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| | | | | | | |  | |  | | | Joey Archer Guitar and Bass Guitar | | Melina Kastle Piano - Voice/Vocal Performance | | | Joey Archer’s life has revolved around music since he was a child. He studied trombone and bass in High School and graduated in '98 with the nationally recognized John Phillip Sousa Award and the National Choral Award. He has since then continued to pursue musical education and performance.
Joey has pursued a career in music both as a performer and a teacher. He has played in various musical genres including musical theater, studio recording and live performances. He also has toured nationally and internationally with Times Two Ministries. Joey is the owner of Jammin' Music Studios and teaches music theory, private guitar and bass lessons there.
His passion to help each student succeed is evident in his “down to earth” teaching style which is both patient and encouraging. | | Melina's musical education started very young on piano and clarinet both. In her teens she began teaching piano lessons and also performing for weddings and events. Since then she has recorded her own CD and performs around the Olympia and Seattle area. Melina brings a unique perspective to her teaching. You will find her engaging and her teaching style very fun. In addition to piano lessons she offers voice lessons and voice/performance lessons. In the voice/performance lessons her goal is to help the student learn not only how to sing, but how to have good stage presence and how to command the stage. | | | Joey Says... “It is my goal to help each student learn not only the fundamentals of their instrument, but also to learn the songs and styles THEY want to learn.” | | Joey Says... "I am VERY excited to have Melina on our team. She is a great teacher, a fun individual, and musically gifted. Watch this video and you'll see what I mean. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiJuedG65BU Enjoy..." | | |
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| | | | | Jon Balsley Guitar | | | Alex began playing piano when she was 6 years old. As with many students Alex did not always enjoy learning, but through her mother’s encouragement she stuck it out and flourished. Today, those 14+ years of classical training have taken root and Alex not only loves playing piano but she loves to teach others how to play. Her favorite part is creating something intricate and moving, and then working on it until it is mastered. The song then becomes something beautiful that's all her own. As an instructor, Alex desires to instill in her students a love and enthusiasm for learning and playing the piano. Her hope is that it will develop into a passion that they can enjoy and express for the rest of their lives. Having been affectionately dubbed “the worst student in the world” by one of her teachers, Alex understands and sympathizes with her students. She hopes to make learning fun by giving them music they like while encouraging them to stick it out. Alex continues her musical training and believes learning is a lifelong journey. She has had the opportunity and privilege to be an accompanist for her high school choir and currently plays piano at her church on a regular basis. Joey Says... "Alex is a passionate teacher who loves working with young children as well as adults. She is a detailed teacher and works hard at making lessons enjoyable. Alex's schedule is growing and filling up fast because she is doing a great job and her students love her." | | Olympia native, Jon Balsley, has a passion for making good music and
for helping others learn to do the same. Having played on multiple
projects and in several different bands, he understands well how to
work with other musicians in a band setting. He has played with his
band Great Wilderness extensively in Portland and has toured around
Washington and Montana with Christina Mulkey. Jon has also spent many years as a part of the Repossess band here in Olympia and recently traveled with them for an event in Boston.
Jon loves a wide range of music and enjoys working on different styles
with his students. He has a strong grasp of music theory and enjoys
helping people understand their instrument. Being a lifelong learner
he often studies harmony, arranging and likes playing jazz. His
speciality is lead guitar in which he approaches as playing with the
harmony of a song while keeping in mind the atmosphere it creates.
In his personal life Jon has a passion for helping people. He recently spent a month living and working in the ravished country of Haiti. During that time he developed a strong love and connection to the people. When Jon’s weekends aren’t filled with playing guitar, he spends his time snowboarding during the winter, and at the lake during the summer. Joey Says... "Jon is a skilled and experienced electric and acoustic guitar player. I have played with him many times and he is good at what he does. Not only does he know his stuff, but he is very creative and musical. As a teacher, Jon's friendly nature and musical expertise really shine. His students enjoy their lessons with him each week" | | | | | | | |
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| | | Paul Thompson Guitar | | Daven Tillinghast Guitar - Piano | | | Paul is a long time guitar enthusiast and an Olympia native who has been playing guitar now for over 30 years. He started playing in rock bands as a teen and after taking some college level music theory eventually found his niche in the area of Contemporary Christian Worship Music where he has spent over twenty years involved in church music direction and worship leading. He is a graduate of Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington and also completed the Teachers Certification Program through Saint Martin’s University in Lacey.
