Jordan Pasquin Music Director
Jordan Pasquin is a Drum Set performer and educator based out of Fort Collins, Colorado. He has been playing for 17 years, and in addition to performing across the country, he maintains a busy teaching schedule that includes students of all ages and skill levels. His diverse performance background and Bachelor’s Degree from Berklee College of Music allow him to authentically teach a wide array of styles and techniques, while focusing on helping his students achieve their personal goals. Jordan strives to demonstrate how music can be healthy for you physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Jordan is known for his work performing with Write Minded, Cary Morin & Ghost Dog, and I Am The Owl. He also works regularly as a session musician for countless other artists across all genres. He takes great pride in all he does relating to music, including helping other artists sound their best as a Drum Tech for The Blasting Room. Jordan is grateful for the impact music has had on his life and loves passing on the joy of music to his students.
Abraham Dashnaw Stiles Guitar, Bass Guitar and Drums Teacher
Abraham Dashnaw Stiles is a critically acclaimed and nationally touring multi-instrumentalist specializing in Bass, Drums, and Guitar. They have 5 years of experience as a music teacher, with one of those years working as the Music Director for the Larimer County Boys and Girls Club. To Abe, the best part of being a teacher is having the opportunity to help a student find their voice through their instrument and using music as an outlet for growth and self-expression.
Along with teaching, Abe also plays in a multitude of bands- their main projects being People in General and the Grace Kuch Band. People in General is a 3-piece jazz-pop band where Abe is the lead Songwriter, Singer and Guitarist. The trio recently won the FoCoMa Peer award for Best New Band of 2019. Their debut album piglet is available on all streaming platforms. Abe has played bass for the Grace Kuch band for the past two years. During that time the group has played some amazing venues, including the main stage at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena Arkansas, The Circle Bar in New Orleans, and BB King's Blues Club in Memphis Tennessee.
Jake DiFebo Singing and Keyboard Teacher
Jake discovered his love of singing in the eighth grade when he tried out for a rock opera and soon realized he had some potential. A few years of choir later he decided to major in music, and after applying to a number of colleges he chose to attend UC Santa Cruz for Vocal Performance. In his now eleven-year career as a singer, Jake has performed musical theatre roles, opera roles, sung in an a cappella group, and been featured as a soloist on a record.
Throughout his journey as a singer, Jake discovered his love for teaching. Now he is a Master's student in Music Education and Composition at Colorado State University. Nothing makes him happier than helping people to express themselves musically. Jake obsesses over a new band all the time, but his all-time favorites include: The Beatles, The Who, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Muse, Radiohead, Nirvana, Kung-Fu, Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Phish, Yes, CHON, System of a Down, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Rush - and honestly far too many more for this short bio. Ask him about music and he will gladly talk your ear off!
Jesse Mathews Keyboard Teacher
Musician and educator Jesse has been active in the Fort Collins music scene since 2013. He graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor of Music Education in 2009 and has been making music and teaching others about making music ever since. Jesse picked up piano and trumpet when he was ten, and has learned guitar, ukulele, and a plethora of other instruments and skills in his career. One of his favorite experiences in education was teaching music technology to middle school and high school students.
Jesse’s main influences are in funk and jazz. Some bands and artists that he loves include Lettuce, Wulfpeck, Cory Henry, Hot 8 Brass Band, Stevie Wonder, Roy Hargrove - and many others who are harmonically exciting, devoted to their art, and just nasty relentless in their groove. Local bands Jesse has performed with include Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band, Organomatron, Chunkayy Brown, Euforquestra, Supermagick, Smooth Beethoven, Colorado Swing, Punch Drunk Munky Funk, and more.
Jesse is classically trained, versed in jazz, Little Kids Rock certified, a music theory nerd, a multi-instrumentalist, and loves to ROCK! He brings a very wide and rich experience of educating and performing to his teaching. No matter what your musical pursuit, Jesse is happy to guide you down your path.
Karlee SanGiovanni Singing and Keyboard Teacher
Karlee is a New Jersey born vocalist based in the Northern Colorado area. Having recently graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in the spring of 2020, Karlee has been gigging regularly around the area.
While at UNC, she studied under Kerry Marsh, Julia Dollison, and Brennan Baglio. During this time, she was a member of two Downbeat award-winning vocal jazz groups, Vocal Lab (outstanding performance award by Downbeat 2020) and Northern Colorado voices. Karlee was also involved in leading UNC’s Funk Lab, and performed with these groups regularly, including multiple times at the UNC Greeley Jazz Festival. In recent years she has also performed with the Marcus Reid Wedding Band and Archie Funker. Karlee has had the opportunity to clinic with talented vocalists such as Darmon Meader, Carmen Bradford and Christine Guter. She was elected secretary for the Jazz Education Network’s UNC chapter for the 2019-2020 school year.
Karlee’s extensive musical training, and versatile abilities, allows her to tackle multiple styles as a performer and teacher.
Ky Sargent-Knudson Singing Teacher
Ky Sargent-Knudson is a music educator from the East Coast with a BA in Music Studies and Psychology. Their primary instrument is voice, having spent the majority of their life cultivating this skill. In recent years Ky has been learning guitar and piano as well. It is their belief that a musician’s development is never finished, and the key to expertise is getting the instrument out of the way so that true creativity and talent can shine! Ky is also a reiki practitioner, light worker, spouse, toddler parent (Pia), and a passionate advocate for social justice. They look forward to helping young and young-at-heart folks to discover the life-altering power of music education.
