Our Instructors

Matt is a first-call musician on the LA scene. He is currently the Associate Music Director for American Idol.

He has performed and recorded with a long list of popular acts including Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Utada, Jane’s Addiction, Alanis Morrisette, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson and Prince to name just a few.

Matt has appeared on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, and many other national television shows. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging.

Visit Matt’s website at www.mattrohde.com.

Here’s a fun youtube clip of Matt playing at the NAMM 2011 Bass Party.

Beth Rohde has enjoyed a wide-ranging career in music. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Berklee College of Music and her Master’s Degree from USC’s Thornton School of Music with a full scholarship from the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation. She has performed on five different continents as a solo artist and as the lead female vocalist in Les Brown’s Band of Renown.

Beth has worked in the recording studio as a jingle singer and coach. She is a dedicated teacher, and her students have enjoyed great success in competition, theatre, opera, TV, film, and record sales. She has worked with many internationally known artists including L’oreal Palmer, Keke Palmer, Akinishi-Jin and BoA, and she recently coached vocalists on American Idol.

Beth is Coast Music Conservatory’s Music Director, and she has an incredible gift for finding and attracting the most talented, inspiring and passionate music teachers available.

Here is a recent video of Beth performing with the vocal jazz group Storeytime.

Ben is a Los Angeles based keyboardist, film composer, arranger and producer with solid professional experience in all areas.
He studied jazz composition and performance at the New School in NYC’s Greenwich Village.
As a touring musician Ben has traveled the US, Canada, Asia, Europe and most recently Africa with an array of artists ranging from jazz, singer-songwriter, pop etc.
As a composer, producer and arranger Ben has worked on many artist, film, and television projects for Disney XD, Universal Studios, NBCUniversal, Warner Brothers, American Express and others.
Please visit his website www.benzecker.com

Taylor’s passion for drumming started at the age of 11. After high school, he was accepted into the USC Jazz Studies program. After a semester studying Jazz, he decided that he wanted to branch out and play other styles of music. Taylor has played with Buddhist Monkey, Vertices, Ill-Funk Nation, and Latch Key Kid just to name a few. He also had the pleasure of playing on tour opening up for the Wailers on the west coast. He loves funk, soul, reggae, hip-hop and anything that is good ol’ real soulful music! Taylor truly enjoys sharing his love of music and drumming especially with young, up and coming drummers.

New York born, LA based singer Raffia Ford has performed with a long list of A-List musicians and singers including Jennifer Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Gloria Estefan, Melissa Etheridge, Patrice Rushen, Tito Jackson and Ledisi. She graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Education, and she has an enormous passion and gift for teaching. She has taught privately and directed gospel choirs for many years, and Raffia is the current director of Coast Gospel Choir.

Raffia maintains a successful career as a soloist. You can learn more about Raffia’s performances and recordings through raffiamusic.net.

Marti Harris moved to the South Bay area from New York City where she fronted numerous club bands including Groove Apostle and Night Moves, as well as one of the city’s favorite blues bands, The Shade Tree Mechanics. Marti’s charismatic stage presence and powerful voice has also won her leading roles in many musical theater productions, including Chicago, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan where she studied Musical Theater and holds a Graduate Certificate from the Jazz Department at USC. Energetic and experienced, Marti inspires students of all ages to produce exceptional performances.

Coast Music Conservatory is honored to have Bridgette Bryant on staff. Ms. Bryant has performed with and learned from the some of the biggest names in the music business including Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, Herbie Hancock and many others. She can be heard on film sountracks, and her voice has been featured on a variety of commercials from Kodak to Coca Cola. Her TV appearances include the Grammy Awards, the Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show and many more.

Bridgette Bryant is an amazing and inspiring force in the music industry today. She loves sharing this wealth of knowledge and experience with her students who enjoy her results-oriented and encouraging approach.

Here is Bridgette singing Separate Lives with the incredible Phill Collins.

