Teachers

Steve2

STEVE GIBSON
Steve is a guitarist and music teacher who has been working in the Bay Area since moving to Berkeley in 1984. He founded BandWorks with Jeremy Steinkoler in 1993. In addition to his private teaching and BandWorks classes, Steve has taught at Cazadero Performing Arts Family Camp for many years, worked in London as a music director, taught band workshops in Dublin (Ireland), and contributed to Guitar Player magazine. As a guitarist, Steve has performed at many clubs and festivals throughout northern California, including the High Sierra Music Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival, and the Sonoma Salute to the Arts. His recording “Sunday” was used by the Augustino Dance Theatre Company. Most recently, Steve has performed and recorded with Andrea Hurley and Her Very Attractive Band, Marie Schumacher’s Invisible Band, The Kevin Beadles Band, Lonnie Lazar and the Vaporizors, Chowbucket, and Jemimah Puddleduck, among others. In addition to guitar, Steve has taught saxophone, mandolin, bass, and piano. He is also a registered Music Together teacher.

 

jeremy

JEREMY STEINKOLER
Since picking up his first pair of drumsticks at the age of 10, Jeremy has gone on to teach private students, drum clinics, and rock band workshops in Ann Arbor, MI; Dublin, Ireland; and all around the San Francisco Bay Area. He founded BandWorks in 1993 with guitarist and band mate Steve Gibson. He has been on the faculty of Cazadero Performing Arts Family Camp for the past 16 years, where he was the Co-Director from 1999-2001 and served on the Board of Directors from 2010-2013. In addition to teaching BandWorks classes and a full roster of private students, Jeremy maintains an active performing schedule, playing around the Bay Area on a weekly basis with his own J. Steinkoler Quartet, the unique saxes-and drums trio Mo’Fone (featured at the Monterey & SF Jazz Festivals), and assorted other projects. He has performed at dozens of popular Bay Area venues and festivals, including the Monterey, San Francisco, and Sonoma Jazz Festivals, Art & Soul Festival, Yoshi’s, the Shoreline Amphitheater, and at Lincoln Center and the Village Gate in New York City. He has played with Dave Ellis (The Other Ones, Charlie Hunter), Adam Levy (Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman), Kirk Joseph (Dirty Dozen Brass Band), Guru Garage, Kevin Beadles Band, Hot Links, Christy McCarthy, and many other top touring bands and musicians. His music has been featured on radio stations all over the globe, and his bands have garnered a number of “best of” awards and rave reviews. Jeremy is proud to be endorsed by Vic Firth Drumsticks, Istanbul Cymbals and Aquarian Drumhead and Protection Racket Cases.

STACE WRIGHT
Stace has always enjoyed music and particularly performing live. He started early with a role in the musical “Oliver” when he was about 7. His first musical instrument was the clarinet. He played the bass drum in his high school marching band and bari sax in the UNM pep band. He once played tenor sax in an Elvis impersonator band. He has also played in stage bands, sung and danced in swing choirs & written many songs. In the early 1980’s he got involved in the rock ‘n’ roll scene as a roadie, light show operator and bass player. In 1992 he got married to his wonderful wife Suzanne. They have two kids (22 & 25), two dogs (1 & 6), and a home in Berkeley. He has a BA in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley and has worked as a cartographer at Eureka Cartography for the past 25 years. Stace has his own band “The Recyclists” in which he sings and plays guitar. He has considerable experience as a youth sports coach and has found that many of the positive concepts and lessons that are taught in sports can be applied to BandWorks as well. Stace has taught a band in every BandWorks workshop since 2004 and is thankful for the BandWorks program and grateful to have this opportunity to work with such talented kids and adults.

 

 

Paul Martin Sounder

PAUL MARTIN SOUNDER
Paul Sounder grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at his mom’s piano lessons and his dad’s jam sessions. Picking up the bass as a teenager, he was immediately immersed in the world of southern rock, blues, funk, R&B, and jazz, always playing with several different bands, sometimes with his dad on drums. He led and composed for funk rock ensemble Reaux Jam Beau until moving to San Francisco in 2006. There he found African and Latin music influenced experimental rock band Antioquia, which he joined and toured the country with until 2012. Paul is now a professional freelance musician and teacher in Oakland who is currently featured on acoustic bass with Jason McGuire’s progressive flamenco trio which will release its debut album in the Spring of 2016.

