Our Teaching Faculty

Meet the passionate instructors who bring artistry, discipline, and inspiration to every class.

Tianlin Xu

Instructor

Tianlin Xu is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and jazz artist who blends contemporary, R&B, and improvisational styles in both performance and teaching.

An-Chi Lin

Instructor

An-Chi Lin is a Taiwanese violinist and music educator with a DMA from Boston University and over six years of experience teaching violin to students of all ages.

Dane Bennett

Instructor

Dane Bennett is a Boston-based oboist and K–8 music educator with an MM from NEC, where he was a Presidential Distinction recipient and active ensemble performer.

Bota Chen

Instructor

Bota Chen is a Berklee-trained jazz drummer who blends modern rock influences with creative improvisation while helping students build strong rhythmic skills and musical confidence.

Elena Winel

Instructor

Elena Winell is a composer and versatile music educator who teaches piano and voice in multiple styles, as well as rock and jazz guitar.

Yixin Zhang

Instructor

As a guitarist, music producer, composer, and educator, Yixin Zhang is passionate about helping students discover their unique musical voice and personal expression.

Yueyang Shi

Instructor

Yueyang (William) Shi is a percussionist, composer, and music educator who loves helping students grow as creative, confident musicians. With his conservatory training, he has led music projects and performances across the U.S. and China, fostering a truly global perspective. He is the director of music and arts at Mass Island. He also held the title of Artistic Director for the Beijing Rotary Marching Percussion ensemble. He primarily teaches in the metro-Boston region.

Troy Caruana

Instructor

Troy Caruana is a Boston-based music instructor and professional multi-instrumentalist with over 15 years of teaching and performing experience. He works with students of all ages, designing lessons tailored to each student’s goals, interests, and level. Troy teaches guitar, pedal steel, lap steel, and dobro, and also works with students on additional string instruments. While versatile across styles, he specializes in American roots traditions including country, folk, blues, bluegrass, and Americana. His teaching emphasizes strong fundamentals, musical understanding, improvisation, and practical skills that support steady progress—helping students become self-directed learners on their instrument, prepare for performances, and develop the skills needed to play confidently with others. In addition to teaching, Troy is an active live and studio musician throughout New England. This real-world experience informs his instruction, helping students connect practice to playing with other musicians, recording, and performance. He brings a systematic approach focused on steady progress and long-term musical development.

Billy Carleton

Instructor

Billy Carleton is a former middle school music teacher with 5 years of experience teaching Chorus, Band, and General Music, including Ukulele, Beatboxing, and Introductory Music Technology. An award-winning barbershop singer, he earned the 2024 NED Prelims Novice Quartet Championship and the 2025 NED District Chorus Championship. As a director, he led his chorus, Harmony Northshore, to their highest competition score in 25 years in 2024. A passionate arranger of contemporary a cappella, his works have been performed on stages from Broadway to Chicago’s Wentz Concert Hall and California’s Marin Center, inspiring singers to reach new levels of musicianship. He looks forward to sharing his experience and passion for music making with the students at Moli Music Center.

Peter Han

Instructor

Peter Zhaoyang Han (b. Tianjin, China) is a composer, conductor, and vocalist whose music bridges the Western classical tradition and Chinese traditional performance arts. Born and raised in Tianjin—a city known for its vibrant and humorous spirit—and later moving to Diamond Bar, California, Peter’s work is infused with imagination, playfulness, and a deep reverence for both historical and contemporary sound. Now based in Boston, he continues to shape a distinctive musical voice that honors his cultural heritage while embracing innovation. Peter holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he studied composition with Timothy McCormack and conducting with Larry Isaacson. He also pursued piano studies with Carlos Vargas and voice with graduate colleagues. While at BoCo, he was a frequent performer in ensembles such as Pierre Hurel’s Improvised Music Ensemble and the Conservatory Chorale. During his studies, he was often selected to write for large ensembles as well as various guest ensembles, including the Hinge Quartet, and he was also commissioned by the Hemenway Strings led by violinist Lynn Chang. His works were also selected to be performed by local high school ensembles.