Coast Music Conservatory is proud to have Ashley Turner on staff. Ashley is an accomplished vocalist, pianist and songwriter. She graduated from the University of Texas in 2003 with a degree in Performance, and she began teaching voice and piano at Septien Vocal Productions in Dallas Texas. For the past ten years, Ashley has maintained a busy schedule performing and teaching music to popular performers including Selena Gomez. Since she has arrived at Coast Music Conservatory, Ashley has been teaching many talented rising stars including Debby Ryan, Madison Davenport and Bella Thorne. Ashley is an energetic, passionate and inspiring teacher who is loved by her many students.

Guitar virtuoso, Aragorn Wiederhold, started playing guitar at seven and has since never put it down. He studied pop, rock and jazz at Berklee College of Music, and he studied classical music at Boston Conservatory where he was later hired as a professor of guitar. Aragorn has toured and recorded with some of the best musicians in the business, and he is a respected film composer. He has most recently composed music for “Another Cinderella Story”.

Jan brings more than 25 years of experience in Los Angeles as a keyboard player, singer, songwriter, and arranger. In her years of live stage experience, she has performed hundreds of high-profile gigs as singer and/or keyboard player at venues like the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theater. She has been a featured singer at the Governor’s Ball, for the Oscars and the Emmys (6 times). She has also music directed numerous shows, including her own original rock opera, Jerusalem A.D. In 2010 the L.A. Weekly Theater Awards nominated her for Best Musical Director for her work in Godspell at the Knightsbridge Theatre. Jan released her second CD last year under her band name, The Horizons, called “The Sweetest Refrain” available on iTunes. She teaches part-time on the keyboard faculty at Musicians Institute in Hollywood and serves as music director and worship leader at Church for the Nations in Glendale. Jan’s latest original musical, “City of Light” will have a fully staged workshop production in the fall of 2014.

Born into a musical family, Chris’s first instruments were piano and drums. At age 10 he began lessons on upright bass and received classical training until age 15 when he switched to playing the electric bass. Through his teenage years, Chris played in rock, r&b, reggae and jazz groups around town (including a top 40 cover band with his two brothers).

Chris was awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston where he earned his Bachelor of Music Degree in bass performance with additional advanced studies in jazz composition. After graduation Chris spent several more years in Boston touring the Eastern United States until eventually moving to Los Angeles. Chris soon became an in-demand bassist on the LA Music Scene. He toured and recorded with ledgendary performers Carly Simon, Englebert Humperdink, Art Garfunkel, Rod Stewert and Kenny G, just to name a few. Additionally, Chris is an incredible composer, arranger and collaborator. His students love to discover that he co-wrote “Gemini” (with Guitarist Brian Kahanek) which is featured on the video game Guitar Hero II.

Pianist Bernard Bayer is a rare artist who has captured the hearts of audiences around the world. He has performed as a soloist with Bratislava Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony and The Fairbanks Philharmonic among others. He is featured on a number of film scores including A Girl Like Me and The Visitor, and appeared with celebrity guest singers on Britain’s hit show Pop Stars to Opera Stars. A dynamic performer, Bernard has won many competitions including the La Jolla Symphony Young Artists Competition, VOCE State Finals, Yamaha Piano Competition, MTAC Concerto Competition and the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition. Bernard has a master’s degree in performance from USC where he studied with world-renown pedagogue John Perry, and he spent most of his formative years studying with the incredible Jane Bastien (Bastien Piano Methods). Bernard is passionate about teaching and inspires his students to achieve beyond their expectations.

Here is a video of one of Bernard’s students playing a Chopin Etude.

You can also enjoy watching Bernard’s incredible virtuosic pianism by watching Totentanz (Part 1) and Totentanz (Part 2)

Coast Music Conservatory is thrilled to have Jerry Marcus Caglese on staff. Jerry is an accomplished musician who has played with some of the greatest musicians in the business including Carlos Rios, Abraham Laboriel, Fred McKnight and various Motown artists. He is a master clinician and currently a judge for The Next Great Drummer (nationwide drum competition) and a member of their touring All Star Band. Perhaps Jerry’s greatest gift is in the detailed craft of developing the complete musician. Jerry is the father of Cole Marcus. Jerry has been Cole’s only drum teacher and launched Cole’s career when he was just 4 years old. Jerry is passionate about teaching and brings a wealth of experience to his students.

