Music With Elena

Elena DeLisle-Perry absolutely loves to teach and play music and plays any chance she gets. With guitar as her main instrument she has studied several acoustic styles, including Calentano (the music of Tierra Caliente, Mexico), Old Time, Country Blues, Flamenco, Classical, Bluegrass, Cajun, Jazz/Swing, and Jugband music. She also plays old time banjo and loves to sing.

In addition to playing, Elena teaches private lessons and group classes to all ages.

Her journey into playing acoustic music started with a bang when, in 1999, she found herself at “Sweetsmill”, an infamous CA music festival. There she fell hopelessly in love with all of the music at once. Elena spent hundreds of hours backing up the one and only Kenny Hall and learning and playing a wide variety of acoustic folk music. She had the chance to play with and learn from many of the incredible musicians at “The Mill” over a 10+ year period and her life has been forever changed as a result.

In 2004, Elena became a Music Together © teacher and began her journey into the beautiful world of singing with parents and their young children. She finds immense joy in this work, and ten plus years later, Elena feels more strongly than ever that Music Together is a phenomenally good program and is proud and blessed to be a part of it.

In the summer of 2011, Elena was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to connect with violinist Paul Anastasio, who introduced her to the traditional music from Tierra Caliente, Mexico and the recordings of Juan Reynoso. This incredibly rich and fascinating music, known as “Calentano Music” has completely captured her and was her main musical focus for over 3 years. She had the great fortune of playing in a trio with Paul and the great Juan Manuel Barco called "Paul Anastasio & Fire of Tierra Caliente" for many years. Paul, along with Tina Pilione is working tirelessly to preserve this rare, endangered music for future generations and Elena is honored to be a part of the project.

Elena spent 10 years in Sonoma County, CA, playing guitar and mandolin and singing with several groups including the "Skiffle Symphony", an eccentric Jugband and "The Tanglefoot Quartet", a Bluegrass band. These groups were very busy playing everything from wineries to pubs to weddings. She also earned a B.A in Jazz Studies at Sonoma State University under acclaimed bass player Mel Graves and guitarist Randy Vincent.

Elena now lives just north of Seattle, WA. She finds great joy in her work as a preschool and elementary music teacher and enjoys teaching private lessons to kids of all ages and adults. She is deeply grateful for the chance to share her immense love of music. Elena also continues to pursue her goals as a guitarist, and is happy and relieved to be getting back into gigging and playing more now that her two kids are a little older. She currently plays guitar professionally in Toolooloo, a traditional old style Cajun band, and is pursuing a new found love of Western Swing guitar in addition to continuing to play and teach Bluegrass and Old Time styles.