Our Team

Our team of therapists and teachers represent roughly a dozen college programs from all over the country. Each member draws unique inspiration for their craft from their own personal musical experiences.

A middle-aged woman with reddish hair and streaks of grey smiles brightly at the camera. She sits at a desk with a wall of guitars and framed certificates behind her.


Elizabeth Ferguson, MT-BC

Founder, Executive Director,
Music Therapist, Adaptive Instructor

Elizabeth Ferguson is the founder and Executive Director of Granite State Music Therapy. She received her bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from Elizabethtown College and completed her clinical internship at Shriners Children's Burn Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

She has been working in New Hampshire and the greater New England region as a board certified music therapist since 2010. Elizabeth and her work have been featured on New Hampshire Chronicle, New Hampshire Public Radio and multiple news outlets and industry publications.

Music has always been a part of Elizabeth’s life; from learning piano as a young girl to participating in choirs, jazz band, and other ensembles throughout the years. At the age of 13, she began her first business teaching music out of her parents’ dining room in Salem, NH. Through the experiences she gained sharing music and seeing its impact on the lives of her students, Elizabeth knew then, that music would always be a major part of her life.

Elizabeth continues to teach piano to bright and eager students, and sees clients weekly for music therapy services. As Granite State Music Therapy has grown its client base and geographical footprint, Elizabeth has managed and expanded a team of talented and dedicated music therapists and educators, while fostering an environment dedicated to personal growth and enriching lives.


Spencer Cole, MT-BC

Music Therapist, Adaptive Instructor

Spencer Cole grew up in Rochester, New York where he always dreamed of following in his mother's footsteps of being a Special Education Teacher. While Irish dancing for his mother's Saint Patrick's day assembly for her school, Spencer met the music therapist working at his mother’s school and decided that music therapy would be the perfect career path to combine his love of music, dance, the theatre, and working with people.

Spencer attended Marywood University where he studied music therapy and minored in Psychology. He had the fortune to work with clients across the lifespan from pre-K through end of life care. Spencer completed his internship at the Springfield Hospital Center in Sykesville, Maryland during 2021. Upon completing his internship, he moved back to Rochester to share his love of music at Waterview Heights Nursing Home and Rehabilitation as an Activities Aide. In late 2023, Spencer received the incredible opportunity to move to North Eastern Massachusetts and join the Granite State Music Therapy Team!

When Spencer is not enjoying time with his clients, you can find him out on a walk, enjoying food at a local restaurant, or curled up at home with a cup of hot tea and a good book!


Jennifer Chute, MA, MT-BC

Music Therapist, Blogger

Jennifer is a board-certified music therapist and has been working in the field for 8 years now. She primarily works in early childhood, but also has experience working with adults and children with developmental disabilities and older adults. She has her bachelor’s in music performance from Elizabethtown College and a master’s of science in music therapy from SUNY New Paltz. She completed her internship at Ulster-Greene Arc at a day program for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has been a co-presenter at the New England Region Music Therapy Conference and co-led a music for stress management presentation for an Alzheimer’s Care Providers Conference in Worcester, MA. Jennifer now enjoys writing monthly blog posts for Granite State Music Therapy, and in her spare time loves spending time outdoors and listening to live music.

A young man with a thin mustache and beard looks at the camera with a pleasant, somewhat serious expression. He has shoulder-length brown hair, a denim blue collared shirt, and reddish trees in the background.


Cole Gallagher

Guitar & Trombone Instructor

Cole teaches music for grades K-5 at New Searles Elementary School and private lessons for Granite State Music Therapy. Cole was born and raised in Plaistow, NH and studied music education at Southern New Hampshire University. In his free time, Cole participates with multiple performance groups in New Hampshire including the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic, Southern New Hampshire University Orchestra, Southern New Hampshire University Wind Symphony, and Timberlane Community Band. Outside of music Cole spends him time with his instruments, his ferrets, and the great outdoors.

A man sits cross-legged on a piano bench in a music hall in front of a shiny black piano with its lid propped open. He has a goatee and slicked back hair, a pink collared shirt, and a grey vest.


Jacob Huggins

Piano Instructor

As a graduate of Keene State College, Mr. Huggins holds his Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance with the distinction magna cum laude. During his time at Keene, Jacob was chosen to participate in masterclasses with Randall Hodgkinson and Stephen Drury of New England Conservatory as well as masterclasses with CAMI Artist Virginia Eskin and Moscow Conservatory graduate Vladimir Odinokikh. In these academic years, Jacob performed several solo and collaborative piano recitals and premiered multiple student compositions. In his last year, he was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society at Keene State College. In the summer of 2018, Jacob was chosen by his former professor Dr. Christina Wright-Ivanova to demonstrate the importance a high quality instrument such as Steinway & Sons pianos provides in the classrooms right here at Keen State College. Mr. Huggins is currently training for future performances and competitions under a laureate of the 1986 Tchaikovsky competition, Professor Yovcho Krushev.

A woman with dark curly hair leans towards the camera and smiles. She has large hoop earrings and a denim jacket, and is standing outdoors on a sunny day.