Here’s a fun clip of Jerry and his son Cole in a Yamaha DTX commercial.

Jeff Findley is an inspiring teacher who has a gift for motivating his students. He loves music and teaching, and it shows. Jeff began his music studies at age fourteen, and learned from some amazing teachers including Bob Hayes and Isaiah Soloman. In 1994, he graduated from the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood at the top of his class. He has since enjoyed a successful career as a performer, producer, session player, composer and educator. Jeff is loved by his students for sharing his passion and knowlede of music, and for being a fun teacher who mixes substance with creativity and humor.

Dave Stark is a first-call musician on the LA music scene. He has performed as a lead guitarist with many internationally known artists including Teena Marie, Taylor Dane, Rick James, Usher and Berlin. Dave is fluent in French and graduated from Lycee International in Paris, and he studied music additionally at Grossman College in San Diego. Mr. Stark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his many students.

Born into a musical family, Steve began playing music at the age of six. After spending his high school years performing and recording with many local bands, he attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music on scholarship. He has since had the privilege of working with artists such as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Pepper, Alyssa Bernal, and many others. Along with being an in demand session player, Steve also writes and produces music for television, as well as for other artists. His love and passion for contemporary music makes Steve a great fit for any student with a desire to learn subjects ranging from harmony/theory, composition, learning by ear, improvisation, finding a unique sound, and songwriting.

Sherri earned her Bachelor Degree in Music Composition and Theory from Jacksonville University, and she is a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music’s Scoring for Motion Picture and Television Graduate program.

Sherri won composition and accompanying awards and enjoyed teaching a wide variety of piano students at The Jacksonville Piano Academy and Schroeder’s School of Music. Her students enjoyed musch success through her encouragement, inspiration and guidance, and one of her students won the first price in the Florida State Piano Competition.

Sherri’s composition credits thus far include a rewritten score for the 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera, a number of shorts and a feature horror film. Directors Sherri has worked with include Scott Abrams, Jeff Larson, and Sam Thompson. Awards include Best Original Score, awarded by The New York Midnight Movie-Making Madness Competition, for a musical short, Insomnium Dementis (2006, Scott Abrams). Sherri has produced two albums of original music: Give Me The Keys (2005), and No Small Thing (2007). She currently prepares music for some of TV’s most popular shows including Family Guy and American Dad.

Sherri is passionate about teaching, and she passes on this joy of music to her many talented and successful students.

Katie Thiroux is a bassist and vocalist of outstanding talent and determination. Thiroux participated in the Grammy Foundation ensembles for all four years and was a Level I winner of the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. She also won the distinguished Shelly Manne New Talent Award in 2005. She completed her undergraduate studies as a Presidential Scholarship recipient at Berklee College Music, and she joined the faculty at the Berklee Satellite School, University de San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador for one year. In August 2009, Thiroux began teaching over 30 bass and vocal students. Thiroux received her Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies at Bob Cole Conservatory of Music (CSULB) in May of 2012 and is currently pursuing her career as a leader and sideman.

Katie is an inspiring teacher and musician who has performed with some of the planet’s most influential musicians including Dr. Billy Taylor, Branford Marsalis and Terri Lyne Carrington.

You can hear Katie’s music and view her performance calendar through her website: http://www.katiethiroux.com/.

Jamey Schrick has been a professional singer, musician, dancer and actor for almost two decades. He thrived in the rich musical tradition of his native Iowa, being selected three times as Best Soloist at Iowa State Solo Competition and all four years to the prestigious Iowa All State Choir, as well as studying under jazz legend Phil Matson. Jamey graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, going on to perform around the country. Since arriving in Los Angeles in 2003, Jamey starred as Chester in the mega-hit musical Bark!, which ran for an unprecedented two years at West Hollywood’s Coast Playhouse. An expert sight reader and working session singer, Jamey brings broadly diverse musical experiences to Coast Music: as tenor section leader for the respected choir at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Pacific Palisades; as tenor for the professional vocal jazz quintet Storeytime and for the Christmas Singers of internationally-known jazz arranger/composer Michelle Weir; as lead singer and trumpet player for the renowned Mortified After School Orchestra; as vocalist and guitarist in the pop-rock band XY; and as a proud member of Actor’s Equity and SAG.

