Local Business Focus - Mountaintop Music Teaches All Ages to Play Instruments

EAST JEWETT – A husband-and-wife team has launched a music lesson business, Mountain Top Music, catering to students of all ages. Alex Topornycky and his wife, Samantha Robinson, the founders, moved to the area full-time from Queens and Long Island this past June and began offering lessons in September.

"My parents have owned a second home in Elka Park since about 2017 and transitioned to full-time during the pandemic," Topornycky shared via email. "My family started visiting here when I was a child in the '90s and my father long before that, so the mountain had always been a special place. My wife and I have split our time between the mountain and Queens since 2020 and started transitioning full-time when we began Mountain Top Music and found out we are expecting our first child."

"Like many other people, we came up during Covid," he added. "And we kind of never left."

With over 30 years of combined experience teaching music, Topornycky and Robinson bring lessons directly to their students' homes. "I primarily teach guitar, and my wife primarily teaches violin and viola," Topornycky said. "I also teach piano, banjo, bass, and ukulele."

The couple previously taught at Music & Arts, a nationwide chain with over 250 locations nationwide and 500 instrument rental sites. Topornycky and Robinson spent a decade working at the Long Island location, gaining experience teaching students of all ages and abilities.

Mountain Top Music serves students ranging from toddlers to seniors. "The ages of our students range from 2 to 70," Topornycky said. While they currently travel to students' homes in East Jewett, Jewett, Windham, Tannersville, Hunter, Haines Falls, and Lexington, the couple hopes to open a storefront in the future.

Topornycky and Robinson have already made an impact on the local community. "I've worked with some Hunter-Tannersville students who performed at the district's recent Holiday Concert," Topornycky said.

The couple's connection to the mountaintop goes beyond music. "We love it up here and want to raise our kid here and be a part of the community," he said.

Mountain Top Music's personalized approach offers students the convenience of learning in the comfort of their own homes.

Topornycky holds a B.F.A. in Jazz Performance from City College of New York and grew up in Queens. Originally from Long Island, Robinson earned a B.S. in Fine Arts from Hofstra University. The couple met years ago while teaching at Music & Arts and are thrilled to establish roots in the mountaintop area.

Though they continue to work downstate a couple of days a week, Topornycky said their plans are clear: "As soon as our child is born, we need to be up here full time."

Mountain Top Music invites prospective students to schedule private lessons. Local references are available upon request. To contact Alex and Samantha, call 1-718-791-1119 or email mtntopmusic@gmail.com.