Our Teachers
Instructor: Mary P.
Teaches: Piano, Vpoce & Clarinet
Styles: All styles.
Background: Mary is a multi-instrumentalist, artist, and educator with a rich and diverse background in various genres of music. From classical repertoire, jazz standards, musical theatre to today's modern music, Mary is capable of teaching the different styles based on the student. She earned her B.A. in Musicology at UCLA, and currently teaches piano, voice and the clarinet family. She also coaches group ensembles as a technical coach at various music programs - choir, vocal clinics, and band classes.
On top of her teachings, Mary regularly performs at live events either as a solo artist or as the frontwoman of an LA-based coverband. From these experiences as a performing artist, she is able to pass down her skills and knowledge to her students who are also working on stage performances and auditions.
To Mary, music is one of life's greatest avenues of expression, that can be both free and structured at the same time. As such, she believes that music can be enjoyed by people of all ages, and will provide a fun and enthusiastic lesson while staying true to the necessary fundamentals that are required to see her student's musical knowledge grow.
Instructor: Ashley M.
Teaches: Piano & Voice
Styles: All styles.
Background: Ashley is a performer and educator in the Los Angeles area. A performer since middle school, she has sung alongside Peter Eldridge from the New York Voices, Avi Kaplan from Pentatonix, and opened for The Real Group with the vocal jazz ensemble, Singcopation.
Ashley attended Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA where she studied classical and jazz voice and participated in their annual opera scenes, performing characters such as Prince Charmant from Massenet’s Cendrillon and Maria Stuarda from Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda. She sang in their vocal jazz ensemble, Singcopation, and performed at The Apollo Theatre and the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2013. She also sang in the Chamber Singers and performed at Carnegie Hall, two American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) conventions and competed in the 2012 Xinghai Prize International Choir Championships and 2015 European Choir Games and Grand Prix of Nations.
After her time at Mt. San Antonio College, she transferred to California State University, Long Beach where she studied classical and jazz voice. Ashley sang in the award-winning vocal jazz ensemble, Pacific Standard Time and performed at the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Convention in 2018 and at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2019. She also sang in the Bob Cole Chamber Choir and competed in the Internationaler Chorawettbewerb Spittal an der Drau in 2017.
Ashley has been a section leader and assistant director at both Mt. San Antonio College and California State University, Long Beach. She is currently an assistant choral director and private voice instructor at Fountain Valley High School as well as a voice and piano instructor at Sunset Learning Studio in Redondo Beach.
Instructor: Patrick L.
Teaches: Piano & Guitar
Styles: All Styles
Background: With a background in both performance and music education Patrick Lenon is a well-rounded and experienced music teacher. His passion for music shines through in his teaching, as he strives to instill a love for music in each of his students. Patrick’s approachable and patient demeanor makes him a favorite among students of all ages and his commitment to continuous learning ensures that he is always bringing fresh and innovative techniques into the classroom.
Lenon has taught piano and guitar lessons to hundreds of students in the greater Los Angeles area since 2011. During this time he has also been an active performer. Playing in bands in venues such as the House of Blues, the Viper Room, Whiskey A- Go- Go, and Club Bahia to name a few. His experience as a teacher and a performer allows him to give lessons to students that provide results fast! Lenon was trained at the Musician’s Institute of Hollywood in guitar and piano. He makes sure his lessons are always educational and most important fun!
Instructor: Adrian M.
Teaches: Voice & Piano
Background: Adrian is a vocalist and piano player from Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music with a BM in Classical Voice and Opera, and an alum of the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts High School where he sang in choir and played piano in jazz band. He is a trained opera singer and has performed lead roles in places such as Germany, Italy, Los Angeles, and Miami. As a pianist, he has played in bands throughout high school and has performed across the Las Vegas Strip and in London. He is passionate about playing and singing genres such as classic rock, jazz, R&B, and Pop.
Because both his parents are rock musicians, Adrian has been around music his entire life. Being influenced by music as a boy, Adrian believes in the importance of how music inspires young people and adds magic to their lives. He is excited about sharing this with anybody who wants to tap into their creative potential and spark a curiosity in the arts.
Instructor: Cass S.
Teaches: Piano
Styles: All Styles
Background: Cass is a pianist and composer from Chandler, Arizona. He started piano lessons at 13 and soon after began playing for his high school jazz big band & jazz choir. It was this collaborative, peer-driven environment that sparked a lifelong pursuit of songwriting and performance.
In 2017 he won the Chandler Teen Talent Show with his original composition “Catalyst,” catching the attention of producer Mike Bolenbach at Alice Cooper’s The Rock Teen Music Center, where he took film scoring and production lessons. He also worked as a Sunday School teacher’s assistant at Redemption Gilbert.