View some fun rehearsal of Jamey singing with Storeytime.

Lindsey Harper has been singing on stage since she was 5 years old. She studied musical theater at the prestigious South Orange County School of the Arts, and graduated top of her class from Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA. She has toured all over the country at notable venues such as Hotel Café, House of Blues, The Pasadena Jazz Festival and The Sundance Film Festival. Lindsey most recently won out of over 8,000 submissions and 100 countries worldwide the coveted first place in the vocal category prize for the 2014 “Unsigned Only Competition.” Her original music has been featured in many Film and TV projects including VH1, MTV, CBS, TV Land, and the hit indie film “Loving Annabelle.” Her vocals have been featured in the current Garnier Fructis commercials as well the theme song on the smash ABC Family show “Huge.” Most recently, Lindsey has toured the world singing with Selena Gomez. Lindsey has performed at Madison Square Garden, Staples Center and made numerous TV appearances including People’s Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and Dancing with the Stars, Ellen, Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno, and Good Morning America.

Michelle Valenzuela has been teaching voice and piano for over 12 years since
attending California State University Northridge where she received her degree in
Music.  She is a singer, songwriter and Pop/R&B producer and has written and
produced for several projects including her own fully original EP. In the past years she has worked as a backup singer for Sheila E, All-4-One, Jamie Jones, gospel singer Jonathan Butler and has worked as a demo singer for a number of producers on EMI and Universal Music Publishing Group. Michelle is passionate about teaching and creates a unique curriculum to cater to each student’s individual needs, style and genre of choice. She is extremely patient and great at teaching students technique while making lessons fun and enjoyable.

Adi Yeshaya earned an international reputation as arranger/producer for many artists, including Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Burt Bacharach, et al. He toured with Whitney Houston as a keyboardist, composer and arranger in the “Nothing But Love” World Tour 2010. He composes and arranges for symphonies, documentaries and film. Adi’s integrity in music, brings authenticity, individuality and soulfulness to the artists who trust him with their projects. Adi currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and he joins our Hermosa Beach staff on special occasions.

David Sills has released nine cricically acclaimed albums, and he has performed with a wide range of jazz giants including pianist Alan Broadbent and drummer Joe LaBarbera. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Saxophone Performance from California State University of Long Beach and a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from the prestegious Manhattan School of Music in New York City. David teaches saxophone, flute and clarinet. His passion for music and patient teaching style make him a valuable member of the Coast Music Conservatory Staff.

View a video clip of David playing.

Felice Hernandez grew up in LA, loving the diverse musical opportunities that big city life brings. Her credits include numerous recordings for television and film, as well as singing backup for major label acts including Neil Young, Hilary Duff, Kevin Spacey, Michael McDonald, Josh Groban, Oingo Boingo, Ana Gasteyer and Alejandro Fernandez. In addition to working as a session singer, Felice is also a successful singer/songwriter in her own right. Her highlight of 2010 was appearing on VH1’s “Don’t Forget the Lyrics”, where she made history as being the only contestant to play a perfect game. As a vocal instructor, she provides her students with a natural and practical approach to singing with a “Yes, you can!” attitude.

Michael Gasparro is a multi-talented singer and musician with a great passion for teaching. He began his musical training at age 7 with piano lessons, and soon added studies in voice, guitar and percussion. His strong vocal and instrumental background led him to landing leading roles (as a teenager) in numerous musical theater productions in his hometown of Coppell, Texas. Michael earned his Bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in 2009 where he performed in the top choirs and sang in many operatic productions. After graduation, Michael performed pop, classical and musical theatre throughout the Dallas Area. He also worked as a church musician, and taught at Dallas Conservatory for the Arts and Texas Creative Arts Academy. Michael relocated to Los Angeles in 2012, and has since been a very busy working singer. As a teacher, Michael fuses his love for singing, piano, and guitar with a deep understanding of a wide variety of musical styles. He has years of experience in helping both men and women sing everything from classical music to pop/rock. Michael is passionate about guiding his students to produce healthy, emotionally grounded sounds. With patience and persistence he finds joy in helping students of all ages grow in their musical ability and achieve their goals.

