Meet Our Teachers
Alexander B.
A versatile musician, Alexander teaches Piano, Guitar, Drums and Ukulele. He is currently completing his Bachelor’s degree in Music from Cal State Fullerton having earned his Associates in Music from East Los Angeles College. He has been teaching music lessons since 2018 with attention to crafting engaging exercises to keep his students practicing between lessons. Alexander is patient and disciplined in his teaching; he focuses on technique, performance, and making music fun at every age. Alexander is a kind and thoughtful person and a very dedicated teacher.
Andres Y.
An exceptionally talented guitarist and experienced music educator, Andres is also a friendly, cosmopolitan, bilingual teacher of guitar, bass guitar, drums, piano, and the ukulele. His Bachelor’s degree is in Business Administration with a minor in Contemporary Music performance. He then went on to study Guitar at the Los Angeles Music Academy where he graduated on the Dean’s List of honors. He developed a music program for an entire high school in Quito, Ecuador and also has many years of one-on-one teaching experience in Los Angeles. He has developed a highly effective method of teaching music theory to kids based on playing games. He is also highly accomplished in music production, mixing, mastering, marketing, and of course performance. He has performed playing blues, rock, funk, pop, and R & B. He can teach any student to express him/herself in any musical genre, sharing one’s talent with the world.
Camden B.
Camden can talk to anyone about almost any subject and does an excellent job illustrating how music relates to history, technology, science, and the arts. He teaches violin, piano, and cello. He earned both his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Composition from the famed Juilliard School in New York City. Prior to Julliard, Camden served as Concertmaster for UC Santa Barbara’s orchestra and a Teaching Assistant at the San Francisco Music Conservatory, aiding composer Daniel Wood in teaching a composition intensive for high school students. Having composed numerous pieces in a variety of styles, Camden enjoys helping all of his students discover how to express themselves through music.
Ednaldo A.
A multilingual and internationally accomplished musician, Ednaldo has been teaching advanced Clarinet and Saxophone, and beginning Piano since 2016. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and Music Education from the Federal University of Paraíba in his home country of Brazil, where he was the principal clarinetist for several orchestras and concert bands. He went on to earn his Artist Certificate and Master’s degree in Music Performance from Azusa Pacific University. Ednaldo has been the recipient of many awards for competitions in Brazil, Bosnia Herzegovinia, the US, and the UK. Locally, Ednaldo has held many orchestral and wind ensemble positions and has performed a diverse repertoire as a soloist in a wide variety of orchestral settings. As a teacher, Ednaldo is patient, kind and encouraging to his students as he develops them into confident, creative performers.
Jeremy B.
Jeremy is wonderfully creative in his teaching and uses a diversity of methods to engage all kinds of students. A JFMA instructor since 2004, he teaches guitar, piano, drums, ukulele, bass, violin, theory, and banjo. Jeremy earned both his Bachelor’s in Psychology and his Master’s in Music Performance from Azusa Pacific University. As the Music Director for Mission Pointe Church, he prepared all the music for weekly services, led congregational singing, and ran rehearsals and performances for the worship band. Currently he performs as a freelance musician in the Los Angeles area. Dedicated to the success of his students, Jeremy develops personalized curriculums of music theory and guitar techniques for his students.
Jessie M.
Jessie is committed to seeing steady progress in her students to keep them confident, motivated, and consistently improving as musicians. She teaches voice, math, and piano. Jessie has a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of the Redlands, where she was a Music Talent Award Scholarship recipient, and studied theater, jazz dance, swing dance, and ballet at the College of the Desert. She is skilled in multiple genres including: pop, jazz, musical theater and is highly accomplished in jazz singing, sight singing, and vocal improvisation. She was a choir member for productions at Opera by the Glass, the Pacific Opera Project, the University of the Redlands, and the McCallum Theater. Jessie believes that a solid musical technique is the ideal foundation for a lifetime of musical development and enjoyment.
Lu J.
Cosmopolitan, engaging, and patient, Lu teaches piano, music theory, and Mandarin. Lu earned her Master’s degree in Music Education from Mississippi College and her Bachelor’s degree in Musicology from Southwest University for Nationalities in China. Lu has helped many students to pass the ABRSM examinations in Music Theory and Piano Performance. Lu relies on her international experiences to enhance her teaching methods. She believes in working towards specific musical goals and mastering solid technique as the foundation of great musicianship.
MaKesa B.
