Crossroads Beloved Teachers!
Rob Fordyce-Band Workshops!
Sandy Griffith, Vocal Performance Workshops!
Gifted with a strong, rich, and soulful voice, this sultry Northern California native can move the soul of the audience with her emotional energy and angelic-likc presence. Sandy has been a consistent request by many major industry performers. Her impressive talent credits can be researched with many top recording artists such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Al Jarreau, Howard Hewitt, Patti Austin, Oleta Adams and Regina Belle as a start. Not to men- tion her large tour resume featuring Boz Scaggs, Huey Lewis and the News, Kenny Loggins, Howard Hewitt and Jonathan Butler. http://www.sandygriffith.com/
Matthew Charles Heulitt, Band Workshops!
Bay Area session guitarist and band leader Matthew Charles Heulitt is a musician that defies categorization. Hailing from two highly acclaimed jazz schools, Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Miami, Matthew has managed to make his mark in a wide variety of musical settings. He has toured internationally with The Salvador Santana Band, and folk singer Vusi Mahlasela (voted best male vocalist in South Africa 2008). Locally, Matthew has been featured on numerous recordings and live performances ranging from singer/songwriters, ska, modern rock, afrobeat, to experimental jazz. For eight years he has been a regular member of acclaimed funk drummer Zigaboo Modeliste's (The Meters) band, and in 2008 was featured on Grammy award winning producer Narada Michael Walden's cd "Delightful". As a bandleader and composer, Matthew has pushed the envelope for genre-defying original/improvised music and is soon to release his first full length cd "Room To Run". With 20 years of teaching experience, Matthew is an educator adept at using his patience, intuition, and creativity to cultivate a playfull and effective learning experience. For more information you can find Matthew at: http://www.myspace.com/mattheulitt
Jason Carr, Band Workshops!!
Jason has been studying the art of the bass for over ten years and has been playing music for almost twenty. He attended Sonoma State University where he studied under the tutelage of the late great Sonoma county bassist, Mel Graves. Graduating with distinction, earning a B.A. in jazz studies in 2008, Jason has since been working professionally as a performing artist, session bassist, private instructor, and composer/arranger. Currently Jason performs as a bassist for a number of Bay Area artists including Arann Harris & The Farm Band, Drew Gasparini, The Jeff Derby Quartet, Michael LaMacchia, and The Yancie Taylor Trio amongst many others. Jason also teaches regularly at the Petaluma School of Music, providing guitar, bass, and piano lessons to students of all ages. http://www.jasoncarrmusic.net/Site/home.html
Andy Dudnick, Jazz Class Instructor & More!
Andy Dudnick teaches jazz classes for Crossroads. Andy lives in Corte Madera, Marin County, and has been associated with Crossroads since its inception first as a class participant, then as a class host, and currently as a member of the Crossroads faculty. Andy is a saxophone, flute, keyboard and bass player who loves jazz and classic rock and has a passion for teaching. Andy performs regularly around the Bay Area with various jazz, rock and world beat music groups. Andy also offers private one-on-one lessons to adults in his home in Corte Madera for sax, keys, bass and vocals. The Crossroads jazz classes, like other Crossroads band classes, include a recital at the end, but the emphasis of the jazz classes is on learning about (and incorporating into your playing) the various elements of performing jazz – including memorizing heads, understanding standard jazz tune forms and structures, chord and scale theory, composition, musical communication with band members, preparing and using spontaneous arrangements, and so on. The focus is thus less on rehearsing/jamming a given list of five or six tunes in order to prepare for a recital, and more on working on and learning about how to perform jazz so that it is exciting, interesting and fun both to play and to hear. For more information on Andy please visit his web site http://www.myspace.com/dudnick
Michael LaMacchia, Owner, Band Workshops, 1 on 1- 8wk Guitar course & 1 on 1 Vocal Recording, Song writing class-and Play with a Pro Trio, Introduction to performing!
Michael LaMacchia
Guitarist / Composer / Producer /Instructor
Michael LaMacchia was born in Kenosha Wisconsin, than moved to San Francisco at 18 and began his musical career. He has explored styles including, brazilian, jazz, african, latin, classical and pop. He has a special way of bridging these worlds musically togeather, creating a special sound that is personal and passionate. A gifted guitarist and a prolific composer there is always a buzz in his music, a feeling of freshness and passion.He has played with many of the Bay Area's/Worlds finest musicians, Bob Weir, Alan Hall, Scott Amendola, Paul Van Wagenigen, Jim Ogios (Cheryl Crow, Counting Crows), Deszon Claiborne, Lex Reazon (Vinyl), Todd Sickafoose, Derek Jones, Dan Fieszli, Sam Bevan, DannZinn, Matt Renzi, Jon Arkin, Mark Bernfield, Matt Huelitt, Andy Stohler (Tracey Chapman), Kim Nalley (Pearls), Sandy Griffith, Edo Castro, Andy Dillard, AureaFernandez.Michael has also appeared at many of the Top Festivals and Clubs, Yoshi's, Kimball's, Kumbya, Great Americian Music Hall, The Sweetwater, Concord Jazz Festival, North Beach Jazz Fesitival, San Jose Jazz Festival, just to name a few. Michael is also known for his beautiful poetry, song writing, studio & producer work & Music Development Program (Crossroads). http://www.michaellamacchia.com