SoundWaves Port Chester

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SoundWaves Port Chester

SoundWaves Port Chester is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to providing affordable music education.

06/15/2026

Meet SoundWaves’ creative director and our piano and guitar instructor, Derek Delisle derekd1 .

Born and raised in Lynn, Massachusetts, Derek’s love for music began when he was only five years old. Back in grade school, he would imagine himself singing like the “King of Rock and Roll” Elvis Presley in front of his classmates!

Derek went on to major in Music Performance at Schnectady Community College. He has since made Yorktown Heights in Westchester County his home, with his wife, two daughters and their dog.

A talented multi-instrumentalist, Derek also loves to sing. Indie Rock is his favorite genre. His musical influence is an ecletic mix of The Beatles, Queen, Elvis Presley, Phish, Nirvana, Mozart, Beethoven, Pink Floyd and David Bowie.

He remains deeply inspired by all the great teachers who guided him along his musical journey.

When he is not teaching, Derek practices yoga and bakes bread!

Now in his fourth year with SoundWaves, Derek imparts to his students the importance of persistence, consistency and patience- life skills that go far beyond music.

“Teaching at SoundWaves, I have learned to allow a student to progress on their journey rather than imposing my own expectations.”

We are so grateful to have Derek as part of our SoundWaves community!

05/21/2026

Last night, SoundWaves gave out three college scholarships as part of Carver Center’s Scholarship Night. We proudly announce that the recipients of the third annual SoundWaves Musicianship Awards were:

(1) Jacob Gordillo, now an amazing rock guitarist after five years at SoundWaves - he is headed out west to Stanford. (2) Diego Vega, accomplished SoundWaves piano student and now student-teacher - he is headed up to Syracuse, and (3) Jazlyn Flores, PCHS Marching Band member and sister of two SoundWaves drum students - she is headed to CUNY John Jay.

The SoundWaves scholarship celebrates high school seniors who exhibit enthusiasm, creativity, and hard work. We wish them all the best as they continue to pursue their passion and dreams.

05/11/2026

We are so proud to feature the spotlight on our incredible student-teacher, Diego Vega !

As both a student and student-teacher for SoundWaves, Diego has shown commitment and passion in sharing his love for music with fellow Port Chester students.

From growing up in Port Chester and attending Port Chester High School, to heading to Syracuse University this fall to study Film in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program—Diego’s journey is just getting started!

Diego’s love for music began early, from singing at eight years old to playing trumpet in elementary school band. As a senior at PCHS, he continues his musical path by singing tenor in the school choir and the Port Chester Sound (a PCHS A Capella group). He also served as assistant student director for the Drama Club’s productions of The Addams Family and Chicago.

His biggest musical inspiration is Freddie Mercury, whose artistry has motivated him to pursue music and achieve his dreams.

In his spare time, Diego enjoys creating and watching films, playing piano, and singing. He also listens to pop and jazz, and is currently preparing a piano piece for the upcoming high school variety show.

Diego encourages his students to practice piano every day, emphasizing that consistency is key to growth.

After two years teaching at SoundWaves, his biggest learning experience has been balancing school and work. He credits the program with helping him build responsibility, organization, and leadership in his first teaching role, broadening his perspective as both a student and teacher.

Diego believes that “we shouldn’t stop learning, we should continue to consume knowledge when we can. But at the same time, we should teach the next pupils the knowledge we know.”

We are so proud to have Diego on our team and can’t wait to see all he accomplishes.

04/21/2026

We are proud to celebrate some of our students for their spectacular performance at the Evening of Indoor Pageantry on April 15 held at the Port Chester Middle School Gymnasium.

These students are not only dedicated members of our SoundWaves program, but they are also deeply involved in Port Chester High School’s various music programs. From Winter Percussion, to Jazz Band Ensemble and Color Guard, these young musicians continue to show commitment and passion in the music arts. It is amazing to see them thrive both in and out of SoundWaves Music.

Congratulations to Cielo, Austin, Sebastian, Christopher, Connor, Angel and Andy! We are so proud of each and everyone of you!

04/02/2026

As we welcome spring, our music lessons are in full swing! Forty four of our students are right in the middle of an exciting semester at SoundWaves.

