With more than 20 years of teaching experience, Marlene shares her passion for music by creating a fun and motivating environment in which students can improve both their musical and personal skills. Marlene’s approach to music education is based on creativity – including composition as an imaginative tool – particularly when working with youth. Through this method, Marlene teaches the fundamentals of music theory, along with the exploration of diverse musical styles and improvisation. As a teacher, it is her objective to help students find their own musical voice, as well as to guide those who are interested in composing their own music. Marlene has also had the privilege of working closely with special needs students, using music as a valuable tool for growth.

Being a curious, creative and innovative musician, she is constantly continuing her personal development through diverse masterclasses and online education from Universities such as Berklee (Improvisation Certificate) and Northwestern University (Teaching Violin and Viola: A Healthy Foundation).

Marlene Cruz Lozano began her professional musical education at the Escuela Superior de Música, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, where she pursued a performance degree in piano and violin. In 2001, she moved to Canada to continue her studies and obtained a B.A. with Honours in Music from Bishop’s University. During her degree,  she continued her studies in both instruments and studied composition with Canadian composers Andrew Paul MacDonald and Stewart Grant.

Her musical interests are wide-ranging and she enjoys exploring different genres, such as world music, jazz, classical and contemporary through composition, improvisation and performance.