GUITAR TEACHERS
Jeff Nagel teaches guitar and bass guitar. He has attended Virginia Tech and VCU with emphasis on Jazz Studies. Jeff has been playing professionally and teaching for more than 20 years. He has played in a variety of bands that have toured throughout the United States.
Matt Balestino teaches guitar and bass guitar. He has a BA in Jazz Studies from VCU. He has played in a wide variety of bands throughout the Richmond area. He has been teaching private lessons since 2003.
Jimmy Payne teaches guitar and mandolin. He attended University of Richmond and has been teaching and playing professionally since 1974. He specializes in blues, bluegrass, flat-picking and Traditional American Music.
Scott Martin teaches guitar. He received his bachelor of Business from University of Florida. He has been playing and recording music since 1978. He has taught several group guitar classes throughout California and Virginia. He has been teaching private lessons since 1997.
Anthony Curtis teaches guitar and bass guitar. He has been teaching and playing professional since 1975. He has recorded a few CD's that have gained National attention. He plays in a wide variety of bands and groups that play throughout the Richmond area.
Doug Cherrington teaches all styles of guitar: Folk, Rock, Classical and Bluegrass. Though specializing in bluegrass music for banjo and mandolin, he teaches Banjo styles of Ragtime and Old Time as well. Doug also teaches beginning electric bass, Soprano and Baritone Ukulele. He has performed as a freelance musician for 30 years.
Christopher Brown teaches guitar and bass guitar. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from VCU. He has been performing classical guitar for 14 years. He has played in a wide variety of bands from Rocket Queen to classical wedding duos for weddings. He has been teaching private lessons since 2000.
Clifton McDaniel teaches guitar and bass guitar. He received his Bachelor of Music Composition Degree from James Madison University. He has been performing for 14 years with a wide variety of groups. He also plays the trombone proficiently and has an interest in songwriting.
Chip Talley studied with Tim Allison and Trip Johnson as well as a variety of other schools and academies. He plays with a variety of bands within the Richmond area. Chip has been teaching guitar and piano since 1993.
Brett Edwards has been teaching guitar, bass guitar, mandolin and banjo since 1998. He earned his Music Education Degree from VCU. Brett plays with a variety of groups including Scattered, Smothered and Covered that play bluegrass, blues and swing throughout the Richmond area.
Joy McDonald teaches piano, guitar and all brass instruments. She received her BA in Music Education from Virginia Tech. She received her Master's Degree in Information Systems at Virginia Tech. Joy has taught middle school band at Land's Down Middle School in Baltimore and Tuckahoe Middle School in Richmond. She performs with Commonwealth Winds and Old Dominion Brass Band. She has been teaching private lessons since 2000.
Valorie Gunsch graduated with a B.A. in Music from Brigham Young University in 1983 and has taught voice and guitar since. She has directed and sung in various church choirs and has performed in musical theatre and bands throughout her career. Assistant-manager of the Learning Center at Mars Music Inc. Richmond, VA 2001-20033. Completed 2 trainings of Kids Make Music Program with Lynn Kleiner. Currently teaches beginning piano and beginning-intermediate guitar.
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BRASS TEACHERS
Bob Miller teaches trumpet. He has a BS in Music from Towson University. He completed some graduate work in jazz performance at VCU. He plays with such bands as Bio Ritmo and Hobex. He has been teaching since 1999.
Todd Tinsley teaches all brass. He graduated with a BA in Music Education from Longwood College. Currently he is the band director at Hungary Creek Middle School. He has been teaching private lessons since 2002.
Joy McDonald teaches piano, guitar and all brass instruments. She received her BA in Music Education from Virginia Tech and her Master's Degree in Information Systems from Virginia Tech. Joy has taught middle school band at Land's Down Middle School in Baltimore and Tuckahoe Middle School in Richmond. She performs with Commonwealth Winds and Old Dominion Brass Band. She has been teaching private lessons since 2000.
Jim Pennington teaches all brass. He has a bachelor's degree in Music Education from James Madison University. He taught High School band for 14 years in Henrico and Hanover County. Currently, he helps with a variety of school bands and plays with Commonwealth Winds and Richmond Brass Consort. He has been teaching private lessons for about 20 years.
