Richard Rabatin (B.A., M.A., J.D., Berklee School of Music Alumnus) is the proprietor and main teacher at Stony Brook School of Music. In both the fields of music and literature his diverse efforts have, on separate occasions, received critical acclaim from The New York Times. He has also received acclaim from a very wide-range of sources including: The Smithsonian, former U.S. Secretary of Education, William S. Bennett, The Washington Times, The New York Law Journal, The American Scholar, The Christian Science Monitor, The Daily News, The New York Post, Atlantic, Newsday, the late John Cardinal O'Connor, the late William F. Buckley, Jr., critic Dave Richardson of WOR Radio; and Peter M. Robinson, Special Assistant to former President Ronald Reagan. 

Richard majored in Composition at Berklee School of Music where he was later offered a teaching position. There he specialized in counterpoint, ear training, music theory, and composition with Brett Wilmott, Ken Pullig, Paul Schmelling (pianist for John Coltrane), and Herb Pomeroy. Richard later studied advanced improvisation for 2 years with world-renowned jazz pianist Hal Galper.

A completely self-taught guitarist who learned “ by ear”, Richard started performing at the age of fourteen, has composed over fifty pieces of music and he has co-published five books. He is also a general editor of The Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton, and an attorney. At St. John's Law School he won a New York State Bar Association Award for a Paper on Legal Ethics. Additionally, he has co-published articles with former Port Authority Chairman George Marlin, which have been presented at Yale, Georgetown, and Fordham Universities. Richard holds the degree of Juris Doctor from St. John's School of Law; holds an M.A. from Fordham Univ. Grad. School of Arts and Sciences; holds a BA from SUNY New York at Stony Brook; and is a graduate of Suffolk County Community College.

After a half century of study Richard is still having endless FUN studying music and passionately teaching his students as his dream career — teaching everyone from beginners in first grade up to educators and professional colleagues. Many of Richard’s students take Rock guitar lessons, but he is a very versatile guitarist fluent in: Traditional- and Classic Rock, and Metal; Trad. Blues from Delta and Slide to Contemporary Electric Blues; Acoustic Fingerstyle and Country; Big Band Guitar, and Traditional and Contemporary Jazz. For career-oriented students or professionals, Richard also teaches Composition, Song-Writing, Improvisation, Ear Training, and the art of transcribing.

Richard's students have received All-State Awards, and scholarships to Jazz and Commercial music programs including the Univ. of Miami, NYU, The New School, and the Univ. of Pittsburgh. Matt Marshak, recipient of the Best New Artist Award from 101.9 FM was recently considered for a Smooth Jazz Grammy Award. Mr. Marshak refers to Richard as “...New York State guitar teaching Guru – a Blues and Jazz Wizard and Scholar”. Teddy Kumpel, Joe Jackson's guitarist for years now, refers to Richard as “...my musical father and Mentor of mentors, a music education Buddha in every sense of the word.” Mr. Kumpel has performed on a Grammy Award Winning CD, and has toured with many renowned artists. Richard's fourth grade students - Ava Della Pietra (bass) and Liam Reynolds (guitar) - made the final cut for Andrew LLoyd Webber's NYC Broadway production of "School of Rock".  Ava performed in the show on Broadway for almost two years.

For Richard the following applies: “Musica Non Basta Una Vita” – “For Music, one lifetime is not enough”. After a lifetime of study, Richard continues to expand his vocabulary, foremost passionately teachng his students the many facets and joys of music. He also performs with his 7-piece versatile band, The Whiskey Rebellion, whose interpretations of Blues, Funk, and Jazz have received mention in The Smithsonian.

For a chronological résumé, click here.