter Veda. She is one teacher who can actually answer and explain every single question which was lingering in my daughter s mind for quite sometime. Her method of teaching has made my daughter fall into the habit of playing and enjoying music. I would highly recommend Miss Isabella who is a perfect book of knowledge where one can thrive in a balance of joy and success.

Reaching A New Level

I’m preparing to apply for my masters degree & Isabella’s help & guidance has been very important to my preparations. Her supportive and practical advise has helped me reach a new level on the instrument that always felt a bit out of reach. Wonderful teacher – I highly recommend taking lessons with her.

The Real Deal!

I spent a lot of time looking for a good classical guitar instructor in the city who would help me progress from my very basic understanding of the instrument. Isabella is the real deal! She gives great quality one on one instruction (even while remote during this past year) and has helped me advance to a now early intermediate level [RCM Certification]. She is really patient and great at pinpointing problematic areas in technique and provides useful exercises on how to improve my musicality and expression. If you’re looking for a great teacher who could help you improve, no need to look any further!

My Expectations Have Been Consistently Exceeded

I studied classical guitar as a kid and had been playing intermittently since then, but when the pandemic started I decided to get serious again. I originally chose to work with Isabella because I was interested in branching out beyond the “canon” and into more contemporary pieces; we’ve ended up playing a broad spectrum of things. I really can’t say enough good things about her teaching. As someone coming in with a solid technical foundation, my primary goals have been improving musicality and performance quality, and my expectations in those regards have been consistently exceeded. She is a very thoughtful critic of my playing, with a keen ear and a real depth of insight into the pieces I am playing. She has completely transformed the way I think about how to play music. On a very practical level, the online format is very smooth and convenient, and I don’t feel like I’m really missing much compared to being in person.

Play with Confidence, Focus, and a Desire to Learn More

My nine year old, super energetic, son started playing last year with Isabella. He had never picked up a guitar in his life and now he is playing his instrument with confidence, focus, and a desire to learn more. I believe that his dedication has a great deal to do with Isabella. She is an amazing teacher. She listens to her students and really guides and teaches them to have a love for music.

Perfect balance of technique, form, playfulness and improvisation

Isabella is an incredibly patient and intuitive teacher. She has a very calming influence on my 9 year old son which allows him to focus and engage with her in an impressive way. Isabella also seems to have the perfect balance of technique and form and playfulness and improvisation. Structure and variety are the key to my son’s happiness in life, and in music and Isabella tapped into that quite immediately. I couldn’t ask for a better teacher.

Highly Recommended

I joined DalMaestro for preparing my harmony test through The Royal Conservatory of Music RCM and I studied with Liz. She is very knowledgeable and skilled in walking you through concepts and exercises. Also very flexible when scheduling lessons. Highly recommended!

Immense depth of knowledge for music and guitar technique.

Isabella is a wonderful teacher. Her depth of knowledge for music and guitar technique is immense. In most lessons, she amazes me with some subtle, ingenious idea that greatly improves my playing. It really matters if you have a good teacher like Isabella, because you can improve much faster under a master than otherwise. Though I have further to go, finally I can enjoy some beautiful music from my own hands!

One of the Best Teachers I Ever Worked With

I have been playing guitar for 24 years and have had many great teachers in the past and for me Isabella is easily one of the best teachers I ever worked with. She is very knowledgeable, and helped me improve tremendously especially when it comes to musicianship, interpretation and technique. I have entered international competitions in the past and she is helping me prepare for competitions next year. The recital we had was amazing as well. There are opportunities for guitar abroad studies as well as preparing for conservatory admissions and The Royal Conservatory of Music Tests. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced student looking to learn classical guitar or prepare for competitions you should definitely consider working with Isabella Abbonizio.

