Music Lesson Teachers

Performance credits include country artists Patricia Conroy & Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Canadian folk icon Valdy and drummer John Densmore (Doors). Al has also recently played for several productions of the stage show “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline”. During this last summer he was the production manager for various concerts featuring Steve Miller, Bad Company, Chilliwack, The Odds & Doucette.

Michael Anderson is an active multi-instrumentalist, composer, and accompanist. He studied piano, composition, and improvisation for five years at Wilfried Laurier University, and has been mentored by some of Canada’s most recognized musicians, such as Don Ross and Adrean Farrugia. Michael casts his net wide, having worked most deeply in Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar, Jazz, Classical, and Electronic Music.

As a teacher, Michael adapts the curriculum to the needs of the student. He places a strong emphasis on good practice habits and understanding through play. Theory and ear training don’t have to be boring!

Hi! I’m Andrew. I am a mid 30’s aged silly father of two young daughters (with hard to pronounce names). When I’m not playing music, I’m usually outside, trying to help my wife with the garden, collecting eggs from our hens, or pretending to know how to fix things around my house. I was born and raised in Delta, BC, before moving to the island in 2015. I often try to make people around me laugh, and would gauge that I have about a fifty percent success rate. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

I received a Diploma in Music at Douglas College focussing on Classical guitar. That was a very disciplined and critical time, which served me well. But nowadays, when I am teaching someone how to play music, regardless of what that instrument is, my goal is to make them feel comfortable with themselves and the sounds they are creating. We are our own hardest critic, and I find that I enjoy playing music when that critical voice in my head is as quiet as possible. Sure, we need to listen to that voice sometimes, but not all the time. I believe in understanding the technical side of playing an instrument, as well as music theory. But an aspect that is often overlooked is improvisation and creative expression. To me, a great musician is someone who can just pick up an instrument (or use their voice) and play whatever comes to their mind at that moment. In every lesson, I make sure to put in time working on improvising, jamming, and just making stuff up.

As a performer, I go by the name “Regular John”. I use a device called a “looping station”, where I can record sounds live, (drums, guitar, vocals), and loop them back as I’m playing. The style of performance I do for my original music ranges from what I call “Psychedelic Electro Rock” to “Dark Folk with a Hint of Sweetness”.

My favourite musicians to cover are Bill Withers, Neil Young, The Beatles, and more modern groups like the White Stripes, Gorillaz, and Queens of the Stone Age. My styles of music I enjoy playing are Rock, Metal, Blues, Folk, Hip Hop, and even dabbling in Jazz.

Music has given my life so much fulfillment, and I hope I can do that for other people, while enjoying the process of learning and growing myself as a musician.

I started playing guitar at the age of 12, only to put it down a year later after feeling discouraged about a lack of progress and joy with the instrument. Overwhelmed with a need for exercising musical creativity I picked it up again in my 20s, and have been making up for lost time ever since. Having to re-learn the guitar as an adult with much less time than my 12 year old self, along with my background in athletic performance, meant that I zeroed in on the most efficient ways to improve skills and overcome common frustrating hurdles as quickly as possible. I strive to make learning music as intuitive and enjoyable as possible, and to avoid it feeling like a chore, which dissuaded me from learning when I was younger.

I primarily live and play electric guitar in the world of metal and other heavier and melodic styles of music, but I spend as much time listening to classical, jazz, experimental, folk, and various scores. I equally enjoy composing for orchestral ensembles, and mixing live sound.

Most recently Graham has earned a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Toronto and before that completed a BA in Jazz Studies at Vancouver Island University in 2017. Having grownup on Vancouver Island Graham has become an active member of the music community as both a freelance musician and band leader.Over the years Graham has had the great fortune to perform with some of the best musicians around including Tony Genge, Ryan Oliver, John Lee, Rick Kilburn, Ashley Wey, Susannah Adams,and Kinga Hemming.He has been lucky enough to work in local bands like the NMA Big Band, under the direction of Bryan Stovell, the NOLA Nighthawks, under the direction of Andrew Homzy, and the John Lee Trio. Other groups include Boomshack, Dope Soda, and his own project the Graham Villette Quartet.

Kenton is a 30-year-old drummer and language of rhythm translator that has been playing and practicing for 21 years. With a diploma in Music from Selkirk College and ample band and ensemble experience from coast to coast, he is excited to uncover and demystify any genre and style with you! Kenton says “Exposing the commonalities in all music through rhythm is one of my favorite things about being a drummer; as the Universal Law of Rhythm connects us all and can be an allied friend on the bumpy road of life of which we all are trying to find our groove.” Rhythm is in everything and it is beautiful and Kenton believes that we can make this world a better place, one drummer at a time!

Meeghan Shillington is a classically trained international singer who performs a wide array of multi-genre music. UK performance highlights include Amnesty International Women’s Day in the Roman Baths; the Queen’s Jubilee concert in the Bath Abbey; charity fundraiser hosted by film and TV director Paul Weiland; and in concert with London West End music theatre singers Steven Carlisle and Cassidy Janson. She has also performed internationally in the UK and Europe, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. In addition, she has three self-produced CDs.

Meeghan is an experienced voice teacher and has also created, produced, and taught her own voice workshop series both in Canada and abroad. Meeghan’s training includes a 4-year Performance Diploma in Classical Singing (Hons BMus equivalent) from the Glenn Gould School @ the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto, Ontario) and acting training from various drama schools in Canada and abroad, including from the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London, UK). She is currently completing a Performance Diploma in Jazz Studies from Vancouver Island University (Nanaimo, BC).

Quin Etheridge-Pedden is a multi-instrumentalist who started his journey with the fiddle at age 6. Studying under Trish Horrocks, Quin learned the technique of a classical violinist but explored the genre of fiddle music including Irish, Scottish, Canadian old-time, and new-age/contemporary styles. Quin also picked up the guitar so that he could accompany his fellow fiddle-playing friends. It allowed him to become proficient in folk guitar accompaniment in standard tuning, DADGAD, and drop D. With his diploma in Jazz studies at VIU, Quin also has a deep understanding of Jazz music theory that he incorporates into his playing to create a unique merging of genres. Most recently Quin has started playing the fretless electric bass which is informed by his knowledge of theory and technical facility on guitar and violin. Although his roots on the guitar and fiddle lie in the folk realm, his bass playing is most inspired by funk/fusion as played by Jaco Pastorius.