Meet
Our Teachers
We pride ourselves on our ability to find and also attract the best music instructors from the Bay Area and beyond. To join the WOW team, a teacher must be truly passionate about the craft and love music. Teaching experience and music knowledge are the baseline - you must know your stuff. All our teachers are professional and/or lifelong musicians, with both academic and gigging experience, inspiration that they bring to our students. WOW teachers also love to collaborate and share ideas about teaching and jam together. We encourage you to get to know the WOW teaching team.
Adam Trueblood
Guitar | Bass | Ukulele | Songwriting
Adam has been playing guitar and other instruments for over forty years. He began as a child playing Bob Dylan and Neil Young songs, later becoming a deep blues enthusiast. He enjoys all kinds of music including blues, rock, folk, reggae and other styles.
Adam grew up in Los Angeles and later moved to the Bay Area, where he has lived most of his life. He loves teaching and has taught music in LA, the Bay Area, and Argentina - helping students progress towards their musical goals. When he’s not playing guitar he enjoys literature, soccer, travel and hiking here in Marin.
Anthony Gordon
Bands | Drums, Percussion | Guitar | Bass | Ukulele | Piano
Anthony is a third generation Mill Valley native who began his musical journey in third grade and hasn’t stopped since. Anthony's musical muses were realized when he attended Humboldt State University, graduating with a BA in Music with an emphasis on Percussion and Performance. At Humboldt, he learned of his passion for world music including Calypso and West African Dunun styles, while also furthering his skills in contemporary percussion through his teacher Dr. Eugene Novotney.
After graduating, Anthony joined several ensembles including the Mill Valley Philharmonic, Golden Gate Brass Band, and local rock group, The Sonic Steps. Anthony enjoys teaching music to new students with as much care and attention he received as a youth as well as leading classes in another passion of his, Dungeons and Dragons. He is looking forward to continuing his journey and sharing his extensive knowledge of music to anyone interested in learning.
Emily Bousquet
Voice | Piano | Songwriting
Emily is a classically trained soprano who has been in love with the performing arts since before she knew what those words meant. With experience singing, dancing, acting, and technical theatre, Emily is a well rounded performer with a passion for sharing her knowledge with her students. Over the years she’s performed in countless musicals, maintained the role of resident soloist with the Tahoe Symphony Orchestra from ages 15-21, and was a finalist and scholarship winner in NATS singing competition. With 10+ years of experience studying voice, she continues her education at Sonoma State University where she is currently working towards her B.A. in vocal performance with a minor in theatre and dance studies. Aside from voice, it is here she gained a deep knowledge of music theory, ear training techniques, and piano skills. Emily’s teaching style reflects her diverse musical experience, incorporating a little of everything. She hopes she can help every student to find as much joy and freedom in music as she has found.
Emma Aviles
Voice | Songwriting | Piano
Emma Aviles is a passionate singer-songwriter with a specialty in voice. She fell in love with rock music, and has had many years of experience participating in musical theater, band and solo performances, and songwriting. She has published original songs and EP’s with several more on the way. She enjoys unlocking the creativity and confidence in her students, whether that be in pop music, rock, folk, acting/musical theater and much more! She has solidified her studying with highly esteemed teachers in the area, and continues to expand her knowledge while persuing a degree in music education.
Gus Sandage
Guitar | Bass | Ukulele | Piano | Bands | Songwriting
Gus comes from a family of musicians and music teachers, beginning his own musical journey when he picked up a guitar left lying around the house. From that moment on, he spent all his time learning everything he could about guitar technique and theory from books, videos, and, most importantly, the many musicians around him. Although he spent most of his teenage years rocking out in a garage, college exposed him to a variety of different musical styles. After college, he found himself rocking out again, though this time on stage instead of in the garage (usually). One day he gave a guitar lesson to a family friend and found that passing on musical knowledge was just as awesome as learning it! Over time, his teaching expanded to include other instruments and his instruction style became focused on a strong technical foundation. He believes music is a universally enriching experience, regardless of instrument or genre, one in which everyone should have a chance to partake.
