SADDLEBACK SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND THE ARTS (SSMA)
Music and Creative Art Instruction for Youth and Adults
SSMA is a community outreach program of Saddleback Church. Our faculty members are working, professional musicians, actors, dancers, vocalists, and artists. We strive to provide an encouraging and challenging learning environment for students of all ages and performance levels. Instruction includes both group classes and private lessons.
SSMA currently offers instruction in guitar, drums, bass guitar, piano, voice, and more. We continue to add new and exciting classes for both youth and adults to our catalogue, and more talented musicians to our teaching staff.
Please be sure to check back often!
For information on our current semester, and registration materials click here.
For more information on SSMA, please contact ssma@saddleback.net
SSMA STAFF
Meet our SSMA Program Director:
BOB BARRETT
Bob Barrett has been the orchestrator, pianist, and orchestra director at Saddleback Church since 1990. Before that, he taught for eight years at the Grove School of Music in Studio City where many well-known artists have studied. He personally taught Paul McCartney’s drummer, Abe Laboriel Jr., worship leader and songwriter Paul Baloche, actor and musician Bruce Greenwood, and many others. He has worked as an arranger and producer for Diana Ross and the Air Force Tops In Blue, and has provided musical services to such artists as Pat Benatar, Joe Cocker, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Toni Tennille, Chita Rivera, Maureen McGovern, Stan Getz, Steve Allan and sax player Dave Koz. One of Bob’s recent projects was writing a score for a new feature film.
Meet our SSMA Instructors:
DREW HESTER - DRUMS
Drew graduated from the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. He is a touring drummer and recording artist, who has played professionally for over 20 years. His credits include recording and performing with Jewel, Joe Walsh (The Eagles), Foo Fighters, Mick Fleetwood, Jackson Browne, Stevie Nicks, Lisa Marie Presley, and Five For Fighting. He frequently appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
GANNIN ARNOLD - GUITAR
Gannin is an in-demand session guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. His many credits include recording and performing with John Tesh, Crystal Lewis, Jeremy Camp, Joe Walsh (The Eagles), Taylor Hawkins and The Coattail Riders, Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, Jeff Berlin and more. He has appeared on Entertainment Tonight, Regis and Kelly, World News Tonight, and more.
GORDON RUSTVOLD - BASS
Gordon has played professionally for over 37 years, with over 2000 recording sessions to his credit. Those include B.B. King, Steve Perry (Journey), Mary Wells, Brian Duncan, Pat Boone, Sligo Rags (Celtic music), Ric Flauding, Ernie Watts, Justo Almario, as well as big bands with Don Menza, Bill Watrous, and Tom Kubis. Gordon's expertise includes music of Rock, Jazz (combo & big bands), Latin, Country, Celtic, Folk and Bluegrass.
BILL BIESCHKE - GUITAR
Bill is an in-demand bassist and guitarist, and a graduate of BIT (Bass Institute of Technology). Bill's credits include John Tesh, Dave Wakeling (General Public), Jose Feliciano, Common Sense, Aerosmith/John Lennon producter Jack Douglas, John Davidson, and Jesse Colin Young. He has also worked on a musical production with Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola.
DAVE LOPEZ - GUITAR
Dave holds a BA degree in music from U.C. Irvine. He has worked on several musical productions, including “A Chorus Line” and “Man of La Mancha.” Credits include Jeremy Dalton, Crystal Lewis, Andre Crouch, Darrell Mansfield, Anthony Goudine (Little Anthony & The Imperials), and Jaci Velasquez (1997 Dove Award Winner).
TIIU MARIE JANKOWSKI - PIANO
Tiiu is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatory of Music in Sydney, Australia. She has toured throughout Australia, the United States, and Canada in music ministry, appearing on national TV, and performing and recording in Nashville and Los Angeles. As a member of the Music Teacher’s Association of California (MTAC), she offers participation in the Certificate of Merit study program for her classical piano students.
