Meet Our Teachers
Our instructors teach a range of instruments and styles. Their varied approaches cover musical genres from Classical, Jazz, and Blues, to Rock, Pop, Folk, Country, and World Music. Our teachers are independent contractors and set their own rates and schedules.
John Ross: Digital Recording, Film Scoring
John Ross: Recording, Film Scoring, Songwriting
Offering in-person and remote lessons
John Ross is a touring singer/songwriter based in the Hudson Valley. He sharpened his skills in New York City composing music for film and television for 10 years and has composed music that appeared on shows and TV promos on NBC, HBO and ABC. He was a staff composer for years before making a transition to freelance composing.
John has also toured with his band, Wild Pink across the US, Canada, UK and Europe and has recorded multiple studio albums, most recently working with 5x Grammy-award winner David Greenbaum.
John offers recording services for students who wish to make demos of their original music. He also offers classes/private lessons in music production and film scoring. Classes are centered around recording and producing original songs in Garageband or Logic X. The idea is to give students the necessary skills to express their songwriting ideas and bring them to fruition.
The film scoring classes demonstrate the basic ideas of scoring a scene for a film with a focus on MIDI production. For examples of film and television music John has worked on check out his reel here: http://www.jcrossmusic.com.
John welcomes students with all levels of experience for these classes and encourages anyone with an interest in recording original songs and/or music production to sign up. Complete novices are more than welcome! His goal is to provide students with some basic training so they feel empowered to record their own music.
Sign Up with John Now!
Guitar, Bass
Karl Allweier: Guitar, Bass
Offering in-person and remote lessons
Karl Allweier (Director) is a Hudson Valley, New York based guitarist / bassist who has been performing and recording in the area for over 20 years. He has composed music that has appeared on the A&E Channel's Biography series, The Travel Channel Road Trip series, The History Channel's Da Vinci Code and Big Texas documentaries, and others.
He has played and recorded with an array of musicians and bands, including George Kooymans (Golden Earring), "Bumblefoot" Ron Thal (Guns N Roses), John Platania (Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean), Augie Meyers (Texas Tornadoes, Sir Douglas Quintet), Larry Coryell and son Murali Coryell (touring for opening act B.B. King, Cyndi Lauper and David Sanborn), Knack Drummer Bruce Gary, The Coasters, Richie Scarlet, Dr. Know and Daryl Jenifer of Bad Brains, as well as drummers Anton Fig and Adam Nussbaum.
Karl is also currently a member of Frank Carillo and The Bandolero's.
Karl offers instruction on upright and electric bass and Acoustic and Electric guitar. He has a great ear for figuring out any song you’d like to play and is also well studied in Music Theory and Sight Reading. Karl is an excellent slide guitarist and can teach anything in the genres of Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, Jazz, and Funk. Lessons are catered to the individual student and their musical taste and skill level. Beginners and hobbyists are welcome.
See Karl perform solo, as well as with his band, " The Real Men" throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond! Visit his website at www.karlallweier.com.
Karl is available Monday through Thursday for lessons.
Sign up with Karl Now!
Guitar, Ukulele
Erin Hobson: Guitar, Ukulele
Offering in-person and remote lessons
Erin Hobson (Director) is a partner in an independent record label and publishing company and an accomplished singer, songwriter, guitarist, who has been teaching private and group lessons for 20 years. Erin studied with amazing guitarists, like local legend Steve Gravino, before attending SUNY New Paltz for Jazz Performance with Tom Dempsey and Mark Dziuba. She later moved to Los Angeles, CA where she studied wth Jazz greats Ron Eschete and Ted Green and eventually landed her first teaching job at Instrumental Music in Thousand Oaks, CA.
Erin plays and teaches a variety of styles on Acoustic and Electric Guitar, as well as Ukulele. She offers instruction in Sight Reading, Basic and Advanced Music Theory, Chord Construction, Chord Melody, Lead Guitar, Scales and Modes, Improvisation, Acoustic Finger Style and anything in the genres of Folk, Funk, Jazz, Blues, Metal, and Rock. Lessons are catered to the individual student and their musical taste and skill level. Beginners and hobbyists are welcome.
Erin is a warm, approachable person, who truly cares about her students and helping them learn. She is especially patient with young children and beginners.
For samples of Erin’s playing and teaching style, visit www.redhookguitar.com or her YouTube channel. Catch Erin performing locally with The Compact by visiting www.the-compact.com.
Erin is available Monday through Thursday for lessons.
Sign up with Erin Now!
Guitar, Piano, Ukulele, Mandolin, Bass
Theodore Gresler: Guitar, Piano, Ukulele, Mandolin, Bass
Offering in-person and remote lessons
Theodore Gresler has been teaching around the Hudson Valley privately for ten years whilst pursuing degrees both in music performance and philosophy at DCC and SUNY New Paltz respectively. The former cemented the tools necessary to playing and the latter the tools necessary to communicate that playing. Through this education and subsequent teaching positions he’s come into contact with a host of notable musicians ranging from the fantastic Jazz pianist Larry Ham, Jazz and Classical guitarists Steve Raleigh and Daniel Stevens and a wealth more.
Theodore can teach a variety of instruments including: Guitar, Piano, Ukulele, Mandolin, and Bass; he has and continues to work well with children and teenagers though equally capable of addressing musical struggles in adults. He can help in cultivating the basics technically, theoretically, and most fundamentally emotionally in most contemporary styles with some rudimentary Jazz ability thrown in to boot.
Theodore also offers sampling classes for kids that include half hour private sessions on Guitar, Ukulele, Bass, Piano, and Drums to see where their interests lie. Samplers are also available in a group setting and are posted on our workshop page.
“Everyone loves music, that much is undebatable. What’s essential to me is that with an instrument in your hands you have the opportunity to be closer to and further engaged in that music, to make it a part of you. The ideal is to leave every lesson with a little bit more to love about the role music plays in your life.”
Sign up with Theodore Now!
Voice
Josie Grant: Voice
Offering in-person and remote lessons
A Hudson Valley native, Josie Grant has been performing locally and nationally since she was 5 years old, when she sang her first song in front of 500 people at her Dad’s church. Honing her skills singing gospel throughout her youth, she has extensive experience as the lead vocalist in bands ranging in style from jazz and blues, to rock, folk, and R&B.
In addition to her live performance experience, she started recording when she was 14 and has worked as a studio vocalist on many albums in several local studios since then. She is currently recording her first original project with her present band, Nowhere at Home.
Josie is also an experienced actor and director, having performed throughout the Hudson Valley, including many musical theater productions at The Center For Performing Arts at Rhinebeck. She also is the producer and editor of The Rick Z Show, a local music podcast.
Her teaching experience includes the Mike Risko Music School in Ossining, NY and the New Windsor Music Academy. Josie also created Music with Miss Josie, a traveling music program, bringing specialized classes to students in 8 different preschools and elementary schools in Westchester County.
She is excited to teach again and bring her love for the performing arts and her belief in its power to develop individual self confidence and self awareness to children and adults with a desire to experience fulfillment and joy in their art. By combining her professional experience with her passion for music and learning, Josie utilizes a functional approach to help students develop their skills, pursue their goals, and reach their greatest potential.