After graduation he attended Arizona State University with a major in jazz piano performance, but soon pivoted into production at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences (CRAS) where he graduated with a degree in audio engineering. Simultaneously, he continued expanding his classical/jazz piano repertoire, often performing at The Nash Jazz Club and with local indie bands around the Phoenix metro area.
Cass moved to Hermosa Beach in 2023, where he now works in live sound entertainment and piano teaching. He believes in an individualized learning approach to help every student become the best version of themselves.
Instructor: Elena C.
Teaches: Advanced Piano
Styles: All Styles
Background: Elena graduated with her bachlors and masters from the prestigious Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory of Music in piano, vocal music and choral conducting . Her teaching experience includes piano, vocal, choral and music theory. She is dedicated to enthusiastic and dynamic teaching as a means of creating and nurturing a lifelong love of music in children.
Instructor: Amanda M.
Teaches: Piano & Voice
Styles: All Styles
Background: Background: Amanda is an emerging soprano and music educator. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from California State University, Long Beach in 2019, and will graduate with her Master of Music in Vocal Arts from California State University, Northridge.
Amanda’s most recent roles were the Kaylee in Speed Dating Tonight by Michael Ching, Second Lady in The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, First Furie in L’ivrogne corrigé by Christoph Willibald Gluck, and Mrs. Fiorentino in Street Scene by Kurt Weill. Outside of opera, Amanda was a member of Tonality, a Los Angeles based professional choir. After graduating CSULB, Amanda had the privilege of participating in Aspen Music Festival’s Seraphic Fire Professional Choral institute, where she sang alongside members of the professional choir Seraphic Fire. Amanda was also a soprano section leader for First United Methodist Church of Pasadena, where she was the soprano soloist for the Mozart Requiem and Handel’s Messiah.
Alongside her performance endeavors, Amanda has been teaching private and group lessons in voice and piano since 2019. She enjoys sharing her bubbly enthusiasm for music with her students. Amanda not only wants her students to enjoy expanding their knowledge of music, she wants them to feel comfortable on stage and experience the beauty of connecting with the audience. Teaching is one of Amanda’s greatest joys and looks forward to sharing her love and music to all of her future students at Sunset Learning Studio!
Instructor: Laurie D.
Teaches: Violin, Piano & Cello
Styles: All Styles
Background: Having begun piano lessons at age 6, and violin at age 8, Laurie Driskill enjoys a diverse career as a performer and teacher in the Los Angeles area. A graduate of the Thornton School of Music at USC, she holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Violin Performance, where she also studied viola and won the String Chamber Music award. She has performed in orchestras all over Southern California, including the Pacific Symphony, the Long Beach and Santa Barbara Symphonies. She was also employed by the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles as a regular chamber musician, has recorded for numerous film and television projects, and has toured with John Tesh and others in the US and abroad. She has been heard on classical radio with a quartet and was a soloist with the Beach Cities Symphony.
Laurie was the founding music teacher at Ambassador High School, has directed chamber music seminars, and was concertmaster of the Torrance and Antelope Valley Symphonies. With pedagogy training, including the Suzuki method, Laurie is a member of the Music Teacher’s Association of Southern California.
Instructor: Crystal P.
Teaches: Piano, Violin, & Voice
Styles: All Styles
Background: Crystal 狂咲 Palencia is one of the top junior division music award winners in various countries. She has won four years running, winning consecutive gold awards in the Music Heritage Festivals in orchestra performance, and has also won two recognition awards in the State of California and Kyoto, Japan. She is currently studying music education and being classically and Baroque trained. She is also in training to conduct voice and orchestra works. Crystal has started playing not one, but various instruments at the age of three and a half, violin being her primary instrument. She has been
trained to play woodwind instruments such as flute, recorder, and etc., piano, the string family, voice and foreign instruments such as the Koto, Taiko, and the accordion. Crystal has been trained by various instructors including Narumi, Ramos, Kamida, Lubo, Pancho, Teter and many more. After traveling to many parts of the world, Crystal is fluent in speaking English, Spanish, and Japanese, also spends most of her time
teaching in Japan, Mexico, and the United States to various ages and to those who have disabilities.
Instructor: Kathleen V.
Teaches: Piano & Voice
Styles: All Styles
Background: Soprano Kathleen Van Ruiten (she/they) is a classically trained soprano and music instructor with experience in musical theatre, pop, jazz, and opera styles. They are a lifelong Long Beach resident and graduate of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB, where they earned a B.M. in Vocal Performance.
In her four years as a member of the Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir, Kathleen participated in two European tours, where they earned the title of Choir of the World in 2016 and took first place in the Internationaler Chorawettbewerb Spittal an der Drau in 2017. Kathleen then had the opportunity to participate in the inaugural session of the Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute at the Aspen Music Festival, where she studied and performed alongside members of Seraphic Fire. She has gone on to sing locally with LA-based ensembles Tonality and Zoe Choir, as well as abroad as a ringer, performing as a soloist in such venues as St. Peter’s Basilica and St Paul’s Cathedral. Beyond classical voice, credits include Most Outstanding Vocalist at the Reno Jazz Festival, Mary in Mary Poppins, Fiona in Shrek! The Musical, and Maria in The Sound of Music.
