ABOUT US

THE QUARTERTONEZ PROMISE

“I believe that performance practice combined with positive reinforcement allows students to express their utmost potential and push themselves beyond the horizon”

Quartertonez Music is a family-owned music education company dedicated to the exposure of students to culture and history through the arts. Quartertonez believes that an interdisciplinary, holistic approach to music education is essential to a student’s intellectual development grounded in an awareness of the world, and the diversity of cultures and people around them.

Fuad Foty, FOUNDER

FAIROUZ FOTY, FOUNDER

Quartertonez adopts a teaching method that is not limited to classical musical methods, but delves into oral traditions as well as international genres, where students are able to understand the power of music as a way of expressing their own voice and communicating across cultural lines. In addition underrepresented repertoire and cultures are taught through a musical lense giving a historical entry point to represent the richness of the music performed.

Quartertonez’s specialized teaching philosophy integrates the use of positive reinforcement and performance practice as a method of learning. This pushes each student to their highest abilities possible while maintain a positive and nurturing environment. Quartertonez music provides private instruction in voice, piano, cello, and oud, in addition to group choir ensembles and Arabic Rhythm classes. Quartertonez music strives to make musical instruction available to all through our Scholarship program providing opportunities to students from across the DMV area.

The name Quartertonez is actually a combination of two musical terms: “quarter tone” and “tone.”

In music theory, a quarter tone represents an interval that is halfway between two adjacent notes on a standard Western musical scale. Typically, we divide an octave into twelve equally spaced semitones. However, quarter tones introduce even smaller intervals between these semitones, allowing for more precise control over pitch and adding nuanced elements to the music.

The addition of the letter “Z” at the end of “Quartertone” is purely an artistic choice and does not have a specific musical meaning. Our music school opted for this creative tweak to create a visually appealing and memorable name.

The underlying concept of Quartertonez is exploring and promoting music that incorporates these intricate and precise pitch intervals. We aim to delve into the possibilities that quarter tones present, pushing the boundaries of musical expression and encouraging musicians to explore the unique sounds that can be achieved.