A Tremendous and Accomplished Teacher and Player

I was delighted that after a long search, I was able to find Isabella. Since we have been working together online, I have noted steady progress and developed a profound interest in the study of this beautiful instrument. Isabella is a tremendous and accomplished teacher and player, and her experience and patience are evident, in addition to her positive and contagious outlook. I always look forward to her classes; it is a delight to work with Isabella.

An Incredible Teacher

I found Isabella via Yelp, and I’m so glad I did. She is an incredible teacher who made reading music and playing guitar as a novice quite enjoyable. Her expertise and ability to articulate her knowledge allowed my guitar skills to blossom in just three short months. Isabella is not only skilled, but she is extremely kind, caring, and patient. She is also very flexible in terms of accommodating an often hectic and unpredictable schedule. I couldn’t recommend Isabella highly enough!

The best guitar instructor I have ever had

Just wanted to share my experience working with Isabella. She is an amazing instructor who is very patient and caring. I have made so much progress in my playing because of her and can now confidently play sheet music by sight reading apart from many other skills she has thought me. She is also very knowledgeable in music theory. I look forward to our lessons together and hope to continue working with her in the future. As a side note I had been playing guitar for approximately 14 years prior to meeting her, and can confidently say she is the best guitar instructor I have ever had. Thank you so much Isabella!!

Now I play my instrument more beautifully

Isabella was fantastic! I began our couple of months together (before leaving for College) with approximately 2 years of self-taught knowledge, and now, I have a much more useful understanding of my instrument and of written music. When beginning our lessons I was looking for a classical teacher who would help me foster my ability to read music, and help me find ways to play my instrument more beautifully. After only a summer worth of lessons, I can say with confidence that Isabella did that for me.

Truly a gifted teacher

If you are interested in learning guitar Isabella is the best. I have been taking lessons with her for over two years and have benefited tremendously. She is truly a gifted teacher, with a deep understanding of guitar. She is able to break complicated concepts down into small steps which makes learning easy. Sometimes I arrive to my lesson dispirited and discouraged, but Isabella is always able to reignite my enthusiasm. I began learning guitar at 40, so it’s never to late. The lessons are an investment that will pay off for the rest of your life.

Awsome!

Isabella is awesome! I had been teaching myself the basics of guitar and decided I wanted that extra help to really get my dreams of become a guitarist going. I received guitar classes with Isabella as a Christmas gift and I am so thankful that I did. Firstly, she’s around the corner from me so it made running to her after work a breeze (she even was kind enough to accommodate me and offer 6PM classes due to my work schedule) Second, she is very patient and makes you feel comfortable when starting to play. I wanted to learn to read music as well as play and to be honest, I couldn’t believe how quickly I picked both up. Isabella is great at teaching you tips and tricks of how to better yourself at things like bar chords and even at singing along with the melody. I have learned so much and it is only the beginning. I truly enjoy going to lessons with Isabella – she makes learning fun!

A true musician and a gifted guitar teacher

Isabella is an amazing teacher. She provides a positive environment and is patient, and provides enough challenge to keep my daughter wanting to be better. My daughter has learned so much in such a short time! And she is participating in the Royal Conservatory of Music program, which will look great on her college applications. I really respect Isabella, and I wholeheartedly recommend her. She is a true musician and a gifted teacher.

Highly Recommended!

I’ve taking classical guitar lessons with Isabella for the past 4-5 months, and she’s the best music instructor I’ve ever had. She has a great eye for technique, and is very good at identifying little things you’re doing incorrectly that I’d find impossible to spot. Additionally, she’s great at tailoring lessons to what you want to get out of them, whether by picking our pieces that fit your musical tastes, or by focusing on the more musical aspects of classical guitar. I would highly recommend Isabella/DalMaestro to any prospective classical guitar student.

An Amazing Teacher

Isabella Abbonizio is the best of the best. A Passionate, caring, patient and encouraging guitar teacher. My daughter started taking lessons with her only 9 months ago and she is already reading music and playing on her own. Not only does she teach my daughter in a way that she enjoys, she is an amazing performer herself. Listening to her play classical guitar is so beautiful and transforming. And seeing Isabella play, gives my daughter the inspiration she needs to keep going. She is truly an amazing teacher.