BRANDON MUCHOW - GUITAR
Brandon is an active worship leader and songwriter, leading worship in the various venues here at Saddleback Church for both children and adults. He has played in churches and conferences around the country and the world. His music has been featured on ABC’s 20/20, in worship magazines, and in the Simply Youth small group curriculum “Life Hurts, God Heals.”
JOHN FERRARO - DRUMS
John has toured domestically and internationally with various artists, including Larry Carlton, & on the Barry Manilow world tour. Other credits include George Benson, Debbie Boone, Vikki Carr, Linda Ronstadt, Eddie Van Halen and many more. John has also performed at the Pantages Theater with Lion King, and is featured on Rod Stewart's Standards Album. He also plays regularly for Promise Keeper's Men's Ministry.
FRANK COTINOLA - DRUMS Frank has been playing drums professionally for 43 yrs. (Yeah, he's an old guy!) He's quite active in the recording industry and has recorded and/or performed with a variety of artists including The Righteous Brothers, Jose' Feliciano, Chuck Berry (but then who hasn't?), John Stewart, Bob Welch (Fleetwood Mac), Jackson Brown, Jann Browne, Bo Diddly, Dave Alvin and The Missiles of October.
REBEKAH JONES - VOICE
Rebekah has been teaching voice privately for over 7 years, and is on our Vocal Worship Team here at Saddleback. She received a performance scholarship, and graduated with a B.A. in Music from Briercrest Bible College, majoring in Voice. Upon graduation, she was hired as adjunct faculty to teach private voice. During high school and college, she was a featured soloist in several ensembles, and has toured with choirs throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Rebekah has recorded on several CD's, including background vocals for Saddleback's Worship Conference Songseeker Project.
THOMAS CUMMINGS
Thomas has been walking the professional boards for over 6 years now. He is a Classically / Broadway trained vocalist who also crosses over into many other different styles. He graduated from Mount Vernon Nazarene University with a theatre major and vocal performance minor. Credits include the lead vocals in the musicals The West Coast Premiere of Magdalene, The Fantastiks, Guys & Dolls, Pirates of Penzance, And The World Goes Round, The Cricket on The Hearth, Saddleback Church’s The Journey, and most recently Godspell. He has also sung background with Sandi Patty on her hymns DVD, and on the Saddleback Worship Conference Songseeker 2007 album. Tom has sung many solos in the different venues of the church as well as on the Saddleback Vocal Worship Ministry.
MICK TARAS - GUITAR
Mick Taras is an in-demand guitarist whose credits include The Motels, Faith Evans, Sarah McLachlan, Suzy Bogguss and more. He has taught guitar classes at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, and his music knowledge ranges from Rock to Bluegrass, and from Jazz to Rhythm & Blues.
JIM ANDERSON - GUITAR
Jim has led worship at various churches since 1979, and is currently serving in the Terrace Café venue at Saddleback Church on Sunday evenings. He has also led worship for several new local churches, and helped to build their worship teams. He has taught beginning guitar classes and private lessons with children off and on over the years privately and for music schools, having received his musical training at the University of Hawaii music school. He released a CD in 2007 and has participated with GINA for Missing Persons in an effort to help families of missing people. He recently appeared in the pilot for the “Finding GINA” rockudrama series that is expected to air on cable in 2008.
SUZANNE MORISSETTE – DRUMS/PERCUSSION
Suzanne Morissette drummer/percussionist with over 20 years of experience, received her degree from the conservatory of Music in Quebec, and graduated with honors at PIT in Los Angeles. She has toured Japan and performed at the 2nd Annual Woman’s Jazz Festival in Tokyo. The Montreal Drum Fest invited Suzanne as a featured drummer in 1998. She has been recording and performing with The Jennifer York Quartet, for over 13 years and with the Mary Rice Hopkins’s Children Ministry. She has worked with The Drifters, Nancy Sinatra and on a project for Steven Dorff and Steve Diamond.