Kathleen is a working vocalist in the LA and OC areas, serving as a cantor at St. Cyprian’s Catholic Church, as well as an instructor of voice and piano. With over five years of teaching experience, Kathleen welcomes students of any ability level to work on technique, musicality, and expression in a variety of musical styles. She is passionate about working with singers to encourage strong, healthy singing and build confidence in their voices!
Instructor: Eddie R.
Teaches: Guitar, Bass, Uke
Styles: All styles.
Background: Eddie started playing guitar at 14 and performed in bands through out high school. He studied music at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria and then moved to Hollywood to study Music Theory at L.A.C.C. In 2012 he joined "The Dead Notes", a Hollywood based band. And In 2015 he attended the Musicians Institute of Contemporary Music to study Guitar Performance and Sound Production. At MI he has had the pleasure of playing along side some industry professionals like Brent Harding ( Bass, Social Distortion) and Ritchie Ramones (Drummer, The Ramones).
His guitar idols are John Frusciantes from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimmy Hendrix, & Eric Clapton. He is very versatile playing blues, rock, funk, jazz and even bossa nova. And he is currently part of a 11 piece band called "The Live Heavy Water Project".
Instructor: Kai K.
Teaches: Drums
Styles: All styles
Background: Kai began playing drums as a child after his parents exposed him to live music and an extensive record collection. He started taking private drum lessons and reading music at age nine, eventually playing with the concert, jazz, and marching bands at school. While attending Long Beach Poly he would compete annually at the Reno Jazz Festival against other high schools and go on to win several awards as part of Poly's prestigious music program. After high school Kai continued to study jazz music, classical percussion, music theory, and music business while enrolled at CSULB, eventually earning his degree and moving on to perform on cruise ships as a show band drummer for Norwegian Cruise Line.
Since graduating from university and performing on cruise ships, Kai has taught private lessons and continued to perform with various musical groups, companies, and DJs as a freelance drummer, often playing a large variety of musical styles. His philosophy is that musical inspiration can come from anywhere, and that without the drums nobody would be dancing!
Instructor: Al P.
Teaches: Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Euphonium, Tuba
Styles: All styles.
Background: Al grew up in a family of musicians. He was exposed to many kinds of music such as Classical, Jazz, Pop, and Folk music. By age 12, music became his passion and he decide he wanted a career in the music industry. In high school he performed in several small venues from Santa Monica to Venice beach. He also started teaching part time during the summer. He completed his formal musical studies at El Camino College.
He studied other instruments as well that were not in the woodwind family such as trumpet Euphonium, Trombone, Tuba and Vocals. His primary instructor is renowned jazz saxophonist, Ann Patterson. He studied both Jazz and Classical saxophone and thanks to Patterson is recognized as one of the best gigging Saxophonists to come out of El camino college. Besides teaching, he can also be found playing not just Jazz, but other popular styles of music all over Los Angeles.
Instructor: Joe T.
Teaches: Drums
Styles: All Styles
Background: Joe has been playing drums for over 25 years. He started taking private lessons in 4th grade. During his pre-college years, he was involved in every music program offered at his school in Michigan. This included Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Pit Band, and back up for the Choir. After high school, Joe turned his focus to writing and performing original music while attending Michigan State University.
After working with many different groups and multiple nation wide tours, he moved to California to pursue music full time. Joe's positive energy and enthusiam for music and playing the drums is contagious with all of his students!
Instructor: John V.
Teaches: Trumpet
Styles: All styles.
Background: Known to the Music-loving community as Johnny V, he has been hittin' the notes and playin' the riffs for more than 30years all over the world in the hottest clubs and concert halls with the likes of: Bill Medley, Otis Brown, Slash, Sam Moore (Sam & Dave) Percy Sledge, Eric Clapton, Ernie Watts, The Daddy O's, Drifters, Coasters, Boxcar 7, Chevy Chase, Other musical accomplishments include: Musical Director for Otis Brown (formerly of The Drifters),TV commercial for Zima (Adolph Coors Corp.), solo performance on Film soundtrack ("Saturday Night Special"), and TV's "Guiding Light". Johnny can also be heard in MATTEL TOYS BARBIE'S “My Size Throne”
John Vandenberg’s musical journey began at the young age of 9.
Although He’s always loved to play and practice the trumpet, he credits his parents with helping him to stay committed to lessons by providing him with the tools he needed to succeed. Johnny Is from Long Beach Ca. and attended Cal State University of Long Beach.