 

 

rex

REX NICODEMUS
Born in Piqua, Ohio, Rex has been playing professionally since age 13, starting with festivals and high school dances throughout southern Ohio. He lived in Tucson, AZ from 1979 – 1989, where he played numerous clubs and recorded original music with the band Once Bitten. Drawn by its diverse music and cultural scene, Rex moved to the Bay area in 1989. He has recorded an original album with the band Times Square, who performed opening night for the San Jose Sharks and the San Jose Earthquakes. He has also played the morning show on radio station 107.7 “The Bone” out of San Francisco. Rex currently works with the following bands: Monkey Knife Fight, Blind Pilots, Those2Guy and Latin Funk Express. Rex has been teaching music for 30 years, and currently teaches out of Music-Go-Round in San Jose.

 

 

AndrewHarris_000

ANDREW HARRIS
Born and bred in Berkeley, Andrew and is a BandWorks alum, having been in the program for 4 years during High School. He got his degree in Music at Humboldt State University, where his band Blue Street Junction opened for big names such as Blue Turtle Seduction and ALO. Andrew currently shreds as the lead guitarist in the rock band, Dad’s LPs, which tours throughout Northern California. Many guest guitarists have joined Dad’s LPs on stage, such as Dan Lebowitz from ALO, Josh Clark from Tea Leaf Green, and Jeff Miller from New Monsoon. Andrew loves teaching and working with kids, so in addition to being a BandWorks teacher since 2010, he also teaches music privately and works at an afterschool program during the school year. Andrew hopes his passion and enthusiasm for music inspires his students to discover and develop greater heights toward their own musical ability.

 

 

VincentSpaulding-GuitarinHand

VINCENT SPAULDING
Vincent Spaulding is an accomplished musician and educator with over thirty years experience in the music world. At age 14 he taught himself the guitar and at age 16 was accepted into the music program for talented young teens at the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating from Berkeley High School, Vincent toured with Rodney Franklin, recorded on CBS records with Franklin and Adam Duritz (currently of Counting Crows), and performed with a variety of other local blues, rock and Caribbean bands such as Pure Honey, Caribbean Allstars, members of Fela Kunte band and Zulu Spear for over ten years. He also completed music classes at California State University at Hayward and the Music Institute in Los Angeles. In 1986, he joined the Navy Band and attended the Navy School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia. He was later stationed in Naples, Italy, and for six years toured with the Band throughout the Mediterranean. Upon returning to the U.S. in 1992, Vincent resumed playing at local venues and began teaching to a wide variety of students, in particular to children and teenagers. He currently teaches guitar at New Mozart School of Music in Palo Alto and at the Allen Temple Music Program in East Oakland. In addition he teaches in a private studio in North Berkeley.

 

 

Seth_Affoumado-95_001

SETH AFFOUMADO
Seth Affoumado is a musician, teacher, artist and performer. An award-winning photographer (www.sethaffoumado.com) by day and an accomplished performer by night. Seth is the product of a creative family. Seth’s passion for music began when he was 5. He studied piano and voice with his conductor/composer dad Ralph Affoumado, and piano in high school with Ira Lieberman. Drums were a natural for Seth. A self-taught drummer, Seth started drums at 6 and has not stopped. A solid performer with an “atomic inner clock” Seth started teaching music at The Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco, continuing in Berkeley at The Freight and Salvage with his successful, “Intro To Roots Rock” class and then to BandWorks. Seth is a multi-talented composer and performer able to play bass, guitar, drums, B3 organ, piano, and sing. Currently, Seth is the member of The Hot Rods Band, as a singer and drummer. His solo projects are numerous, however his favorite is performing with singer Veronica Page in the jazz and blues quartet Jazz Buffet. He is a sought-after sub drummer and can play just about any style. He teaches drums privately in San Francisco and San Rafael. Seth is proud of the success of his San Rafael BandWorks projects and is excited about his future contributions to the BandWorks performing community. Listen here www.myspace.com/sethaffoumado

