KEN BUDZAK has been playing drums for well over thirty years. He has been in many bands playing a variety of music styles, including rock, country, pop, and folk. He has played music with his beautiful wife for twenty years and continues to play music with her today. Ken believes that drums are (to quote one of our poets) Simply The Best! They are fun, cathartic, and life-giving. Along with the important skills and foundations of drumming, it is this love of drums and music that Ken desires to pass on to those coming after him. Music is amazing, a language that anyone from anywhere can understand and embrace. Ken definitely believes that if more people played drums, the world would certainly be a better place!

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RYAN DEJAGER joins us for his eleventh year teaching guitar at Studio G Music. He graduated from Kings University College in 2008 with a Bachelor of Music majoring in guitar. What he enjoys most about teaching is the variety of students and the challenge of helping them develop their own unique musicality. With a balance of technique, theory, and appreciation, Ryan provides the skills necessary to enable his students to satisfy their creative outlet with the guitar either on classical, electric, or acoustic instruments. He has authored a teaching manual for his guitar students, in which many of his own compositions can be found. Ryan has also received the RCM "History and Theory: Advanced" certification and loves teaching music theory, including rudiments, and harmony.

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ELLIE FORSYTH is a singer and vocal coach who teaches from a Western classical approach. She helps students apply techniques from this discipline to a variety of genres, especially musical theatre. Her priority is to create a safe space for singing because she understands that singing can be intimidating! Little else is more rewarding to her than seeing students grow in confidence, skill, and the assurance that their unique voices matter. Ellie sang in Trinity Western University's Chamber Choir and went on to graduate with Great Distinction from TWU with a BA in Music. She has also taught musical theatre throughout the Lower Mainland of BC.​

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BEN GOHEEN holds his Masters degree in cello performance from UBC, where he studied with Eric Wilson. Since moving to BC from Ontario, he has enjoyed performing with several symphonies and ensembles, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra, and Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra. He is also an active chamber musician and loves performing with a wide variety of smaller ensembles throughout the Lower Mainland, including the Rose Gellert String Quartet (LCMS quartet-in-residence) and the Somerset Trio. In addition to performing, Ben is also the conductor of Surrey Youth Orchestra's Symphonic Strings and, with over a decade of teaching experience, he enjoys a full schedule of music students throughout the week.

 

MYLANA GOHEEN is both a teacher and a musician who has been fortunate enough to blend these two passions into a single career for over a decade. She completed her B.A. in Music at McMaster University – with a concentration in violin performance – and at the same time, began her education degree. Since finishing her Masters in Education (D'Youville College, NY), she has worked in both public and private schools, teaching a wide range of ages, abilities, subjects, and methods. She is the director of the strings program at Surrey Christian School. Also, this year Mylana is excited to join the team at TLA as the music specialist for secondary students in the Lower Mainland. Mylana thoroughly enjoys being able to combine her love of people and her enthusiasm for good music-making as a teacher of violin and piano.

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MAT KIM‘s musical journey, which began with the guitar and, soon after, the bass guitar led him to major in music at Trinity Western University, where he graduated with great distinction in 2018. Mat went through the general music stream, focusing on composition and classical double bass. Along the way he performed with the TWU orchestra, concert band, worship team, and jazz combo, among other musical projects. He was principal double bassist of the TWU orchestra for several years – a position he also carried with the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra for a time – as well as the leader of a performance savvy jazz combo (until graduation sent its members in different directions). In recent years, Mat has been building his portfolio in preparation for a Master’s degree in Composition, which will certainly facilitate in passing on his love of music, alongside teaching guitar, bass, ukulele, music theory and history.

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KATIE LODDER has been studying music with a primary focus on piano performance for almost 15 years. In that time, she completed level 10 of the RCM – including the accompanying theory, composition and history courses – learned how to play the cello with 7 years of lessons, and gained much experience as a chamber and ensemble player. In broadening her scope of musical knowledge through both piano and cello, Katie's passion to teach and share music with others has become enhanced. She remains an active learner, currently completing her ARCT in piano performance, and through teaching, she hopes to be able to help in guiding her own students to build connections with music itself and discover a life-long passion of learning.

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JULIA MONIZ-LECCE is an active member in the music community, currently working towards a Violin Performance degree at Douglas College. She can’t remember the last time she wasn’t surrounded by music. Throughout her life, she has had the opportunity to perform abroad (Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Montenegro), learn from well-respected musicians and enjoy being a member of several orchestras, including the West Coast Symphony. When she is not playing the violin, she DJs often under the name DJ Nix and is on the production team of various music festivals. On the rare occasion that she isn’t practicing or teaching, you can find her walking her dogs, collecting comic books, and painting board game miniatures like the nerd she is. While she tries to incorporate as many methods as possible in her teaching, she mainly focuses on the renowned Suzuki method and the Royal Conservatory of Music technique books. She feels honoured to be given the opportunity to pass on the joy of music to her students and watch them learn and grow along the way.

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LACY STRELAU is an educator and freelance performer who has been playing the piano for nearly 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance from Trinity Western University where she also studied composition, conducting, and was involved with the TWU choirs and jazz ensemble. Lacy loves working with students of all ages; she has been involved with the St. George Children’s choir, the music program at Surrey Christian School, and has taught students from the age of 3 to 80. She has completed every Conservatory Canada exam up to Grade 9 and is working towards completing her ARCT certification with the Royal Conservatory. She is thoroughly in love with the expressive, artistic, and unifying qualities of music and believes strongly that anyone, regardless of experience or talent, can have their lives enriched by this art form. 
 

ROB WORKMAN is primarily a singer and conductor, though his vast musical experiences have transformed him into a versatile musician with many strengths. Rob’s skills are varied, extending to piano, trombone, and saxophone, among other wind and brass instruments. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Trinity Western University and his Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Manitoba. Rob’s education has contributed to his philosophy that music is for everyone; music has a unique effect on the soul that soothes, comforts, and heals. Currently, Rob sings with the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Schooner Cove Singers and, seasonally, Belle Voci. He is also the co-conductor of Ensemble 2021, a new choir in the Lower Mainland that focuses on works from the 20th and 21st centuries.

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