About Us
Excellence
At the Center, we value excellence in our teachers and our students. Each student is expected to consistently work hard towards their personal improvement, practice self-discipline, and work well with others. Enrollment is contingent on these expectations as well as regular attendance.
Accessibility
We believe that everyone should have access to quality music education. No one will be excluded based on their ability to pay. We are able to provide scholarships and lower costs as we are committed to reinvesting 100% of income back into our facilities and hiring the best teachers for our students.
Community
The Center believes in giving back to its community. By establishing relationships with our schools and partnering with local businesses, we strive to make a significant contribution to our local communities through performance, education and participating in local events
“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
—Morrie Schwartz, from Tuesdays with Morrie
Joey Berkley, Director
Veteran tenor saxophonist Joey Berkley has been a part of the NY music scene for more than 30 years. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Joey’s career has evolved from being known as a highly sought after sideman at ease in a wide variety of musical settings, to the present where Joey focuses his energy mostly toward writing and performing with his bands.
As an educator prior to his role as director of the Center, he served over 15 years at Fox Lane Middle and High Schools in Bedford, NY as their Woodwind Specialist and directed both the MS and HS Jazz Ensembles. Further, his HS jazz-quartet came in 2nd and 3rd place at The Berklee Jazz High School Competition in 2016 and 2017. He regularly is brought in to consult and work with various area high school and university jazz ensembles, most recently working with St John’s University jazz band. In 2009 Joey released his first educational DVD “All Things Saxophone” which continues to enjoy worldwide success.
Brought up as a jazz musician firmly rooted in the tradition of Coltrane, Miles, and Monk, Joey developed his own sound by incorporating these influences to create a unique contemporary approach. Berkley’s career as a tenor saxophonist and recording artist have evolved through a variety of stages: first as an in-demand sideman; to the founder/leader of various bands including The Joey Berkley Quartet (JB4), Funkasaurus Rex, Four Good Reeds, Joey Berkley’s Bandits, and currently The Joey Berkley Band.
As a composer, Joey’s compositions can be heard on his CD releases: “Made in NYC”, “More’n Four” and the self-titled “Joey Berkley’s Bandits” Currently, in July 2019 “Moving Forward” was released featuring The Joey Berkley Band. As an arranger, Joey’s charts are showcased on the Funkasaurus Rex CD’s “Etched in Stone” and more recently ” I Hear Voices.”
Liz and Paul Sander, Owners
Elizabeth Sander is executive vice president and chief actuary of Odyssey Group Holdings, Inc. based in Stamford, CT. In her role as Chief Actuary, she is responsible for pricing, reserving, business planning and data analytics worldwide for Odyssey’s reinsurance and insurance divisions. Paul Sander has a doctorate in theology and is an adjunct professor at Fordham University. Paul and Liz Sander decided to open the Westchester Center for Jazz and Contemporary music when they could not find a program that allowed their sons to learn and work directly with experienced professional musicians in an ensemble setting.