Piano & Keyboards
Taryn Lounsbury
Classical, Pop, and Jazz
At a young age she began to play piano and violin, training in both the classical and pop genres. It wasn’t until college, while studying at the University of South Carolina under Bert Ligon, that she discovered and devled headfirst into jazz. The new style quickly became apparent in her songwriting. After graduating college, Taryn relocated to Brooklyn, where she remained an active member of the music scene. She formed her own band, Taryn Lounsbury Live, and played violin for The Anthony Mulcahy Band, where she opened for acts such as Glen Hansard and Mark Geary. In 2012, Taryn was a featured artist at the Gealach Gorm Songwriter Festival in Kill, Ireland. Taryn taught at her private music studio, “Taryn’s Melodies,” in Park Slope, Brooklyn, while working for Forbes Music Company in NY as a piano, violin, guitar, and vocal instructor. Her debut album, Too Happy For Love, released in February, exhibits her diverse and unique musical background, as well as her natural grasp of language and storytelling.
“I have been an educator and administrator for quite sometime, and am aware of the qualities that separate mediocre from good, and good from great. Taryn is unquestionably great. I am constantly evaluating teaching talent in private instruction, group instruction, and in public/ private school classrooms. It is not often that I find a teacher with Taryn’s ability, passion, personality, and commitment.” -Forbes Music Company, NY
Antonio Dangond
Jazz, Classical, Pop, Rock, Funk and Electronic Piano
Antonio Dangond is an accomplished pianist, composer, and arranger with performance/recording experience in various styles of music, including jazz, classical, pop, rock, funk, and electronic music. He has had the privilege to study piano with Christine Jones, Gerard Hagen, Matt Harris, and Gary Fukushima. While in high school, he completed the American College of Musicians/Piano Guild High School Diploma Program and the MTAC’s Certificate of Merit Program up through Level 10 (Advanced). He received his BM in Jazz Studies from California State University Northridge.
Antonio has recorded for Dirty Thursdays Podcast, the television program Get Thee Behind Me, and with various artists throughout Southern California, including the CSUN Jazz A Band. He has performed at The Mint, The Coach House, The Galaxy, Catalina’s Jazz Club, and at the 2011 Playground Music Festival, which featured several world-famous acts. He has also worked with musical theatre companies Gourmet Detective, Stepping Stone Players, and Children’s Civic Light Opera.
As an educator, Antonio’s skills range from providing complete beginners with a solid grasp of music fundamentals to helping experienced performers expand their musical horizons. His teaching methods utilize not only a deep understanding of music theory, but its practical application to performance and composition as well.
Antonio is available for private Piano lessons on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Derek Buechel
Jazz and Rock Piano
Click here to watch an acoustic performance of Derek w/ his bank “Hey You!”
Click here to watch Derek perform w/ his band at The Viper Room
Derek John Buechel is an honors graduate of Columbia College in Chicago where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. While attending Columbia, Derek based his studies in the jazz and rock/fusion guitar idiom, and had private lessons with Chicago greats Frank Dawson and Peter Lerner. Through his studies and training, Derek attained a solid foundation in all aspects of music including composition, theory, technique, production, sight-reading, and ear training. While at Columbia, Derek was surrounded by many of the businesses’ finest musicians including blues greats Koko Taylor and Fernando Jones, jazz greats Pat Martino, Jon Faddis, and John Pizzarelli, and funk legend Fred Wesley.
While maintaining a solid rock n’ roll foundation, Derek’s style is described as an eclectic mix of jazz, rock, blues, funk, and psychedelia. Part of the reason for his unique style is his involvement in a number of different musical outfits. Derek was a member of almost every different ensemble Columbia had to offer including Jazz Guitar, Blues Ensemble, Pop Orchestra, New Music Ensemble, and Groove Band. He was also very involved in Chicago’s theatre and comedy scene, working as Music Director for a production based out of Chicago’s legendary 2nd City and also playing lead guitar for the Apollo Theatre’s Baby Wants Candy, the most popular improv-comedy sketch in Chicago.
Since moving to Los Angeles in late 2008, Derek has built a solid musical foundation for himself through teaching lessons, and his rock band, Hey You!. Hey You! has been lighting up Hollywood, constantly playing some of L.A.’s best venues such as the House of Blues, Key Club, Viper Room, and the Troubadour, and has even won a couple of awards along the way (RAW Artist Musician of the Year, Project Rock Warrior winners). The band happened to catch the ear of Producer/Engineer Mike Clink (Guns N’ Roses, Heart, Metallica), and is currently in the studio recording their debut album with him.