Patient, personable and kind, MaKesa teaches Voice, Piano and Songwriting. She graduated from the Los Angeles College of Music with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. As an undergraduate there, MaKesa worked as a summer mentor aiding students in increasing their comfort performing and creating a fun and welcoming atmosphere for incoming students. She is currently recording an EP and performing with her band, Mali Edge. A vibrant personality with an incredible voice, MaKesa puts her whole heart into to making every one of her students feel special in their ability to say something unique and important with music.
Naomi D.
Teaching Voice and beginning Piano to students of all ages, Naomi has been teaching privately since 2021. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Cal State University and has also studied classical voice at Citrus College. She’s participated in various musical ensembles including concert choir and university choirs and has toured internationally in Costa Rica with these ensembles. Naomi still takes voice lessons herself because she believes in continuous learning and growth for all musicians. Naomi is a teacher who practices what she preaches and is committed to developing a lifelong love of music.
Nia S.
Always ready with a smile, Nia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance with an emphasis in Classical Voice Performance from Azusa Pacific University. While attending, she worked as a children’s choir assistant teaching children between the ages of 4 and 10. As an undergraduate, she was awarded the prestigious COTA Music Scholarship. Nia enjoys teaching her students to recognize their voices as instruments that they can use to collaborate or sing solo, either way her students use their voices to shine.
Priscilla R.
Bilingual in English and Spanish, Priscilla is a wonderfully welcoming and warm instructor of Violin and Piano. Priscilla earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Cal State Los Angeles, where she was awarded a Music Department scholarship and worked as a research assistant for Dr. Patti Kilroy gathering and evaluating repertoire in a variety of musical styles for Grades 1-5. As an actively performing musician, she has both live performance and studio recording experience and has played as a soloist as well as with bands, orchestras, and string ensembles. Priscilla is dedicated to inclusive music education and encourages her students to participate in recital opportunities to grow their confidence and celebrate their musical development.
Samantha V.
Always kind and very personable, Samantha teaches Piano, Guitar, Violin, American Sign Language and our Pre-K program. She earned her Associate’s degree in Music from Rio Hondo College and she is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Guitar Performance from Cal State Fullerton. She received the award for Music Student of the Year at Rio Hondo College. Samantha is an empathetic teacher with great attention to detail so she is particularly effective with getting shy, sensitive students to feel comfortable and develop their musical talents.
Talia S.
Talia is incredibly energetic and works wonderfully with children. Sweet, friendly, and down-to-earth, she teaches voice with specializations in pop and musical theater as well as piano, songwriting, acting and our Pre-K Exploration Program. She completed the Citrus Singers Conservatory program at Citrus College. Talia has extensive professional experience in Vocal performance, touring in places such as New York, Los Angeles, and all the way in China. She has over seven years experience teaching children and young adults and is a beloved teacher at JFMA. Talia is dedicated to fostering a passion for music as a foundation of growing up.
Tiana T.
A dedicated and experienced teacher, Tiana specializes in Voice, Piano and Clarinet. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education with a Choral emphasis from Azusa Pacific University. APU awarded her a COTA Music Scholarship while she attended. She served as the Choir Manager and Section leader for both the University Choir Chamber Singers, and currently is an alto member for the choir Vocal Affinity in Idaho, performing in seasonal concerts. As a teacher, Tiana is committed to her students’ achieving their own personal musical excellence with attention to nuance and a love for creating art.
Vincent J.
A Guitar, Piano, Theory & Composition teacher, Vincent guides his students to recognize music as a mode of storytelling and an expression of humanity. He earned his Bachelor’s of Music degree at the University of Miami in Media Scoring and Production. Vincent is an award-winning composer of independent films, and also works as a producer, recording and mixing engineer, and a studio instrumentalist for recording labels. Well-rounded in musical genres, Vincent’s passion for music is multidimensional from creating and playing it, to recording, mixing, and of course teaching it to fellow musicians.
Walter T.
Enthusiastic and friendly, Walter teaches Trumpet, Trombone, Bass Guitar, Piano, Banjo, and Music Theory. He earned his Bachelor’s of Music in Composition from the University of North Texas. He has many years experience teaching private lessons to all ages in Performance and Music Technology. Walter has worked in recording studios playing keyboard, guitar, and bass and freelances in score editing, composition, and arranging. Versatile in a wide variety of musical styles from orchestral music to jazz, Walter is always positive and upbeat, and is dedicated to encouraging any student to believe in oneself.