Invaluable Lessons

I moved to New York with my family in September 2016 for seven months and I was looking for a classical guitar teacher to improve my technical skills. I had the luck to meet Isabella Abbonizio, whose positive and encouraging attitude, and unique approach to guitar technique have helped me tremendously. Isabella taught me helpful exercises to get both of my hands in shape and ready to play while also improving my technical skills on  single pieces. Her lessons are invaluable, also thanks to her focus on the importance of breathing and relaxation to improve your playing. Isabella was also very helpful in suggesting great guitar technique books and materials, and repertoire appropriate to my level.

Interpret and play pieces musically

I have been studying with Isabella for around 8 months now and I really enjoy working with her. She is pushing my right and left hand technique, which is difficult for me, but I can see the improvement in my playing. She is also very supportive when I struggle with some technique on the guitar. Besides very good at teaching the technical aspects of playing guitar, what is special about Isabella is that she is very good at helping students interpret and play pieces musically. This is the reason why we play music, right ? I heartily recommend Isabella as a classical guitar teacher.

A constant, easy prodding to a higher level of performance

Excellent! Isabella is very approachable. She has an perfect knowledge of the guitar and passes that knowledge along in an easy, natural, almost intuitive manner. No scolding schoolmaster here – just a constant, easy prodding to a higher level of performance. I highly recommend her to you.

State-of-the-art online lessons

With DalMaestro, Isabella Abbonizio has brought music lessons into the 21st century with her state-of-the-art online lessons. My daughter loves that she never has to miss a lesson in the summer or if we are traveling, or if we simply do not have the time to get to her studio in person. But the best part of working with Isabella is that she shares her enormous talent as a teacher, and passion for music with her students and she really cares about their progress. She has taken my daughter’s interest and skill level in classical guitar to an amazing point in just one year!

Holistic and thoughtfully customized lessons

I’ve been a student of Isabella’s for over a year, focusing on classical guitar technique and music theory. Isabella is a terrific teacher; she is an extremely knowledgeable and experienced musician with a keen ability to understand what her students need to focus on in order to improve and grow as musicians. She is supportive, patient, and always takes time to discuss exercises, repertoire, music theory, and music history. As a result, her lessons are holistic and thoughtfully customized to build confidence, technical skill, knowledge, and musicianship, while encouraging exploration and nurturing the curiosity that comes along with learning. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to have Isabella as my teacher!

Such a caring guitar teacher!

Isabella is such a caring teacher. I had to learn how to play the guitar in a month for an audition. She helped me from choosing a guitar at the beginning to teaching me a simple song at the end. She taught me the necessary basic skills which is crucial for further development in guitar playing. I would recommend her as a teacher.

A patient and knowledgeable teacher who has helped me enormously

James has been a patient and knowledgeable teacher who has helped me enormously with guitar technique, theory and musicianship.

Learning a new form of guitar pleasurable

Isabella is a talented instructor and made learning a new form of guitar pleasurable! She was flexible with our schedule – allowing me to work lessons into my cramped weekly schedule. She also tailored lessons specifically for me which helped fill the gaps in my knowledge and achieve results quickly.

The right combination of technique and musicality

My experience with the guitar is somewhat unique in that I had a 40 year hiatus in my playing. Life got in the way. Isabella immediately understood that she needed to find a way to negotiate around my old bad habits. With her gentle sense of humor and consummate knowledge of the instrument she is expertly guiding me back into this fabulous musical world of the guitar. She is able to find the right combination of technique and musicality appropriate to my playing. Her teaching is anything but a cookie cutter approach. She has the maturity to understand the student’s individual goals and abilities and teach to that level.