Mike Shamrock Guitar and Bass Guitar Teacher
Michael Shamrock Robertson Jr., an American guitarist, was born into a military family that took him from coast to coast before finally settling in Fort Collins, Colorado at the age of 21. His earliest musical memories are of singing Billy Idol's "Mony Mony”, watching Michael Jackson's movie Moonwalker, and watching his dad, cousin, and their friend playing "Hotel California" at a backyard BBQ. He soon became mesmerized by the unique sounds of Rage Against the Machine, Tool, and Jane's Addiction. He began playing guitar at the age of 13, picking up bass soon after.
Shamrock's devotion to music is undeniable. His close friends, band members, and community acknowledge him as a guitar virtuoso. In 2009, he was recognized as the best guitarist and songwriter by KRFC's Night Howler JJ Johnson. He's been involved in numerous award-winning bands, such as 20XIII, AutoFate, Pretty Noise, Guerrilla Radio (Tribute to Rage Against the Machine), Sonic Temple (Tribute to the Cult), and Sabotage (tribute to the Beastie Boys) just to name a few! The mix of both original and tribute bands highlights Shamrock's versatility and diligent focus on his craft.
Shamrock's hard working disposition is shown through the countless acts and projects he delves into. On top of being currently active in six different bands, he utilizes his free time honing his technique, ear training, writing, and recording music, while also promoting his album "Not I!" Said the lil’ mouse.
Looking forward, he anticipates pushing 20XIII and his solo band, collaborating with other artists, and is especially excited about teaching his craft as an instructor at School of Rock Fort Collins.
Mike Adams Keyboard Teacher, Singing Teacher
Mike Adams has been playing the keys for almost 25 years. He earned a degree in Professional Music at Berklee College of Music, where he was the president of the Songwriters Club — the largest club at Berklee.
He moved to Fort Collins in 2017 where he started working at the Downtown Artery. His work at the Artery sparked a passion for the Fort Collins local music scene, and in 2018 he started playing keys for local surf rock band Robert Shredford. Mike plans to spend the rest of his life playing music.
Stephen Segura Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
At 13 years old Stephen decided to learn the drums. The very first song he learned was 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Metallica. The fire was lit, and he was obsessed with metal drumming. Slayer, Pantera, Arch Enemy, and many more were his teachers until he graduated high school.
In 2007, he attended New Mexico State University and studied music and percussion under Dr. Fred Bugbee. He studied all percussion from marimba and timpani to drum set and world drums. While studying he performed with the Pride of New Mexico Marching Band, the Winds Symphonic band, and many garage bands.
Stephen joined the 44th army band in 2009 and toured across New Mexico for 6 years. In 2017 he was honorably discharged.
Throughout all his schooling and his time in the army he applied everything he learnt into his own music. He played in a variety of bands including metal, prog, ska, and of course, classic rock. He has recorded 2 albums with 2 different bands and won Gorilla Music's Battle of the Bands New Mexico.
Stephen knows that many things can be learned from all forms of music and that music teaches us many life lessons. He is excited to mold the next generation of rockers and pass on to them all of his knowledge and experience.
Lance Ruby Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Guitarist and music educator Lance Ruby recently earned his Masters of Jazz Studies from the University of Northern Colorado studying with Steve Kovalcheck - and he also loves to rock! A Utah native, Lance completed his Bachelor’s degree in Guitar Performance at Utah State University studying with Corey Christiansen.
While in Utah, Lance co-founded the soul/funk band Danger 5, and continues in this project along with lead singer Dani Armour. Since moving to Colorado, he joined the Fort Collins based blues fusion band, Musketeer Gripweed. He is a also member of the New Orleans funk group Crescent City Connection, and recently joined Bevin Luna as well. Lance has toured the country with the Randy Burghardt Band, Bo DePena, and Jackson Taylor and the Sinners.
Nic Federle Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Hailing from a small town in Indiana, Nic began his musical journey at a young age. From elementary through high school he played violin and performed in an award-winning school orchestra. As a teenager Heavy Metal became an escape from the monotony of the Midwest for Nic, so he traded-in his violin for an electric guitar. Playing in metal bands in Indianapolis as a teenager and cutting his teeth on stages sparked a life long passion for performance.
After high school he attended RECW in Ohio, learning music production and recording arts before moving to Colorado to pursue greater opportunities in music. In his decade of residence in Fort Collins, Nic has been employed by many of the area’s most notable music stores, concert venues, and organizations.
Nic is an accomplished songwriter, performer, recording engineer, music producer, live sound engineer, instrument repair technician, voice actor, music journalist, booking agent, promoter, and even foley artist! Concert-goers know him (and his hair) from acts such as Retract, The Little Black Bottles, For None Now Live, and Triton. He has an understanding of every functioning piece of the music industry and over 20 years of experience performing. Even though Heavy Metal (and all its subgenres) is his forte, Nic has a breadth of knowledge and experience in every genre of music and every facet of its execution.