From piano to drums, guitar to voice, it has been amazing to see our students grow, stay committed and progress each week. We acknowledge our team of dedicated and talented music instructors Derek , Dave , Andrew , Jagger , and Diego . They continue to inspire, guide and support our students every step of the way.

Keep up the great work- we can’t wait to see what the rest of the semester brings.

02/25/2026

We are proud to highlight one of our dedicated piano instructors who has been with SoundWaves for over two years. Born and raised in Manhattan and now based in Irvington, NY, Jagger Clark studied Jazz Performance on the piano, and later receiving his Master’s in Studio Composition at SUNY Purchase College .

Music has always been a part of Jagger’s life. At only four years old, he performed in the Nutcracker for five years, with daily exposure to Tchaikovsky shaping his ear and imagination. His love for music deepened even further in high school when he studied music theory and became fascinated with the role musical scores play in storytelling.

Jagger’s biggest musical inspiration is Chuck Leavell, the keyboardist and musical director for The Rolling Stones. Sitting next to him in a recording session and being complimented by him was “earth-shattering”.

His musical inspirations grew over the years to include prominent composers such as Bernard Herrmann, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, Lorien Testard and more.

In addition to piano, he also plays the clarinet, drums, djembe, and sings!

Outside of SoundWaves, Jagger is a film composer primarily writing scores for indie films. He also is a piano accompanist for dance classes at Purchase College, Steffi Nossen, Peridance, American Academy of Ballet, and Dance Theater of Harlem.

In his spare time, he loves studying history and analyzing stories across written and visual media. He pours his creativity into directing a short animation of a fantasy story that fuels most of his personal compositions.

Jagger’s goal as an educator is to instill confidence in his students. He strongly believes in empowering his students to never lose faith and to keep pushing forward with their creativity and skill, in music and beyond.

Thank you, Jagger for the passion and talent you bring to SoundWaves and to every student you teach!

12/25/2025

Twenty six of our young musicians took the stage last Saturday at our winter recital. The students showcased their talent in piano, guitar, bass, drums and voice. From heartwarming holiday classic solos to high energy rock band ensembles, there was something for everyone to enjoy. Our instructors wowed the audience with a special performance featuring music by Pink Floyd. It was a memorable day, indeed! A heartfelt thank you to all the parents and families who came out to support our students. SoundWaves Music Port Chester would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy holidays!

12/19/2025

She “gave us something to talk about”! On the eve of our winter recital, SoundWaves received a check for $1000 from Bonnie Raitt’s ARIA Foundation (Artistic Resources in Action). So generous! This will help us keep giving the gift of music education to the next generation. Thank you for believing in young musicians and supporting arts education. Your generosity truly makes a difference!

12/09/2025

We are beyond proud to share that four of our SoundWaves Music students, who are members of the Port Chester Sound (Port Chester High School’s choral ensemble), had the unforgettable opportunity to perform on stage with legendary rock band Foreigner at The Capitol Theatre last week.

Shoutout to Cielo, Kevin, Christopher and Diego. Along with their peers, they sang the classic hit “I Want To Know What Love Is”.

What an incredible experience and privilege for these young musicians!

11/25/2025

This week, we are shining the spotlight on our drum instructor Dave Lewitt , who has been a part of the SoundWaves family for the past three years.

A Port Chester resident with Brooklyn and Long Island roots, his love for music began at just eight years old, taking drum lessons and listening to Harry Belafonte. Dave’s journey into teaching was inspired by former Scarsdale High School band director- and his then father in law- Joseph Albright, who helped shape his path as a drum teacher. His musical influences range from jazz and jazz fusion to the progressive rock of the 70’s and 80’s.

When he is not teaching at SoundWaves, Dave is an adjunct professor at SUNY Purchase, teaching hand drumming and providing drum accompaniment for modern dance classes.

Outside of his musical world, he enjoys bicycling, skiing, and relaxing at home with his wife, two dogs and cat. And fun fact- he is also growing his YouTube channel now at 1,000 subscribers, and counting!

With over 40 years of drum teaching experience, Dave hopes to instill dedication, perseverance, focus and love of drumming and music in his students.

Thank you, Dave for the energy and passion you bring to every lesson at SoundWaves!

Address

Port Chester, NY
10573

Telephone

+19144519378

Website

https://www.soundwavespc.org/

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