Jordan Buck teaches Trumpet and French Horn. She holds her BM in Music Education BM in Trumpet Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and currently performs with the Richmond Brass Consort. Jordan has taught at the middle school and high school levels at Northwest Guilford Middle School, Northwest Guilford High School, and Southwest Guilford High School (General band instruction, Front Ensemble Technician) and completed her student teaching at Kiser Middle School.
Stephanie F.Yeaza is currently the adjunct instructor of Tuba and Euphonium at Virginia State University as well as the adjunct Tuba instructor at the University of Richmond. At the Academy of Music in Richmond, Virginia she is both the chamber music and music theory instructor. Stephanie also currently works with the Deep Run High Schools low brass section giving both private and group lessons.
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STRING TEACHERS
Virginia Stallings Flores received her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from The Catholic University of America in Washington DC and received her Master's of Violin Performance from Temple University in Philadelphia. She has played with a few Symphony Orchestras in the Northeast. She also has performance experience on viola playing with the Shenandoah University Chamber group. She has taught at a variety of schools in a classroom and privately. She has been teaching violin and viola since 1997.
Jennifer Johnson teaches violin and viola. She earned her degree form Ithaca College in Ithaca New York. She is currently a strings teacher for Henrico County Schools and also taught at schools in New York as a strings instructor. She has been teaching private lessons since 2001.
Tom Stevens teaches violin and viola. He graduated from Manhattan School of Music in 1998. He has played and studied with various groups such as: New York Philharmonic, Temple University, St. Petersburg String Quartet, Richmond Symphony and Connecticut Opera. He has taught at Hostra University, Manhattan School of Music and he is currently teaching at University of Richmond. Tom has taught private lessons since 2000.
Natalia O'Brien teaches violin and viola. She received her Bachelor's Degree from Shenandoah University and her Master's Degree from Lynn University. She also has a diploma in Violin Performance and Primary Music Education Specialization from National Conservatory of Music. She has performed extensively throughout the United States with a variety of groups and has taught at the elementary and college level.
Christina Nelson specializes in Cello, but teaches all strings. She received her BA and MS from Houghton College and Fredonia College in upper state NY. She taught for 10 years as a district-wide elementary string teacher in the Williamsville Central Schools in Buffalo, NY. She played cello at the Chautuaqua Institution, the summer festival at Saratoga, and in the Buffalo String Quartet. Christina recently moved to Richmond and has started teaching strings at Grove Christian School and at Harrison Music.
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DRUM TEACHERS
Travis Paull teaches drums and mallets. He earned his music degree at The College of William and Mary. He also attended classes at the University of Alabama. He has taught in a private setting in various schools and music stores since 1999. Since moving to Richmond in 2005 he has worked for various schools helping with their marching bands and Percussion ensembles.
Pinson Chanselle is finishing up his Music degree at VCU. He has played drums for a variety of groups from jazz to rock. He has been teaching private drum lessons since 2004.
Scott Clark earned his degree n Jazz Studies at VCU. He also attended East Carolina University pursing a music education degree. Scott has experience playing in percussion ensembles as well as a wide variety of rock and jazz bands. He has been teaching since 2002.
C.J. Wolfe teaches drums. He attended VCU as a Jazz Performance Major. He has been playing professionally since 1997. He plays a wide variety of music with different groups from rock to funk and jazz. He specializes in Jazz.
Scott Milstead graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 1996 with a B.S. degree in Environmental Science. He promptly put his degree to use by working at a brokerage firm and joining a rock band. After 15+ years of touring and recording with Carbon Leaf, Scott left the band in 2007 to pursue other musical avenues. Scott has been teaching percussion/drums privately since 2001 and has been the drum line instructor for Monacan High School since 2008. His other projects include The Diggity Dudes ("hip music for hip kids"... thediggitydudes.com), The Venture Rays ("innocent rock for guilty pleasures"... venturerays.com), Near Earth Objects (a jazz/funk trio playing original compositions), Trouvere (original rock/pop), and A Good Natured Riot (bluegrass/Americana).
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PIANO TEACHERS
Gabe Churray has a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music (Composition) from James Madison University. Gabriel has played trombone with the JMU Symphony Orchestra and Busch Gardens. He has extensive experience teaching privately and in college level classrooms.
