Bettencourt Music Studio - Beverly, Massachusetts

Violaine G.

I’m thrilled to share our wonderful experience with Mrs. Mara, who has been my daughter’s piano and voice teacher for the past two years. From the very beginning, Mrs. Mara’s gentle and artistic approach to music has transformed my daughter’s learning experience. Instead of focusing solely on scales and rigid practice routines, Mrs. Mara incorporates breathing techniques, visualization, and a deep sense of musical exploration into her lessons. This creative method has not only made each lesson engaging but has also helped my daughter develop a calm, confident relationship with music.

What truly sets Mrs. Mara apart is her ability to connect with her students. She listens to what my daughter loves to play and sing, tailoring each lesson to her interests, which has been incredibly motivating. Notably, within just one year of lessons, my daughter was able to perform some very impressive pieces—evidence of Mrs. Mara’s exceptional teaching skills and her ability to inspire real progress. Her clear explanations and patient guidance have made each lesson both educational and enjoyable, allowing us to see (and hear!) the remarkable growth in my daughter’s abilities.

Moreover, Mrs. Mara’s flexibility with scheduling has been a lifesaver for our family commitments, ensuring that we never feel pressured by unexpected changes. Overall, my daughter has grown tremendously under Mrs. Mara’s care—not just as a musician, but as a person. Her nurturing, thoughtful approach has instilled a lifelong love for music in my daughter, and for that, we are deeply grateful.

I wholeheartedly recommend Mrs. Mara to any family looking for a compassionate, talented, and innovative music teacher who truly makes a difference both in skill development and in fostering a passion for music.

Jillise M.

Mara teaches our 6 year old daughter both piano and Spanish, and she has been amazing. Our daughter not only loves Mara, and has so much fun during her classes, she has also learned so much. I would highly recommend Mara!

Justin S.

Mara is an excellent teacher and I recommend her if you are interested in music or Portuguese lessons.

I originally hired Mara as a Portuguese instructor. Eventually, I transitioned to music lessons.

While learning both subjects, Mara has been flexible and has adapted to meet my learning needs and goals. She has a lot of resources and has a knack for translating complex, abstract concepts about language and music into something tangible. She has also been supportive through my learning journey and responsive when I had questions outside of our lessons.

Stephanie T.

My 7 year old loves taking Spanish lessons with Mara! She is very patient with her and has a special way of engaging the students to keep their lessons interesting and exciting. I highly recommend Bettencourt Academy!

Victoria F.

Mara is an amazing Portuguese teacher! She has taught me not only the language, but also all about the culture, food, and music. Her love for Portugal and teaching really shines through in each lesson. She is amazing, kind, smart, thorough, and really cares about her students. Mara gives out practice work, but it is not mandatory. I have been working with her since 2022 and look forward to everything I learn from her in the future. Highly recommend!

Eleni E.

Mara is not just a wonderful musician but she’s an incredible person as well. What I love about her is that she truly cares about my daughter’s well being along with her performance in class. Mara’s love and passion about music makes the lessons more interesting, easy, and a lot of fun! Honestly I feel so lucky and happy we found her!

Tom G.

In just a few weeks Mara became a mentor to my 6 year old daughter. Just 4 months later, my now 7 year old's favorite part of her week is her guitar lesson with Mara. She teaches her about health and wellness, music theory, reading, playing the guitar and even writing music and songs. She customizes each lesson based on the direction that my daughter seems to be responding too. Mara is a true listener, a calming teacher and a brilliant musician. Our community is lucky to have her.

Christine G.

Mara Bettencourt is a rare find, being both a talented musician and gifted teacher. She performs regularly as a singer songwriter, pianist and guitarist. Her experience, professionalism and enthusiasm is apparent in her teaching. Her kindhearted and warm nature makes connecting to any student easy for her.
Gently encouraging a budding student as well as giving knowledgeable direction to more experienced students. My daughter(15) loves her time with Mara and always looks forward to lessons. I’ve seen my daughter blossom as a person and musician under the tutelage Mara Bettencourt!
She also speaks three languages fluently.....an added bonus!