His musical experience on guitar is diverse and includes acoustic and electric blues, rock, pop, worship, and country. He is also an experienced song writer having written over one hundred songs. He is married to Deb and has two children, Leah and Michael, who are also both very musical as well. He currently teaches fifth grade at Evergreen Christian School in Olympia. | | Daven has over a decade of experience teaching, tutoring, and leading ensembles. He has lived and played around the Olympia area for most of his life. He has studied guitar and piano before going to Western Washington University to study Jazz Arranging under Chuck Israels (bassist for Bill Evans, a teacher of Paul Simon). This eventually led him to conducting the freshman big band at the university. Daven has taught lessons and led a student band at a local music store for three years and has worked with guitar, bass, piano, voice, drum, clarinet, flute and saxophone students. He continues to play professionally and has appeared on KAOS 89.3fm, KUGS 89.3fm, KMRE 102.3, KISM 92.9, and KEXP 90.3; also, KIRO TV7 and TCTV 23; also his poetry has been featured in Jeopardy Magazine and the anthology Windows of Remembrance. Last winter he played in the Stardust Septet for Harlequin's 2009 Stardust production and last summer he played the Harmony Jazz & Wine Festival in Mayfield Lake with the Jessica Blinn Quartet; recently he has played with Johnny Lewis at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, a concert DVD of which is available for purchase at www.johnnylewisband.com. | | | Joey says... "Paul is a friend and fellow musician many of us have played with over the years. He is a very accomplished guitar player, songwriter, and performer. If you're looking to learn some fun guitar music, acoustic and/or electric, give us a call and ask for Paul!" | | Joey says... "Daven is the consummate musician. Teaching and performing on both guitar and piano, he gigs often and is an experienced teacher. He is well-trained and a very knowledgeable musician." | | |
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| | | Maureen Johnson Piano | | Dennis Williams Piano - Voice | | | It was Christmas time in a small country church, when five-year-old Maureen, along with her two younger sisters sang about the Christmas candles. Thus began Maureen's life-long love of music. In grade school she accompanied the school orchestra and in junior high was asked to play for the high school choir and orchestra. In high school she was accompanying soloists and playing for ensembles, orchestra and choirs, including the Washington all-state choir. As an adult Maureen has been involved in her local church, accompanying, arranging, directing choirs and ensembles. She has taught for many years as piano instructor and at a private school where her students qualified for national competition thirteen years in a row.
Maureen loves teaching people of all ages and believes it’s never too late to begin to learn to play piano! She says, “Mastering the basics enables you to branch out into the styles of music you enjoy.”
Maureen is married and has three children and six grandchildren. Her husband George holds a land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the “Saltosaurus,” a C/gas lakester. Maureen is a member of the Olympia Music Teachers Association, Washington State Music Teachers Association, and Music Teachers National Association. In addition to teaching, she is currently the director of “Seasons,” a women’s ensemble and the pianist/vocalist for “Off Boulevard,” a swing/jazz vocal group. | | Music has been a passion for Dennis since he was very young. He started out playing the piano on his own learning as much as he could. He began taking lessons and in his first year he advanced quickly and was chosen to represent his class in the State Audition Recognition Recital. In his senior year of high school, he received the Outstanding Choir Member Award and also received a piano scholarship.
Dennis was a double major in school. He received his AA from Centralia College in Music and Business Administration. He first studied piano under Dorthy Scott Bloomingdale and Kenneth Kimbal and then also began studying voice under Wayne Bloomingdale. During that time, Dennis was involved in Symphonic Band, Madrigals, and Concert Choir and was selected as the student conductor of the choir.
He transferred from Centralia College and attended Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA where he maintained his double major and received his bachelor’s degree. During his time at Western, Dennis studied voice with Bruce Pullen and piano with Karen Mock. His emphasis was directed toward post secondary education with expertise in theory, music history, ear training, performance and composition.
Dennis has spent a major portion of his life as a minister of music for several churches and denominations. This has taken him from Olympia to Federal Way, from the central coast of California to Texas. During this time, he has invested a lot of time and energy in teaching piano and voice. He not only enjoys teaching but is passionate about finding out how the individual student learns and tailoring each lesson to their learning style. He then loves watching as the lights come on.
Dennis has been married to his wife Vonda for over 28 years with two children and two dogs!
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