Joe Phillips, B.M., B.S.B.A. Guitar & Bass
CarrboroJoe@gmail.com

    Joe has been playing guitar for 25 years and teaching for 8 years. He is the founder of Carrboro Music Academy and Rock and Roll High School in Carrboro, NC. Joe earned a Bachelors in Music (Jazz Performance) and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from East Carolina University under the tutalage of Carroll V. Dashiell Jr. Prior to college, he played in many rock bands and completed a world tour with the Air Force group Tops in Blue.

    Joe teaches all rock, pop & R&B/motown styles as well as beginning and mid-level classical and Jazz guitar. Lessons revolve around whatever type music the student is interested in but always involve a (painless) discussion of the theory behind each tune.

    Joe teaches at Carrboro Music Academy Sunday through Thursdays and he can be reached at (252) 916-3259 or the email address above.

PAY FOR LESSONS WITH JOEY:

Mike Bisdee, Guitar
 
Mike Bisdee began teaching guitar lessons in 1980 and has always strived to make learning a fun and enriching experience. His goal is to create an individual approach for everyone by addressing each student’s unique learning style and personal musical taste, with emphasis on fret board knowledge, theory, composition, improvisation and transcription of recordings. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition degree, from the Berklee College of Music, in Boston, and a Master of Music in Jazz Composition and Arranging degree, from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Massachusetts. Mike’s primary, yet quite diverse musical influences include Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, James Brown, Little Feat, Steely Dan, Miles Davis, and Weather Report. He continues to learn new things about music every day.

Mike has over 40 years of experience as a professional guitarist, arranger and composer in rock, blues, jazz, folk and top-40 bands. He currently plays in several regionally touring bands, including Keith Henderson and Illusions of the King, featuring songs popularized by Elvis Presley, Spoonful of Soul, a 10-piece Soul/R&B band, Beyond Blue, a rock, jazz, blues and folk music quintet, featuring original music and Mardi Gras, a six-piece group that plays dance hits from the beach and soul music eras to the present. For 6 years, Mike played in Green River, a locally touring six-piece rock and roll band, which had the pleasure to back up sax man Clarence (The Big Man) Clemons, from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Mike also worked as a guitarist and arranger, and co-songwriter on the debut CD of the 2003 North Carolina Songwriters Contest winner Janet Stolp, entitled “Slow Me Down”.

Mike teaches at CMA on Thursdays.

email: stratman55@hotmail.com

Kevin Timmons, Piano (Classical, Pop & Jazz)
 
After showing a natural inclination towards music, Kevin began studying piano at age 8. As a teenager, he moved his primary focus to jazz, blues, rock, and pop music. He began performing in various bands and gaining real world experience at a young age. While still in high school, Kevin was chosen to play piano in the North Carolina School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble.

Kevin earned a scholarship to pursue his interest in jazz piano at UNC Chapel Hill where he studied privately with some of the state's most talented and renowned instructors while performing in various ensembles and playing professionally throughout his tenure. He double majored in Jazz Studies and Psychology, and began teaching piano while still in school. He is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist with an interest in music technology.

Kevin has extensive experience teaching students of all ages and experience levels. He is passionate about providing a complete music education which includes theory and improvisation, and most importantly that music is a source of expression and joy.

KEvin teaches at CMA on Wednesdays.

email: kevtimmons@gmail.com

Rebecca Buchanan, Violin/Fiddle
 
Rebecca has enjoyed teaching violin for over ten years in the East Tennessee area and is very excited to be opening Grow-A-Fiddler Music Studio at the Carrboro Music Academy. She has worked with students ranging in age from 2 to 86, and is happy to accommodate any age or musical style. Rebecca began her musical studies at age six as a student of the Suzuki Violin School and eventually went on to receive a BA in Music from the University of TN, Knoxville.

She has experience as a professional violinist playing orchestral and chamber music across the Southeast. Rebecca especially enjoys working with children and has participated in many Suzuki workshops and summer camps. She worked for ten years with the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra as a conductor’s assistant and coach to young string players. She is very familiar with the Suzuki Method of teaching but is also well-versed in traditional teaching methods. Though classical trained, Rebecca is an avid lover of bluegrass and old-time music and is delighted to be in North Carolina, where these musical traditions hail. She is happy to teach old-time music/bluegrass fiddle (cross-tuning included).

Private lessons will be offered once a week as well group classes approximately once a month. Students will be given opportunities to play with others, to play with accompaniment (classical or old-time/bluegrass), and also opportunities to perform. In her spare time Rebecca enjoys growing vegetables, eating good food, listening to live music around the Triangle, and playing her banjo.

email: growafiddler.cma@gmail.com    843.991.9081

Ecki Heins, Violin
 
Ecki Heins was born and grew up in Germany. There he received a thorough classical training. He graduated from Ignatz-Guenther-Gymnasium in Rosenhein, Germany, majoring in violin performance and music theory in a conservatory-equivalent curriculum in 1989. He has played in various orchestras and ensembles, in theatre productions, churches and at private functions
 
Later Ecki branched out into the pop fields, playing on several studio productions for an eclectic variety of german bands .He was a founding member of the critically acclaimed country roots and soul band Cow in Hamburg and toured extensively in Germany and throughout Europe. After moving to North Carolina in 2006 he continued freelance performance and session work in the fertile triangle roots music community. Ecki is currently performing and touring with his wife Lynn Blakey (of Tres Chicas) as a violin and vocal accompanist. He is also a regular member of the string section of Abbey Road Live. Ecki teaches mainly in the classical tradition but is open to folk and country styles.
 
Ecki teaches at Carrboro Music Academy on Mondays and Tuesdays. email eckiheins@gmail.com

Stephen Coffman, B.M, Drums
 
stephencoffman@gmail.com
 
Whether noticed in a Jazz, Rock, or Latin setting, Stephen Coffman has been one of the most in-demand drummers throughout the Triangle area for almost 5 years now. After graduating from Durham School of the Arts in 2002, he earned a scholarship to join the music program at UNC-Chapel Hill. There he studied with a number of renowned faculty members including nationally acclaimed jazz educator, Jim Ketch. While studying jazz at Carolina, Stephen had the opportunity to share the stage with many heavyweights including Marcus Roberts, Barry Harris, Ray Vega, Wyclef Gordon and others. Stephen is proud to hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from UNC-CH, class of 2006.
 
Since graduation, Stephen has stayed busy performing in a number of musical projects around the area. Most recently, he has been playing drums for The Beast, performing a fusion of Hip Hop and Jazz, and before that, he played for regional touring act, Who's Bad, a tribute to Michael Jackson. Stephen is also a regular on the local club circuit, leads his own jazz quintet, and is continually exploring musical opportunities with a fresh approach and an open mind.
 
With 4 years of teaching under his belt, Stephen is always evolving a number of teaching methods that include reading, technique, and of course listening to music and discovering the role that drums play in various musical situations.
 
Stephen Coffman teaches at Carrboro Music Academy on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays.
You can learn more at www.stephencoffman.com
 

Matt Brandeau, B.M. Electric and Stand-Up Bass (Jazz, Rock, Pop & Classical)
 
mattbrandeau@yahoo.com
 
Matt plays in The Old Ceremony band and teaches at CMA on Wednesday.

Dan Hall, B.M. Drums (Jazz, Rock, Pop & Classical) dancharleshall@hotmail.com
 
Dan plays in The Old Ceremony band and teaches at CMA on Mondays and Thursdays.