Michael Shapira

Michael Shapira, Ear Training and Theory Faculty

A musician at heart, Michael Shapira hails from Long Island, NY where he began playing drums and composing at an early age. Upon moving to New York City in 2017, he began his studies at Manhattan School of Music, to which he completed his undergraduate music performance degree in 2022. A diversified musician, Shapira has performed with several jazz greats including James Cammack (Ahmad Jamal), John Colianni (Mel Torme), and Will Boulware (Maceo Parker). He is the music director and drummer for Latin-Pop singer Sophia Angelica, as well as the drummer for Once Ibex and co-leads You’re Mom, a guitar/drum duo project. All these groups perform regularly around NYC at clubs including Club Groove, Heaven Can Wait, The Stone Pony, Rockwood, and others.

As an educator, Shapira has a private studio where he teaches drum set and piano. While he works with students on how to play their instruments, he also is an advocate of improving their overall understanding of music. Incorporating fundamentals including ear training, composition, and the analysis of music from many eras, his goal is to widen the students’ understanding and appreciation of many different types of music. He is currently on faculty at The Manhattan School of Music precollege division where he teaches several high school-level classical theory courses.

Manhattan School of Music Precollege Faculty since 2022