While performing with Hey You!, Derek has still kept his love for teaching alive. He has received much praise for his teaching of all age groups, but specifically with children. He has been involved with childcare and education since high school, and this can be seen in his teaching style with kids. Some of his students have even given him the nickname “Happy”.
Andreas Farmakalidis
Classical and Pop Piano
Check out more media and info on Andreas’ Website!
Andreas Farmakalidis is a professional performing musician, published musical author as well as educator with national as well as international touring experience.
He is primarily known as an electric bass player. He was fortunate enough to record with notable musicians such as Grammy award winning guitar player Marty Friedman,Megadeth, aika (J-pop top10), Neilaproductions, among others. In addition, he supported many well known artists and he has shared the stage with the likes of Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, WAR, Greek x factor and super idol artists among many others.
He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Music from Berklee College of Music as well as a MA degree from Brandeis University . In addition, Andreas is a Rotterdams Conservatory alumnus, where he was studying Jazz bass Performance as well as Music Pedagogy. Moreover, he has a performance grade degree in piano from Trinity College in the UK.
Lastly Andreas is a staff writer for the renowned bass magazine. His First music book, which is published through academic publishing, focuses on observations and analyses in the music of Ornette Coleman. His second book (hip hop bass lines), which is going to be published through bassline publishing, will be out early 2012.
Andreas is available for private lessons on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Alexis Stone Lopez
Beginning Piano & Piano for Vocal Accompaniment
Click here to watch Alexis compete on American Idol!
Alexis was born in August 1984 in Modesto, CA. She attended Woodrow Elementary, Somerset Middle School, and Fred C. Beyer High School.
Shortly before graduation from high school, she decided to audition for the first season of American Idol. So, at 17, she skipped school just before finals to drive more than 300 miles alone to Los Angeles for a 40-second audition. Although competing with more than 10,000 Idol-hopefuls, she made it all the way to the final Wildcard competition, before leaving the show.
After graduation, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her music interests. She attended Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA, where she studied Linguistics and Music, and then went on to earn a full scholarship to the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA.
Alexis has been working in recording studios since she was 14 years old, not only as an artist and studio vocalist, but also as a recording engineer and a producer. Although her primary focus has been on her education, she has also managed to tour with several major acts at venues including MGM Grand, Cal Expo, Universal Amphitheater, and other major locations across the U.S.
She is currently back in the studio full time, working to complete a volume of songs, to draw from for her upcoming album.
Alexis has limited availability for Private Piano, Vocal and Guitar Lessons on Monday, Tuesday , Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Matt Bagasao
Classical Piano
Pianist Matthew Bagasao has been teaching piano for many years. Mr. Bagasao is an active member of the Music Teacher’s Association of California where his students take part in the Certificate of Merit program. His teaching emphasizes a strong foundation in classical music which includes basic technique and fundamentals, sight reading, and theory. From this, students are able to easily learn and play different styles of music. His style of teaching is based on each student’s personality and interests both in and outside of music. To simplify and amplify the understanding and enjoyment of music is the main goal.
With his first orchestral concerto debut at the age of nine, pianist Matthew Bagasao has since continued to thrill his audiences with his “performances of depth and passion.” He has played in numerous concerts and recitals on both coasts of the United States, as well as in Canada and Europe. After receiving a fellowship from the La Gesse Foundation, he performed both solo and chamber music recitals in the La Gesse Music Festivals in Toulouse, France, and in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. He was also involved in the First Annual Philippine-American Jazz Festival in Hollywood.
Mr. Bagasao has performed in masterclasses for renowned artists and pedagogues such as John Perry, Luiz de Moura Castro, Leon Fleisher, Leif Ove Andsnes, Jerome Lowenthal, Menahem Pressler and Ann Schein. He also participated in various music festivals including the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival (Blue Hill, Maine), ARIA International Music Academy (London, Ontario), and the TCU-Cliburn Piano Institute (Ft. Worth, Texas).
After receiving his Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland while studying with Marian Hahn, he studied with Marc Durand at the Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Ontario where he received his Artist Diploma. While studying at the Glenn Gould School, Mr. Bagasao played in solo, duo-piano, and chamber music performances. He performed in Mozart Unlaced, the annual Royal Conservatory of Music fundraising event in the historical Casa Loma, the Straford Music Festival Soirees in Stratford, Ontario, and was a finalist in the Mooredale Concerto Competition which took place in Walter Hall of The University of Toronto. In addition to these, he helped arrange and recorded music tracks for educational learning, and accompanied the Royal Conservatory Jazz Choir for two years.
Matt has limited Availability for Private Lessons by Appointment ONLY.