Lindy Day Guitar Teacher
Lindy Day, a five-star Yelp-reviewed guitar instructor, has joined School of Rock. After years of training with Professor Julio Reyes (classical guitar) and being tutored by many classic rock gurus, Lindy made the list of 2017 Top 5 Female Guitarists to Follow on Instagram, as well as became a Riffwars 2016 Female Guitarist Hall of Fame nominee. Lindy has toured the country as Briana May in the world’s only all-female Queen tribute band and has toured cross country with her own original projects.
Although highly proficient in acoustic and classical guitar, Lindy's specialty is classic rock. After moving to California, Lindy picked up electric lead guitar and co-founded an award-winning rock dance band, Ailura Fate, in 2013, which performed regularly at high-end casinos and wineries. In addition, Lindy plays in the nationally acclaimed Whispering Light, an original jazz-rock fusion group, as a female lead guitarist. Lindy appears on their internationally released "One Tribe" album in 2014. She is also a hired lead guitarist for Freak Clinic for their new live album and guitar arrangements.
Learning is a personal process and Lindy treats each student as an individual, delving into their unique interests and abilities. Her teaching style is encouraging, engaging and personalized. As a seasoned and dynamic performer, she is able to inspire and coach the performer within all.
Fran Vives Piano Teacher, Drum Teacher
Fran Vives was born in the U.S.A. from a Chilean marriage. He began his musical journey at the age of 12 next to an upright piano at his parents' house. At the age of 16, he learned how to play rhythms on his younger brother's toy drum kit. Later he got a real drum set and began his first band, Insigne, as a drummer. From 2002-2008 he studied Composition and Musical Arrangements at Escuela Moderna Institute of Chile.
At the age of 23, Fran traveled to the U.S.A. for a year and studied Afro beat rhythms along with other African styles. Back in Chile, he became a member of many different bands, including Uruz, Tréboles, Avioneta, The Zulus and Casi Famosos, and also began his career as a musician/event producer. At that time he developed a great interest in synthesizers and the infinite sounds and compositions that could be created. In 2010 he launched Armando Jarana Production Company, participating in more than 200 live shows. He also participates as a session keyboarder for the bands The Tiro de Gracia and Glup among others. Currently, he works as a music/event producer, composer, music instructor and live/studio session musician. Today Fran lives in California, always seeking new goals and growing his musical career.
Suzi Stewart Piano Teacher
Suzi, better known now as Q, grew up in New Orleans, where she fell in love with and found a passion for music. In elementary school she played maracas in a musical show, where she discovered she had a natural talent for rhythm. When Q bought her first guitar in her teen years, she knew then that music was her calling. After moving to California and raising a family, she received an AA in Music from Mendocino College and began her journey learning all she could about music.
Q joined a NorCal band as a bass player and co-writer of songs. When the band produced an album, she was thirsty to learn more about the recording aspect, as well as theory and performance. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Humboldt State University to deepen her musical abilities. Traveling back to Southern California, she obtained a certificate from Hollywood’s Musicians Institute (MI) in Music Business to round out all the aspects of the music industry and performance. While attending MI, she was a personal assistant in an audio post-production studio. Once the program was completed, Q relocated back to NorCal, where for the last five years she has been teaching piano for a Sonoma County-based program, instructing group and private lessons. Q is motivated to enhance the lives of students who share the same passion for music as her with instruction that is individualized according to their needs.
Ian Andrew Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher, Singing Teacher
Ian Andrew has been interested in music since he can remember and began his musical adventures by taking piano lessons as a child. After quitting piano for a few years he took up playing guitar around 12 years old. Ian attended Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) and studied music theory, sight reading/musicianship and jazz/rock/pop theory writing for big band. He performed in the SRJC jazz band and jazz combos. Ian has toured and performed in the Pacific Northwest and western United States, where his highlights included opening up for Napalm Death at the Regency Theater in San Francisco and performing at The Whisky a Go Go.
Ian attended Sonoma State University (SSU) and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies. He studied voice at SRJC and SSU and performed with SSU Chamber Singers. Ian has performed at Weill Hall, Cotati Accordion Festival and also private events with the SSU Jazz Ensembles and Jazz Band. He enjoys music of all styles and is interested in helping students express themselves and find their voice through music. Ian believes that the practice of music is a lifelong pursuit and improves one's quality of life and ability to connect with others. He is currently working on numerous projects and looking forward to performing live locally in 2019.
