ABOUT US

Piano

John Academia holds a Master's degree in Music Theory and Composition from SDSU.  He is a Music Teacher in the Sweetwater Union High School District and a Piano Teacher at Southwestern Community College.  We are excited to have John join our artistic staff for group piano and private piano lessons!

Percussion Ensemble

Chris Amaro holds a B.A. in Music from CSU Long Beach.  He is the Percussion Coach for the Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California,  a Teaching Artist for Harmony Project; Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), and a Drumline Club Leader for South East High School.  As a music education major at SDSU, he currently assists in the music program at Wilson Middle in City Heights.

Ballet Folklorico

Natalie Diaz began learning ballet folklorico at a summer program. She enjoyed dancing folklorico so much, she introduced it to M.E.C.H.A, a club. They performed both in and out of school, at weddings and award ceremonies. At CHMS, Ms. Diaz is excited to pursue her passion and share her culture with others.

Piano

Derek Jeppsen joins our piano faculty with a background as a music teacher, musicologist, and electronic musician. He has decades of experience with piano and electronic instruments, and teaches music history at San Diego State University. As a musicologist, his fields of research and performance have included artificial intelligence in music, electronic dance music, and gamelan music. An electronic musician called voidesque, click here for a sample of his work.

Jazz and Pop Piano, Music Therapy, Ukulele

Hannah Lentz has played jazz piano for 10 years and discovered how to arrange her favorite Disney songs on piano as a kid.  She now shares her joy by teaching jazz, pop, arrangement, and composition.  With a degree in Music Therapy from Colorado State University, Hannah has experience teaching adaptive lessons to people with a variety of needs - autism, ADHD, Down syndrome, learning disabilities and traumatic brain injury.

Piano and Music123

Amanda began her piano training at age 5 with concert pianist Farizat Tchiviroba in Tijuana, Baja California.  She holds a Bachelor's in Piano Performance from SDSU.  She has twice earned first prize for her Bienal Estatal de Piano performances in Mexicali, Baja California.  Active as a recitalist, chamber member, and teacher in Chula Vista, she has also studied the Alexander Technique and received her Suzuki Method certification.

Music123 - World Music

Analia is a classical and Afro-Latin vocalist based in Carlsbad, California. As a researcher, she is interested in mariachi music direction and education, Afro-Cuban vocal styles in the 1930’s and Afro-Peruvian jazz music of the 1970’s. Her M.M. is in Afro-Latin from Cal State LA.  She is also co-founder of Mariachi Mar y Sol and was a Spanish and Music educator for the Montessori Charter Schools of Flagstaff Arizona. 

Drum Power

Juan began his Latin percussion studies at SDSU under the direction of Mark Lamson.  In 2004, he founded the longest running Afro-Cuban Drumming program in San Diego at the World Beat Cultural Center.  In 2006, Sanchez travelled to Cuba where he was formally introduced to Afro-Cuban music with Pepito Fernandez, a local rumbero from the Calljon de Jamel.  Juan returned to work with various high and middle school drumlines in the South Bay.

Guitar

Alejandro Tapia holds a Master's degree in Education with an emphasis in Social Emotional learning and is proficient on several instruments including strings, percussion, brass, woodwinds, piano, voice, and classical guitar.  He performed with ‘Jarabe Mexicano’ and toured throughout the U.S. and internationally.  Mr. Tapia currently teaches music at Bonita Vista Middle School and serves as the SDUSD VAPA teacher for Mariachi at Wilson Middle, Clark Middle, and Hoover High schools. 

Violin

Diana Welch is currently studying at San Diego State University for her B.M. in Music Education and is also studying viola under the guidance of Travis Maril. She began playing the violin at 11 years old and picked up the viola in high school. She has performed with the San Diego City Ballet, La Jolla Symphony, and the Pacific Lyric Association Youth Symphony. She also works for the San Diego Symphony Orchestra as their part-time librarian.

Music123 - Sing! and Special Needs Music

Auburn Williams is a Special Education Paraprofessional Educator who brings the joy and structure of music to special ed classrooms through our Music123 program.  An ad hoc children’s teacher, children’s music leader, choir member, choir accompanist, and church organist, Auburn has also served in leadership roles for youth and women’s organizations.