Our Teachers
Instructor: Marina B.
Teaches: Piano and Voice
Styles: All Styles.
Background: Marina is a music educator and opera singer from Dunkirk, Maryland. Raised by an elementary school band teacher and a classical saxophonist, Marina learned the joy of music from an early age. She recently graduated with her Master of Music in Vocal Arts from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music in 2024. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory in 2021. Marina loves to teach students of all ages, levels, and musical interests. She is excited to create a safe space for all students to learn, create, and grow!
Marina has been teaching private voice and piano lessons since 2016, beginning her career at Garrett Music Academy in Dunkirk, Maryland. There she co-lead and served as music director for the “I Am the Lead '' musical theater program after independently organizing the “Opera is Cool '' classical music education initiative. Following her acceptance of the 2020 Calvert County Arts in Education Award, Marina served as a masterclass clinician for Anne Arundel County Public Schools and as a musical theater vocal coach for Calvert Theatrics.
Some of Marina’s favorite operatic roles in her repertoire include Nina in Chérubin, Soprano in La Passion de Simone, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Tina in Flight, and Roselinde in Die Fledermaus. Her past summers have been spent participating in the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Berlin Opera Academy, Bard College Conservatory’s Vocal Arts Summer Institute, and Eastman School of Music’s Alexander Technique for Musicians Intensive. Her study of the Alexander Technique has led her to combine elements of this method with Gyrokinesis and science-informed vocal pedagogy in her studio. But, the teaching tools that she finds the most important are kindness, understanding, and a love of music.
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: Dan Jenks
Teaches: Piano, Guitar, Flute, Sax, Trombone and Euphonium
Styles: All Styles.
Background: Dan Jenks is the founder of Sunset Learning Studio. You can read more about him under 'Our Founder'.
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: Catherine G.
Teaches: Piano
Styles: All Styles
Background: Catherine began playing the piano at the age of 11 while studying under Ruth Morton of Chicago, a Carnegie Hall alum. Catherine studied music in college where she began tutoring students as a Teaching Assistant. She is very personable, fun and enjoys working with children as well as adults. Her mission is to nurture the love of music in students, spark their desire and strengthen their talents to grow to greater levels.
Instructor: Joseph E.
Teaches: Guitar, Bass & Uke
Styles: All Styles
Background: Joseph began his musical journey at the age of 8 and has since become a highly accomplished session guitarist for the label Nice Dot Life. His extensive training includes instruction from notable musicians such as Colin Cook, Jason Richardson of All That Remains, Matt Greif of The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Jake Howsam Lowe of Plini, and David Moyer.
Joseph excels in a wide array of guitar genres and is renowned for his technical proficiency. Beyond his session work and live performances, he engages in music production and composition. He has made significant contributions to the David Moyer Jazz Big Band as both a rhythm section member and soloist and has completed jazz applied studies at El Camino College. Additionally, Joseph has had the honor of accompanying Grammy-winning guitarist William Kanengiser as the first-chair classical guitarist.
Joseph's mission as a teacher is to guide his students in playing guitar with maximum efficiency and skill, while also instilling a deep appreciation for the world of music.
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: Isaiah W.
Teaches: Voice & Piano
Styles: All Styles
Background: Isaiah Williams is a vocalist and musician from Southern California. He has completed El Camino College’s Applied Music program, studying both Jazz and Classical Voice. He also lends his talents to El Camino’s Chorale, Concert Choir and Vocal Jazz Ensembles, and has performed multiple solos in all three groups. Throughout his time there, he and his choirs have performed at the legendary Carnegie Hall in 2024, as well as multiple choral festivals at Chapman University and USC. Additionally, his solo talents have earned him scholarships from both Mu Phi Epsilon Music fraternity and Los Cancioneros Master Chorale.
Being both formally trained at El Camino College, as well as self-taught for many years prior, he has a unique perspective on Music Education. He is dedicated to making learning music accessible for everyone, and tailors his pedagogical approach to each individual student, meeting them exactly where they are. This approach is bolstered by many years of experience teaching children of all ages in many disciplines, from Music & Art to Math & Science. He is deeply passionate about teaching, and looks forward to working with you or your child to realize their boundless potential!
.Instructor: Seth J.
Teaches: Guitar, Bass & Uke
Styles: All styles.
Background: Seth is an established guitarist, a passionate composer, and educator of all ages and skill levels. Having earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance from San Francisco State School of Music and his Master of Music degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts (under the tutelage of Vic Juris), Johnson grasps and interprets a well rounded and expansive scope of musical genres.
He plays Jazz, Western Classical, Afro Latin music, Funk, Rock, Bossa Nova and many popular North American styles. From free improvised music to rock to jazz standards, he will find joy in all of it and pass this joy on to his students.
Instructor:
Teaches: Piano & Voice
Styles: All Styles
Background:
Instructor:
Teaches: Piano
Styles: All Styles
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: 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: 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: 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: Josie B.
Teaches: Cello, Violin, Piano
Styles: All Styles
Background: Josie has been playing cello since she was six years old. With the help of her mother, a musician as well, she picked up violin and piano along the way. She studied for her Masters of Music in cello performance at the Chicago College of Performing Arts after getting her Bachelors of Music from CSULB. While in Texas, Josie won a section cello position with the Round Rock Symphony.
She has been teaching for nine years throughout California and Texas. She is particularly interested in teaching young children as she feels she has a personality that would engage and inspire a young beginner. However, she is capable and willing to teach all ages.