A Wonderful Sound

Isabella is a knowledgeable and calm teacher. While this is important, even critical, what is striking goes beyond this: she can create a wonderful sound—unusually wonderful—whenever she touches the strings, even for the simplest piece. It is a gift, and it is inspiring. I leave the lesson to slog through the basics in technique because I am aware of what can be brought forth from a guitar, and think maybe—if I practice and listen, practice and listen, and on and on—I might be able to create at least a faint echo of just this.

Into the Amazing World of the Guitar with Clarity and Precision

I have been taking guitar lessons with Isabella Abbonizio for six months. She is a serious musician and an excellent teacher. Isabella has brought me into the amazing world of the guitar with clarity and precision and she is an insightful and informed instructor for students at all levels.

Take Your Playing to the Next Level

When shopping around for lessons, I quickly discovered there are a lot of great guitarists out there, but great teachers are rare. Isabella excels not only as a master player but also as a patient and succinct tutor who will take your playing to the next level. I can’t recommend her lessons more.

Tremendous Passion for Teaching!

For the past year my 7 year old son has been taking classical guitar lessons with Isabella. He started with no musical experience and he can now read music and play many basic pieces including arpeggio studies. Isabella is an extremely gifted musician and guitarist who has tremendous passion and patience for teaching. She has been able to motivate and focus my easily distracted son so that he enjoys playing the guitar and learning music. I am looking forward to experiencing my son’s progress over the next year. I highly recommend Isabella as a guitar and music teacher for children and adults of all ages.

An Inspiring Teacher

I have been taking lessons with Isabella in classical guitar for several months now, starting as an intermediate beginner. In that time I’ve gained a greater focus on proper technique. The things that I value most in a teacher Isabella has in abundance. She has a beautiful sound and technique of her own and a wealth of musical knowledge and experience of repertoire. She also has a good eye and ear for constructive criticism, and a very friendly and kind demeanor. For me the sign of an effective teacher is having a long list of notes to give you at any time regarding your playing and technique and Isabella always has many at the ready, which has been very helpful to me. She is very open to help you learn music that you want to learn, while diversifying your lessons with a varied amount of material. From Classical, Baroque, Italian, Spanish, Cuban music, there is a lot to learn under her. As a classical guitar student, you couldn’t ask for a more inspiring teacher.

Beneficial On-line Lessons

After studying jazz guitar for a number of years, I recently fell in love with the sound of the Classical Guitar. I wanted to learn how to play this beautiful style of music. I knew the transition would not be easy. I also knew I wanted an instructor who was not only technically proficient but also played with expression and feeling. After doing a lot of research I discovered Isabella Abbonizio. Her playing spoke to me on an emotional level. I could only hope that her teaching methods were as masterful as her abilities as a performer. I was not disappointed. Through her patience and knowledge of this art form, she has slowly begun to guide me into developing the skills necessary to express myself on the guitar. I have been studying with her now for six months and am still amazed at how quickly she is able to solve my technical problems. She has been especially helpful in teaching me how to read and analyze a score and always suggests the most logical and efficient fingerings for both the right and left hands. I must admit that at first I was skeptical of how beneficial on-line lessons would be. I soon realized that with her professional setup it is no different from being in the same room with her. The best part is there is no travel time and I never have to take my beautiful classical guitar into bad weather! I would recommend Isabella to anyone looking to learn or advance on this wonderful journey of playing Classical Music on the guitar.

An Excellent Teacher

I started taking lessons with Isabella as a rusty intermediate player 9 months ago. Isabella has helped me tremendously with my playing, pinpointing issues and offering great tips and devising specific exercises to improve my technique. She always analyzes a new piece of music for me so that I understand the structure and intention as I learn it. I appreciate that she keeps her standard for me high yet is patient and supportive in helping me reach it. She covers everything from tone production to optimal LH/RH positions to expression to music theory when it comes up, her explanations always very clear. We do a combination of online and in-person lessons, depending on what we try to achieve in each lesson and also on our schedules, which gives me a lot of flexibility. Isabella is an excellent teacher and I recommend her wholeheartedly!