Katie Freeman Singing Teacher
Known for her powerful vocal skills and stage presence, Katie Freeman started her musical journey hearing lots of nos. Despite being told she sounded like Froggy from "The Little Rascals," Katie refused to give up her dream to perform in a rock band and prove the nay-sayers wrong.
Since childhood, Katie has pursued her calling as a professional musician. She has performed, recorded with and co-fronted multiple accomplished and popular Northern California rock bands. She has literally played thousands of gigs all over the US.
Katie has released four albums of original music with tracks that have charted in several radio markets, most notably with the Sonoma County rock band The Incubators. She co-writes, plays guitar and ukulele, and powers the vocals both in the studio and at live performances. Their "Must Hatch" LP and recent "Garden" EP both received great reviews. She collaborates with multiple ensembles within the local music community, including the popular and dynamic Space Orchestra.
Katie also brings her passion to her community, including as a volunteer for Rock 101, where she coached for a school-sanctioned after school program. Being a School of Rock coach is a dream job for her and she can't wait to mentor and share with her students what she's learned about being onstage and performing all these years.
Daniel Reiter Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher, Drum Teacher
Daniel Reiter is a multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer from the Bay Area. From learning to play the drums as a child, to guitar, bass and keyboard as a teenager, his passion for music has been lifelong. Along with playing in several local bands and performance groups throughout his high school years, Daniel also had the opportunity to compose original material, including for Sonoma Academy’s 2013 theatrical production of “Metamorphoses.”
Daniel’s work in performance and composition lead to his pursuit of a Music and Recording Arts degree from California State University, Chico. During his time there he studied music theory, composition, recording and audio production. In addition, he gained more performance experience both in-studio and live in jazz, classical guitar, rock, soul, folk and many other genres. His original composition “Gallivant” was selected for a special performance at Chico State’s 2017 New Music Symposium. He was also a selected two-time winner of the Chico Unplugged songwriting competition.
Daniel toured both in the States and abroad with soul rock band KLEZ, performing at SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas and also in Stockholm, Sweden. He is currently a working musician here in the Bay Area, while also being a guitar teacher, bass guitar teacher, drum teacher and piano teacher for School of Rock Santa Rosa.
Michael Papenburg Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Michael Papenburg is a Bay Area native with over 35 years of teaching and performing experience. He has performed and recorded with many local artists including The Jerry Hannan Band, Matadore, Matt Nathanson, Brittany Shane, Orange, Penelope Houston, Lilyvolt, The Mad Cattle Ensemble and Missile Harmony. He currently plays lead guitar for Petty Theft, a tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Michael specializes in rock, alternative, slide guitar, blues, funk, country and folk. His influences include Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Bill Frisell, Robin Guthrie, Daniel Ash, Mike Campbell and many others. He is a very patient teacher with students ranging from beginning to advanced players. His teaching has a focus on playing technique, chords, scales, music theory, musicianship, and transcriptions of songs and solos in either tablature or standard notation. He is a guitar teacher and bass guitar teacher at School of Rock Santa Rosa.
Matt Bailey Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Piano Teacher
Matt Bailey is a north Bay Area musician with a Bachelor's of Arts in Music Composition and Technology from Sonoma State University. With a passion for teaching and educating young minds, he has worked as a music teacher since he was 18 years old and as a summer camp counselor and administrator for the last eight years. Matt began playing drums at a young age but did not find a serious dedication for it until he began to play with his friends. At age 15 he began going to local music shows, which sparked an enthusiasm for local music and art. Having discovered the music scene in Santa Rosa, as soon as he was old enough, he got his driver's license and went to every local show he could, regardless of the music genre. At age 16 Matt started performing in the Santa Rosa area, eventually becoming so immersed in the local music scene that to this day he lives at a house show venue. Matt began his career as a musician by playing drums and then moved on to learn guitar, piano and vocals. Matt is passionate about music and his students and is constantly working to grow as a teacher and musician. He is a guitar teacher, drum teacher and piano teacher at School of Rock Santa Rosa.