Cassadi Kulak, MT-BC

Music Therapist, Social Media Creator, Adaptive Instructor, Flute Instructor

Cassadi is a board certified music therapist originally from St. Petersburg, Florida. Cassadi graduated in the spring of 2020 from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia with her bachelor’s degree in music therapy and minor in psychology. During Cassadi’s time in Virginia she worked with several different populations from older adults in memory care, to adolescents with complex behavioral health challenges, to elementary and pre-schoolers in school settings. Cassadi also spent some time interning in Long Beach, California working at an adult day program with adults of all ages! After receiving her certification in 2020 Cassadi continued working in Long Beach until it was time to try something new! Cassadi moved to New Hampshire at the beginning of 2022 to live closer to her sister and experience new adventures.

Cassadi’s love of music began with piano and voice lessons at the age of 8. She then grew up in both chorus and band and has played the flute for many years. Cassadi discovered music therapy at the end of her high school career and has never looked back. She loves having the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life and create meaningful experiences for individuals from all walks of life. In her spare time, Cassadi loves creating art, playing music, reading, and enjoying some quiet time outdoors.

A woman with light brown curly hair smiles at the camera. She has on a floral top and is sitting in front of a brick wall.


Danielle Pilotte

MT-BC Candidate, Guitar Instructor

Danielle is a music therapist (MT-BC candidate) who currently resides in the New Hampshire Seacoast. She graduated from Anna Maria College in 2015 with a bachelor’s in music therapy and a minor in psychology. Danielle has been working for Granite State Music Therapy since 2015 and works in both NH and MA. Working with different clientele brings a variety to each day that Danielle thrives off of! She was surrounded by music at a young age and hasn’t stopped since! She played the flute and oboe growing up and soon added in the guitar and piano. Music has been such a huge part of her life and she loves connecting with others through it! When not working with her amazing clients, you can find Danielle at the beach reading a good book, trying new recipes at home, and tending to her babies (a.k.a house plants). She is so excited to continue to enrich the lives of others in the area!

A man with medium length dark hair stands against a white wall and smiles at the camera. He is wearing an olive/grey shirt.


Mike Rieder, MT-BC

Music Therapist, Guitar Instructor

Mike fell in love with guitar when he was 13 years old. Led Zeppelin and Nirvana were blasted from his bedroom in Leicester, MA as he spent hour after painful hour poorly plucking along with the songs. Eventually things started to click and his parents actually enjoyed what was coming from his guitar. He went to UNH for music education and spent the next 4 years deeply entrenched in the music world; writing songs for his rock band, playing in jazz combos, analyzing Beethoven, breaking down the sociological impact of the Beatles, and most importantly learning how to educate people on how to foster a love for music. On top of guitar, he learned how to play the banjo, ukulele, drums, piano, and is technically qualified to teach any woodwind or brass instrument (don’t ask him to prove it through).

After graduating in 2016, Mike rushed out to Colorado to teach general music and orchestra in a public school, but only lasted 1 year in the system. He quickly learned that jumping into major life decisions because you think it’s expected of you doesn’t always lead to the right circumstances. Something about his professional life didn’t feel quite right, but it wasn’t the music aspect. He didn’t feel like he was making enough of an impact on the students’ lives, so he went on to grad school for music therapy at Colorado State University to focus on neurologic music therapy (NMT). He then went on to an internship at Birch Bay Retirement Village in Bar Harbor, ME and fell in love with working with older adults. Dementia taught him about the beauty and fragility of life through memory. Music opened the gateway of a life worth remembering.

After finishing his internship in… March 2020… Mike’s endeavors in music therapy were halted due to a certain world wide health code predicament. He did manage to get board certified in October of 2020. Mike built a life with his fellow music therapist and life partner, while continuing to teach guitar private lessons after 8 years of experience. He’s an avid runner when not injured, enjoys the history of movies potentially too much, and describes the ideal vacation as “being a dirtbag out in the woods.” He’s played in rock bands and jazz combos, played people down the aisle at weddings, played Going to the Farm for kindergarteners to establish a sense of rhythm, and even played Patsy Cline songs for 90-year-olds to evoke memory recall at a dementia care facility. New to the Granite State team as of September 1, 2022, Mike is excited to establish a music therapy presence in hospice care and other older adult care.

A young woman with reddish-blonde hair smiles at the camera. She has a red shirt and green jacket, and sits in front of a plain wall with a few visible leaves.


Aly Zavestoski, MT-BC

Music Therapist, Piano Instructor

Photo Credit: TARA Photography

Aly is a board certified music therapist who received her bachelor’s of music from University of the Pacific. Aly aims to bring patience and compassion into each and every session. This allows her to be present for those who may need a calm, kind, and caring presence in their life. Aly has worked in a variety of settings, and especially finds joy in working in early childhood as well as working with older adults. She loves that working with kiddos constantly reminds her of the importance of finding joy in the simple pleasures of life! Working with folks with Alzheimers and dementia has opened Aly up to the many channels of communication; she has understood fear, love, joy, contentment, and more all just from facial expressions and body language. Aly is passionate about finding common ground and meeting folks wherever they are at, whether that be in her reality or theirs.

Clients and families play an active role in the therapeutic process. Aly is collaborative in her practice and works with families and clients to create a comprehensive plan. She puts an emphasis on the importance of client involvement in structuring a treatment plan. Aly wants to structure a treatment plan based on the wants and needs of her clients, not just what others see fit. She hopes to give clients tools they can utilize in everyday life.