Guitar/Drums

A performer, composer, and guitar teacher for more than 20 years, Will taught in Japan and has played with new muisc ensembles, poets. and country-dance bands. Will has taught for the Stafford Music Academy since 2009 and currently writes music for and performs in the progressive folk-rock duo, Davis + Devitt.

Braedon thoroughly enjoys teaching and approaches learning a musical instrument in a way that helps the student develop a passion and appreciation of their own, hoping that practicing and playing becomes a pleasure. He loves working with students of all ages and takes great pride in the progress of his students. The importance of theory, technique, and musical understanding is incorporated in every lesson so students truly learn how to play their instrument. Braedon, like many guitarists, had his roots in rock and roll but now holds a Bachelor of Musical Arts in Music Composition and Classical guitar and now will be perusing graduate studies for Historical Performance at Jacob’s School of Music. He has received scholarships and participated in music festivals such as Early Music America’s Berkeley Festival, The Lute Society of America’s Summer Festival, and Oberlin’s Baroque Performance Institute. He loves to have fun and his students really enjoy learning with him as they share and grow together, creating memories and skills that will last a lifetime.

Ben Jackson is a multi-instrumentalist and educator based in Bloomington Indiana. Jackson actively
studies and performs all types of music including rock, country, blues, bluegrass and classical music.
Jackson has a master’s degree in classical guitar performance from the Jacobs School of Music, and is
actively pursuing a doctorate from the same university with minors in arts administration and music
education. Jackson is dedicated to taking a modern approach at guitar instruction that incorporates new
styles with classical techniques. In addition to the guitar, Jackson also plays and teaches the Mandolin,
Beginner Banjo, and the Bass Guitar.

With 10 years of teaching under his belt, Jameson has seen the impact time and time again that music can have on a student, especially with a great teacher. Jameson has been lucky enough to study with incredible drum set educators like Steve Houghton, Garey Williams, and Jim White. Their influence shaped Jameson into the teacher he is today. His teachers have always been his heroes, for their insatiable curiosity, dedication to their craft, and their desire to play for the benefit of others. He strives to pass these values on to his students.

Jameson brings years of performance experience to his teaching practice. He has performed professionally with the likes of Greg Ward, John Raymond, Dave Stryker, Jim Snideiro, Todd Coolman, and Rob Dixon. He has toured the country with his own bands and released two albums as co-leader. He earned a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from the IU Jacobs School of Music and a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Northern Colorado. Jameson believes in studying the history, theory, and emotion of the music, in order to become a well-rounded musician. The central tenet of his teaching philosophy is that every student is different and a good teacher has the knowledge and flexibility to cater to their learning style.

Otis Cantrell received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies on Guitar in May of 2014 and is currently pursuing coursework to become a nationally certified music therapist. Originally from Anderson, Indiana, he now resides in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife and two dogs and teaches guitar, bass, drums, and ukulele in the local area and online. He can be seen performing gigs across the Midwest laying down grooves on guitar in the local soul group The Vallures, the indie-funk group Imunuri, and on banjo and ukulele in Mr. Taylor and his Dirty Dixie Band. Otis has been teaching beginner ukulele and drum lessons; intermediate bass lessons; and up to advanced guitar lessons since 2009 culminating in 6000+ hours and counting of experience. His teaching style is tailor-made for each individual student based on their likes and needs in order to maximize the benefits of lessons. His large collection of musical influences and interests have made him a versatile musician who is grounded in many styles, specifically surrounding the mediums of blues, bluegrass, funk, and anything with a groove.

Benjamin is a second year Master’s student pursuing a degree in Percussion Performance at the IU Jacobs School of Music. He received his Bachelor’s degree in percussion performance from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. While at Austin Peay, Benjamin held principal positions within the orchestra and wind ensemble, and was the primary drum-set player for both the big band and jazz combo. He also served as the battery section leader and center snare for the Governor’s Own Marching Band. During his junior year, Benjamin was the recipient of the Presser Foundation award, which is given to a single outstanding music major.

Benjamin marched snare drum with the Music City Drum and Bugle Corps in 2017, and briefly taught the corps during their 2018 season. Ben has worked with numerous Tennessee band programs since 2014 as a percussion instructor. He has also performed with both the Gateway Chamber Orchestra and the Cumberland Jazz Project. During his first year at IU, Ben performed at PASIC with the IU percussion ensemble and participated in large productions such as Bernstein’s Mass. He has studied with many professors including John Tafoya, Kevin Bobo, Michael Spiro, and Steve Houghton. Ben highly values diversity, and therefore feels comfortable instructing students in a wide variety of instruments and styles.

Alex Lassa is currently pursuing a Performer Diploma at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, with plans to begin his Doctorate of Music degree in the fall of 2020. Alex is a student of Ernesto Bitetti. At Jacobs, he is currently an Associate Instructor for the guitar department, and teaches beginner-level guitar classes in addition to private students. Prior to attending Jacobs, Alex earned his MM in Classical Guitar Performance at Syracuse University, where he also worked as a guitar instructor. He earned his BM and was awarded a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music in 2017, where he was a student of Dr. Nicholas Goluses, and had additional lessons with 2006 GFA (Guitar Foundation of America) international competition winner, Thomas Viloteau. Alex has been an active performer for many years. He has participated in various collegiate competitions, as well as masterclasses, including with Manuel Barrueco, Jason Vieaux, Eliot Fisk, and Matt Palmer. In addition to classical guitar, Alex specializes in a variety of electric guitar styles, ranging from rock/pop to jazz. He has performed in multiple rock groups, jazz combos, and musical theater pit bands. Prior to attending Eastman, he was a part of ensembles that performed two world premieres, including 2012's "Shiki," written and conducted by Shingo Fuji, alongside the Grammy awarded Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.  Past awards also include a Certificate of Merit for Music by the National Society of Arts and Letters.