Jack Carek
Guitar | Bass | Ukulele | Piano | Bands | Songwriting
Jack Carek is a multi-instrumentalist based in San Francisco. A Bay Area native, he has spent over 20 years playing guitar, performing as a solo musician and with multiple bands across the West Coast. Off the stage, Jack works as an audio engineer and producer, helping local artists record and develop their music across a wide variety of genres.
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Jack studied at Berklee College of Music and the University of Oregon, graduating from the latter in 2023 with a degree in Popular Music Studies and Audio Engineering. He has taught guitar since 2014 and has experience teaching students of all ages and learning abilities. When he’s not making music, Jack enjoys reading, and hiking on Mount Tamalpais.
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Jens Ibsen
Voice | Songwriting
Jens Ibsen, composer/baritone, is a multidisciplinary artist whose vocal talents have led him to performances from Dubai to Shanghai as a principal soloist and the first African-born member of the world-renowned Vienna Boys Choir. His music is equally globe-trotting, with performances from The Polish Hearth in London to the San Francisco Symphony.
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His teaching style is student-centered, seeking to understand the unique strengths of a student and tailoring his methods around them. Drawing on his years of training and experience in the world of vocal performance, he aims to provide students the tools they need to help them discover how to achieve their musical goals and aspirations.
Jon Nolan
Piano | Guitar | Bass | Bands
Jon's passion for music began practically from the moment he could talk. His music education took off with the piano at eight years old when he was classically trained in his hometown of Kansas City. He played at churches, retirement homes, and competed in local piano festivals where he won three years consecutively. Over the years, Jon discovered a love for playing by ear and composing his own pieces; he also plays the trumpet, guitar, and euphonium. Jon enjoys sharing his passion and love for the world of music with students of all ages.
Pablo Quintero
Drums | Guitar | Bass | Ukulele | Bands
Pablo's passion for music began at the age of five in Bogotá, Colombia, where he was born and eventually began playing the snare drum in his school's marching band. At the age of nine, he took up the drums and guitar.
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Pablo earned his Bachelor of Contemporary Music and Bachelor of Music Production and Engineer at Universidad San Francisco de Quito. While there, he formed the bands "La Matilda" and "Los Jitters".
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In 2020, Pablo moved to the Bay Area to pursue his career as a teacher, musician, composer, and producer.
Samuel Dorfman
Guitar | Bass | Piano | Songwriting
Sam’s relationship to music began in a roundabout way; much of his childhood was spent studying the art of dance in a variety of styles, yet he found it never quite fulfilled him. In his teenage years he offhandedly picked up a guitar, and he discovered what he had been missing, choosing to play and create music rather than dance to it. What began as an obsessive hobby quickly became a passion for songwriting, recording, and learning.
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Sam has played in bands in Pittsburgh, PA as well as in the Bay Area, and is currently pursuing an associate’s degree in Music at the College of Marin, with a focus on composition while working on a handful of recording projects in his free time. He has taught music, dance, and parkour. He loves to share what musical knowledge he has acquired that has so enriched his life.
Tim Vaughan
Drums
Born in Buckinghamshire, England, Tim Vaughan studied drum set with George Marsh at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and went on to perform and tour with many bands, including the critically acclaimed Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks. He has recorded with American Music Club and many other indie rock bands. Since 2000, he has been the lead drummer for the renowned Green Street Memorial (Marching) Band.
Tim had the honor of acting as drum coach for a unique trailer made at Abbey Road Studios in London for the 2016 Paralympic Games: "We're the Superhumans". His work in numerous theatrical productions throughout the Bay Area includes the long-running Avenue Q at the New Conservatory Theatre Center, Head Over Heels, When Pigs Fly,The View Upstairs, Encore, and Cabaret.
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In the 1990s, he began teaching drums and has found teaching to be the truly joy-filled part of his life.
Tommy Toy
Piano | Guitar | Bass | Bands
A classically trained multi-instrumentalist with over 40 years of music performance and teaching experience, Tommy has played both professionally and recreationally in a wide variety of ensembles ranging from symphonic orchestra to jazz big band, to R&B / Motown, and rock cover bands. Besides running around the studio teaching, Tommy can also be found running around the local pickle ball courts or hiking the trails of Marin with wife, Emily.