 

 

jesse-strauss-jpg

JESSE STRAUSS
Jesse Strauss is a professional bass player and music teacher, based out of (and born and raised in!) Oakland. He is a Bandworks alumni, and over some years (’99-’03) he got to play bass, guitar, and sing, in Bandworks youth and adult bands. Since then, he’s lived on four continents, received bachelors and masters degrees, worked as a journalist, and organized in Oakland against the violence of policing. He now gigs consistently with his own jazz quartet, Bang Data (hip hop/cumbia), and the Sugar Ponies (Americana). Jesse has performed around the Bay in venues from Ashkenaz to the Regency ballroom, and many in between, and has toured up and down the West Coast. In between gigs, Jesse records and teaches both electric and upright bass, and works as a live sound engineer.

 

 

JACKSCHEPS

JAKE SCHEPS
Jake began studying music at the age of five and hasn’t stopped since. He plays keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, percussion, viola, and sings.  While growing up in LA he got  his rock chops in a program similar to Bandworks. Later he moved up to the Bay Area to study music at UC Berkeley, focusing on harmony and classical piano performance, and playing harpsichord continuo and viola for their baroque ensemble and singing with the university chorus. He has played in a number of Bay Area bands and currently plays drums and vocals with the Katie Turley Band, and spends a lot of time in the studio doing recording projects.

 

 

ANDYMAAG

ANDY MAAG
Andy Maag has played music for as long as he can remember.  First piano, then guitar, violin, drums, banjo, bass, voice, and computer music.  He’s played in numerous bands in Oklahoma, Paris, and the Bay Area, most noticeably with cosmic prog rockers The Other Band on Earth.  He teaches guitar, piano, songwriting, music theory, and electronic music.

 

 

Josh-M

Josh Marshall
Joshua Marshall is an Oakland-based saxophonist and composer/improviser. Joshua graduated from Brown University, earning a B.A. in music through their multimedia program, and holds an M.F.A. in music performance from Mills College. His principal artistic interests are sonic architecture, narrativity, systematic improvisatory practice, and interactive digital media.​​​

He’s fortunate to have studied under a number of esteemed luminaries including Roscoe Mitchell, Fred Frith, Pauline Oliveros, Zeena Parkins, Butch Rovan, I.M. Harjito, and Steve Adams of the ROVA Saxophone Quartet. In addition to teaching privately, Joshua has served as a guest instructor at Mills College, a woodwinds teacher at Reeder Music Academy, an ensemble instructor with Bandworks, an after-school provider through Americorps, and as a debate coach at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida. Joshua has performed and/or recorded with ROVA (filling in for Larry Ochs), Ikue Mori, Spirit, Vinny Golia, Rent Romus’ Life’s Blood Ensemble, Sharp & Fine Dance Company, Andrew Jamieson’s Trouble Ensemble, Josh Allen’s Deconstruction Orchestra, and countless others.

His music has been featured in festivals and conferences nationwide, including Providence Pixilerations events, S.F. Sketchfest, the Fillmore Jazz Festival, the Switchboard Festival, the 2010 International Computer Music Conference, the 2017 Penofin Jazz Festival and several years worth of the Bay Area’s Outsound Summits.

 

 

Maria Siino
Maria Siino is an instructor, songwriter, and composer from Berkeley, CA. She has an M.A. in Music Composition from Mills College in Oakland, CA, and has been playing guitar for over twelve years. She also teaches beginning piano and ukulele.

 

 

Calvin Wright

Born and raised in Berkeley, CA, Calvin has been part of the Bandworks program since he was 8. He is a guitarist with a BA in History from UCSB. He is an avid runner. Calvin has taught in both workshops and summer camp for several years. He teaches private lessons on guitar and bass.