Alex earned her Bachelors of Music in Jazz Studies from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach. Her post baccalaureate studies include the completion of the Masters Preparatory Program in Communicative Disorders (Speech Language Pathology) from CSULB, and private studies in Voice + Alexander Technique with AT Specialist, Kate Conklin.

Alex teaches voice from beginning to advanced levels, piano from beginning to intermediate levels, and flute from beginning to intermediate levels. She has had the opportunity to contribute to the vocal technique curriculum for Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, and recently started teaching vocal technique for the Adult Studies program at Colburn School of Music in Downtown Los Angeles. Alex also specializes in Brazilian music and offers Brazilian workshops to enrich any music program.

As a freelance musician in LA and Orange County, Alex performs for a wide range of ensembles. Aside from teaching and writing original music, she also performs in the sometimes a Capella, sometimes electro pop ensemble, ARF! ARF competed and placed 2nd in the 2013 and 2014 Los Angeles Harmony Sweepstakes Festival where Alex received the 2014 award for Best Arrangement.

Katy Shea is passionate about teaching and has a gift for working with children. Katy has her Bachelor’s Degree from Brigham Young University, and she has taught and directed music programs ever since. She has directed ensemble programs at Alta Vista Elementary, The Meadows, Manhattan Academy and most recently at Coast Music Conservatory. Katy is a versatile musician who sings and plays piano and drums, and she is the current keyboardist and background singer for the group Lady Sugar. If you’re searching for a dedicated, energetic teacher who goes the extra mile for her students, Katy is the teacher you’ve been looking for.

Reesa Ishiyama was raised by professional Musical Theater parents in Tokyo, Japan, where she started performing professionally at the age of 7. She has had a wide variety of performance experience including both TV and stage. She is a graduate of Senzoku Music Conservatory in Japan as a vocal performance major. Since moving to the U.S., she has had the opportunity to perform alongside broadways stars such as Shirley Jones, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelly O’Hara, Susan Egan, Laura Bell Bundy, and actors such as Janel Parish (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Bob Odenkirk (“Breaking Bad”). Reesa has been seen on the TV show “The Moment” on USA Network’s TV movie “Holly’s Holiday” on Lifetime TV.
Reesa has taught music and voice to students of all ages, all over the world including Japan, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland and many locations throughout the U.S.. Reesa is trained in various musical styles including pop, classical, jazz and musical theater. In addition to teaching voice, music theory, sight singing and piano, she specializes in coaching students for audition preparation.

You can see Reesa singing in this music video with her adorable, young student Sophie Nack: Like I Can – Sam Smith Cover

Felice Hernandez grew up in LA, loving the diverse musical opportunities that big city life brings. Her credits include numerous recordings for television and film, as well as singing backup for major label acts including Neil Young, Hilary Duff, Kevin Spacey, Michael McDonald, Josh Groban, Oingo Boingo, Ana Gasteyer and Alejandro Fernandez. In addition to working as a session singer, Felice is also a successful singer/songwriter in her own right. Her highlight of 2010 was appearing on VH1’s “Don’t Forget the Lyrics”, where she made history as being the only contestant to play a perfect game. As a vocal instructor, she provides her students with a natural and practical approach to singing with a “Yes, you can!” attitude.

Molly Miller has been making music since she was seven-years old. She grew up performing in the greater Los Angeles area with her four siblings in various rock and jazz groups. She is the winner of multiple performance awards including the Reno Jazz Festival, and Molly has a been featured performer on the television show America’s Most Talented Kids. She is currently completing her degree in Studio/Jazz Guitar at the University of Southern California. Molly Miller is passionate about teaching, and she is loved by her many students.

Cory recently graduated from Berklee College of Music where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Music. He played drums and sang at Berklee, and was a co-director of one of the school’s Vocal Jazz Choirs. Since graduating, he has performed with numerous accomplished musicians in the business including James Garrison, Matt Rohde, and Eric Baines.

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