Joan Mabe teaches voice, beginning piano and oboe. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music with Vocal Performance specialization from the University of Utah. She has extensive opera, concert and recital solo performance experience. Joan has been teaching privately since 1994.
Virginia Stallings teaches violin, viola and piano. She has her Bachelors of Music in Performance from The Catholic University in Washington D.C. and has a Master's of Music in violin performance from Temple University in Pittsburg. She has extensive performance and teaching experience throughout the Northeast. She has been teaching private lessons since 1997.
Mindy Varner teaches piano. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from VCU. She has taught at Prince George County School and New Kent Elementary. She has been teaching private lessons since 2003.
Chip Talley studied with Tim Allison and Trip Johnson and a variety of other schools and academies. He plays with a variety of bands within the Richmond area. Chip has been teaching guitar and piano since 1993.
Joy McDonald teaches piano, French horn and guitar. She received her BA in Music Education from Virginia Tech. She received her Master's Degree in Information Systems at Virginia Tech. Joy has taught middle school band at Land's Down Middle School in Baltimore and Tuckahoe Middle School in Richmond. She performs with Commonwealth Winds and Old Dominion Brass Band. She has been teaching private lessons since 2000.
Bonnie LeBlanc teaches piano. She attended Chowan College in Murfeesboro, North Carolina with a major in piano and a minor in voice. She has directed and accompanied various youth and middle school choirs. She also has sung professionally for various functions. Bonnie has been teaching since 1980.
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WOODWIND TEACHERS
Jeff Nagel teaches all saxophones as well as beginning and intermediate flute. He attended both Virginia Tech and VCU and studied jazz throughout his school career. Jeff has played in a wide variety of bands throughout the Richmond area. He has taught private lessons since 1994.
Karl Von Klein teaches all saxophones and clarinet. He received his BA in Music at the University of Richmond. Karl has played in a variety of bands including Fighting Gravity, Agents of Good Roots and the Richmond Symphony. Currently, Karl teaches at Collegiate School and he has been teaching private lessons since 2000.
Ann Choomack teaches flute. She earned her BA in Flute Performance from Eastman School of Music in New York. She received a Master of Music in Flute Performance from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She also attended Duquesne University, Mary Paper School of Music in Pittsburgh. She has experience playing with a variety of orchestras and chamber orchestras throughout the northeast. Currently she is a core member of the Richmond Symphony. She has been teaching since 1999.
J.C. Kuhl teaches saxophone, clarinet and beginning flute. He graduated from Towson University in Towson, MD with a BA in Jazz and Commercial Music. He has vast experience playing with bands including Agents of Good Roots, Modern Groove Syndicate and Devil's Workshop. J.C. has been teaching since 2004.
Lisa Brewer teaches clarinet, saxophone and beginning/intermediate flute. She received her Bachelor of Music Education at Stetson University in Deland Florida. She earned a Master's of Music in clarinet performance from VCU. She has taught at a couple of schools in the Florida area both in a classroom setting as well as privately. She is currently teaching at New Kent Elementary School. Lisa has been teaching private lessons since 2003.
Deb Saidel teaches clarinet, flute and saxophone. She has her Master of Music in flute performance from Georgia State University. She also received her BA in Music Studies from VCU. Deb has been teaching and playing professionally in the Richmond area for over 20 years. She has also taught at Governor's School, St. Catherine's, Henrico Co. Public Schools and VCU. Deb has performed with a wide variety of groups and theatres in and around the Richmond area.
Nathan Koch teaches clarinet, flute and saxophone. He graduated from Longwood University with a BA in Music. He performed extensively with Longwood's ensembles and wind symphonies. He has performed with such groups as The Slackers and Fighting Gravity. Currently, Nathan is performing with Murphy's Kid's, a reggae rock band that is touring up and down the east coast.
Joan Mabe teaches voice, piano and oboe. She holds her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music with Vocal Performance specialization from the University of Utah. She has extensive experience in opera, concert and recital solo performance. Joan has been teaching privately since 1994.
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VOICE TEACHERS
Joan Mabe teaches voice, piano and oboe. She holds her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music with Vocal Performance specialization from the University of Utah. She has extensive opera, concert and recital solo performance experience. Joan has been teaching privately since 1994.
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