A New Understanding to My Interpretation

I have been studying with Isabella for the past year and my playing has improved significantly during that time. She has taught me essential studies which have noticeably enhanced my technique and my awareness of playing. She is extremely knowledgeable about music theory and history which has provided a new understanding to my interpretation of a wide range of guitar pieces. And most importantly she is very patient and insightful in explaining the critical issues needed to reach a higher level of playing. I highly recommend Isabella to anyone who is searching for a teacher to improve their ability and renew their passion for playing.

Happy With the Results!

I’ve been a student of Isabella’s for 6 months and could not be happier. I’ve been playing jazz, rock, and blues on and off for 30 years and wanted to add classical guitar to my arsenal. Making the switch to classical for me has been like spending my life writing with my right hand and then suddenly switching to my left hand. Having Isabella as an instructor has been a tremendous help. Besides being an outstanding musician/performer, she is a patient, well organized, and engaging teacher. Her approach to teaching really works. As the pieces become more complex, she breaks down each piece measure by measure, line by line, until I’m actually playing things I thought were way over my head. Isabella explains the theory behind the compositions in a simple, easy to understand way. My music reading skills have vastly improved. She also stresses the proper tone and tempo of each piece, helping me improve overall as a musician. I highly recommend Isabella. With Isabella as your teacher and a regular practice regimen YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS! I sure am!

Patient, Knowledgeable, and Helpful Teacher

I was a self taught musician of many years who wanted to get a more technical knowledge of guitar to improve my sound. After perusing many guitar instructors online I decided to choose Isabella based on what her prior students had said about her. Every lesson was focused on improving my musicality and sloppy technique, but I was never discouraged because my improvement was so rapid. Isabella is very patient, knowledgeable, and helpful. She has not only taught me how to play pieces technically but how to put personal expression into them.

All the Qualities of a True Teacher

For many years I taught myself classical guitar, but I felt I wasn’t growing. So, about eight months ago I decided to find a teacher. Fortunately, I found Isabella Abbonizio. Isabella is always very attentive, observant, and astutely pinpoints the source of my technical and musical problems. She shows me many ways to enhance my practicing, so that technical study does not become tedious and rote, but rather, challenging and fun! I am truly thankful for her wisdom, derived from years of study as both musicologist and performer. Though she is a classical virtuoso, she continues to learn and enthusiastically shares the new things that she learns. Isabella possesses all the qualities of a true teacher. I recommend her – highly!

I Have Benefitted Tremendously from Working With Isabella

I started guitar lessons with Isabella in January 2012 as an advanced beginner. I have benefitted tremendously from working with her. She tailors her teaching to specifically address my interests, and is very good at adapting the pace of learning to my work schedule and available time to practice. She listens carefully to my playing and to my concerns and wishes. I believe that she really understands how to work with individual students to maximize their potential, rather than imposing any one teaching method. She has helped me with technique and sight reading, and we have worked through pieces that I have selected, as well as pieces she has recommended for improving my technique. She is very good at giving me tips, practice ideas, and suggestions to help me deal with roadblocks or measures that I find difficult. She is extremely supportive and encouraging, and couches her critical comments in a positive and constructive manner. I have never enjoyed playing the guitar as much as I do today, and look forward to my continued improvement under her instruction.

Thank You!

The guitar lessons with my teacher Isabella Abbonizio are the best thing I’ve done in Years. I have been studying guitar with Isabella Abbonizio for almost one year. I wanted to learn music theory and to improve my technique. Isabella has been a great teacher, creating a program that keeps me motivated to learn. Since beginning lessons with Isabella, she has greatly improved my ability to read music and has been able to explain music to me in a way that has made it more engaging and exciting. She has improved my technique immensely and increased my interest in music theory. Isabella’s personality is engaging and her curriculum is personalized for each of her students.