Believing that music education can enrich all aspects of life, Elizabeth Tedesco is the owner of the Putnam Music Center in Mahopac, New York. As a distinguished professional, Tedesco specializes in teaching students how to play the violin and viola. Additional responsibilities to her credit include offering voice lessons, conducting the choir, ordering sheet music and any necessary musical instruments, and handling administrative tasks.
While Tedesco took over as owner of Putnam Music Center in 2024, her association with the company began in 2016, when she started teaching the violin and viola. With the company originally known more for its musical sales of guitars and as a rental space, Tedesco has helped grow the center into a conservatory.
Alongside offering private lessons, Tedesco has started providing various group classes, including Kindermusik, a class for parents and their babies. Additionally, the center has an Afrobeat Brazilian drum class once a month with two different groups (one for ages five to 12 and another for ages 13 to adult). The center has also established a chamber orchestra and is starting a rock band ensemble.
From Childhood Lessons to a Master’s Degree
Tedesco has had a deep love for music since her early childhood. When she was two years old, she began dancing and, at age five, she started playing the violin. Her experience with music has long been a complicated one: at age five, she suffered hearing damage, ultimately causing hearing loss in both ears that eventually required tubes to be surgically implanted. However, this experience helped her hear better. Engrossed whenever she hears a song, her passion for music has driven her desire to work as a music teacher, and her personal experiences have helped her better understand and support children with special needs.
Tedesco’s professional journey has been aided by her academic background. She holds an undergraduate degree from Concordia College in Bronxville, New York, as well as a Master of Music in performance and education from Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky. Earning her master’s degree in 2023 was a particular career highlight, as she completed her studies while raising three children, balancing the responsibilities of managing a household with her husband and working full-time.
A Passion for Music
Tedesco’s expertise and passion for music are highlighted through the awards she has received, including being named Music Teacher of the Year by Songcatchers. This nonprofit organization provides affordable access to high-quality music education, where she volunteers, as of 2011. She was also bestowed with the Outstanding Volunteerism Award in 2013.
Tedesco credits her success to her dedication to staying current with the evolving world of digital music and computer software, recognizing the value in adapting to new technologies to remain relevant in the field. Her compassion for all the students she works with and her dedication to making everyone feel welcome have been instrumental in her success as well.
In her personal time, Tedesco enjoys playing violin, listening to music, attending her youngest child’s soccer games, watching her middle child’s robotics tournaments, and watching her oldest son at community service events with his cadet group. Looking ahead, in the next five years, she aims to encourage greater participation and appreciation for the arts within the community, believing that music, art, and science are interconnected and should be given more emphasis in people’s lives.