Instructor: Colin R.
Teaches: Drums
Styles: All styles
Background: Colin Rosso is a professional drummer, producer, and songwriter based in Los Angeles. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, Colin's expertise spans a wide range of musical genres, from jazz and classical percussion to hip-hop, pop, rock, country, metal, and blues.
As a recording artist and producer, Colin collaborates with international hiphop, pop, and EDM artists, contributing to tracks that have garnered tens of
millions of streams. His songwriting credits include collaborations with Kehlani, Kanye West, Jesse Noyes, OTR, and Zerb.
In addition to his performance and production work, Colin is deeply committed to music education. He has taught thousands of music lessons,
clinics, and masterclasses, inspiring students of all ages and levels. His educational background and emphasis on mentorship have helped
numerous students succeed in both school music programs and prestigious music schools like The Hartt School of Music and Loyola School of Music.
Colin's career highlights include touring internationally, performing at Symphony Hall in Boston, and reaching the quarter-finals of Guitar Center’s
Drum-Off. He is also known for his extensive work as a demoing artist for music stores and his prolific presence on YouTube, where he has produced
over 1,700 videos showcasing drum products.
Currently based in Los Angeles, Colin continues to perform, produce, and mentor aspiring musicians, embodying his belief in the transformative
power of music.
.Instructor: Ralph W.
Teaches: Trumput, Trombone & Tuba
Styles: All Styles and Levels
Background: Ralph is a long-timeresident of LA. Growing up in Torrance, Ralph began playing all forms of music, styles, and genres at 9.
He then attended El Camino for jazz applied studies as well as general music and taught for 7 years. He has been a part of marching bands, orchestras,
jazz big bands as well as combos on top of many other ensembles that garnished national recognition as well as worked with many well known artists such as Kamasi Washington and Ryan Porter of the West Coast Get Down, Aloe Blacc, Lenny Goldsmith of Tower of Power, Earth Wind and Fire and many more under the study of the great George Bohanon (of Motown fame).
Ralph’s emphasis is not only on the technical aspects of playing brass instrumental music, but also to expose students to the joys of music on the soul and
mind as an art, creativity and history to many cultures and backgrounds.
Instructor: Kevin L.
Teaches: Saxophone & Piano
Styles: All Styles
Background: Kevin Leysath II is versatile saxophonist, composer, and conductor based in Los Angeles, originally from Rochester, NY. He has performed in a wide variety of ensembles, including saxophone quartets, orchestras, wind bands, and saxophone choirs, with experience spanning classical, jazz, and Latin American music. Kevin has served as Principal Tenor Saxophonist with the NYU saxophone orchestra, wind symphony and has performed with the Nazareth University symphony orchestra, Saxophone Society, wind ensemble, as well as the NNH Saxophone Quartet. His repertoire includes works by composers such as Glazunov, Pierné, Scarlatti, Sweelinck, John Mackey, Jennifer Higdon, Marc Mellits, Carter Pann, and Peter Iturralde. An active soloist on soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone, Kevin regularly performs solo works with piano by composers including Ibert, Bach, William Grant Still, Ronald Caravan, and himself.
In addition to his performance career, Kevin is an award-winning composer and the recipient of the 2024 ASCAP Foundation Jimmy Van Heusen Film Scoring Award. He frequently incorporates saxophone into his film and media scores to create expressive, cinematic sound worlds. His recent scoring work includes Infinity Hotel (dir. Helena Hockertz), The Things We Carry (dir. Kyvon Edwin), Way Back Home (dir. Chad B. Hamilton), Cinema Recomposed in collaboration with Paramount’s Max Fleischer Studios and the American Genre Film Archive, and worked on the music team for National Geographic’s For Winter.
Kevin holds a Master’s degree in Music Theory and Composition (Screen Scoring) from NYU Steinhardt and a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Nazareth University. He studied saxophone with Dr. Chisato Eda Marling, Dr. Anne Kunkle and Dr. Timothy Ruedeman.
Dedicated to community and teaching, Kevin is committed to creating a supportive, student-centered learning environment that builds strong fundamentals, musical confidence, and expressive artistry while fostering a lifelong appreciation for music.
Instructor: Isaac S.
Teaches: Saxophone, Trombone, Clarinet & Trumpet
Styles: All Styles
Background: Background: Isaac grew up in a family focused on sports, believing for much of his life that he would pursue athletics until he picked up the trumpet for the first time. From then on, Isaac has dedicated himself to the world of music, eventually playing and teaching at the collegiate level.
Primarily a trombone player, Isaac is proficient in other brass instruments including the trumpet, euphonium, French horn, and tuba. He also plays the clarinet and saxophone. Isaac currently teaches at various high schools, such as Torrance High School and Warren High School, where he serves as a marching band instructor for both visual performance and music.