Meet Our Teaching Faculty

Rob Bonstin is a voice teacher and coach with 40 years of experience as a singer and performer. He’s trained with some of the most sought-after voice teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area who’ve taught the likes of Barbra Streisand and Sammy Hagar.

Rob’s musical journey began in childhood – from the time he was in the playpen, the house was filled with music from his family playing LP records all the time. When Rob was old enough, an obsession with collecting LP records began. He would play these albums over and over until he memorized the lyrics and began singing to them. Rob would play air guitar and sing along to rock records until friends discovered he could actually sing. This led to him joining rock bands with friends and performing in musicals in local theaters and in school.

 

Rob pursued a career in music from then on and formed or joined many rock bands over the years. And he picked up keyboards and guitar along the way. For voice, he went to some of the biggest names in the Bay Area, like Judy Davis and Claudine Spindt. He also took piano lessons and learned guitar from friends. For many years Rob played in local clubs and eventually began playing in bar bands.  Rob gave his first voice lessons to bandmates, to make sure they knew how to sing and harmonize. He would eventually go on to give voice lessons privately to others.

 

Rob’s musical education hasn’t stopped, and he continues to take music lessons to this day. And of course, he still plays music in bands and various music projects. He enjoys helping singers improve their singing and expand their vocal range; and most importantly, Rob can teach you how to keep from damaging your voice so you can continue to keep on singing. 

Patty Boss (ASCAP) is a pianist and composes music for television, including national feature scoring credits for Emmy winner Bay Windows series in San Francisco “Hope on the Street,” which received recognition and awards, including Northern California Emmy Nomination for Best Documentary.  She has held roles as Audio Lead and Composer for Leapfrog Inc.; Composition Guest Lecturer at New College, San Francisco; Broadcast Mixer for CurrentTV; music production for XBOX advertising; EA Games sound design credits for The Sims, & The Urbz; and keyboardist and backing vocalist for several performing bands.  She holds a degree from Berklee College of Music, piano principal.

 

Her music plays on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN Special Report, Animal Planet, Discovery, NFL, NBA, NFL, UFC, CBS Sports Spectacular, MTV, Bravo, National Geographic Channel, Entertainment Television (E!), TLC, Oxygen Network, TV-One, A&E, FYI Network, History Channel, Travel Channel, VH1, TLC, TV1, Investigation Discovery Network and more.  Recently, Patty’s music has been heard on America’s Got Talent (NBC), For My Man (TV One), American Beauty Star (Lifetime), Fear Factor (MTV), Inside the NBA (NBA TV), The Daily Show (Comedy Central), The Challenge (MTV), and The Journey:  Big Ten Basketball (BTN).  Patty teaches private lessons in piano, music theory, and music recording and production at Mission Bay on Mondays and at Fort Mason on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

 

• “Patty has the ability to break down a complicated idea into something easier to understand. She has a patient approach to imparting knowledge that is reassuring and inspiring. I have learned tons from her and consider her a big part of my music/composition/audio production learning experience.” – Jess Hatton-Brown, UK performing artist and singer-songwriter living and performing in France
• “Patty creates a safe and welcoming environment for everyone to share openly. She empowers anyone willing to learn by being generous with her time and always offering concise, actionable feedback.” – Sherry Lynn, Music entrepreneur, California
• “Patty Boss is generous with her time and knowledge. She has a heart to help others become better in the craft of sound production and composition. She is passionate about helping others achieve their best.” – Rebekah Ann Curtis, Singer-Songwriter
• “I saw Patty playing the piano in college. She was so passionate. Someone who loves music that much gotta be a good teacher. And she cares about friends and people.” – Min Lee, Korean artist/painter

Robert Brownstein’s musical training began in utero because his mother was an accomplished classical pianist and spent hours practicing. Then, through her training, he was playing Bach, Beethoven, and show tunes by the age of 4. His first performance was in kindergarten when he performed his pieces and accompanied his school for the holiday recital. With a degree in music from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Robert has made it his mission to spread the joy of learning to play piano to anyone interested and has been teaching for over 30 years. He has developed a variety of fun and innovative techniques and shortcuts to make playing piano accessible to all and has proven time and time again that it is never too late to start. Robert teaches private piano lessons at Fort Mason.

Lea Centauri has been singing since age four and is a master vocalist and instructor with experience teaching Voicedance, from Paris to Istanbul.  Voicedance is the breath and music of singing as expression, for all singers wanting the experience of Voice. 

 

A mezzo-soprano, Lea lived in Paris for several years, performing and teaching throughout France as well as in Turkey and other countries in Europe and North Africa.  She is a vocal coach for all genres–Jazz, Pop, Blues, R&B, Rock, Show Tunes, Hip Hop, and Rap–working with individuals on technique and preparation for recording and performance, and also working with those who just want to sing for fun and personal enjoyment.  Her Voicedance program starts with breathing exercises for relaxation and clearing of energy, moving to vocal scales for tuning, range, stamina, and feeling good within as you sing, then to singing triplets for vocal control and expression, and finally to songs to enhance your vocal ability and build a repertoire of material you want to sing. Lea is also a songwriter and teaches beginning piano as well.  She teaches only private online lessons. 

 

• “Lea is absolutely the best vocal coach I’ve ever had. Working with Lea has completely elevated my tone, range, and breath control. She makes sure that I do it right every time, with grace. She patiently allows me to correct my mistakes to ensure I get it right, and that I understand how to correct it. ” – April W.

Gabe Cohen is a San Francisco-based singer-songwriter, producer, and DJ. He has over 15 years of experience playing music, with proficiency in guitar, drums, bass, piano, vocals, and more. He mostly performs under the alias “Karl Havok,” a folk- and punk-based project he’s been working on since 2020. He studied English at Tulane University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 2022. While at Tulane, he played in many New Orleans bands such as Sympathy Wizard, Hooligan Dutch, Sage, and more. Since graduating, Gabe has focused on his solo material such as Karl Havok, and his electronic music and DJ endeavors. Gabe was a student at School of Rock in his youth and later went on to teach and direct summer camps at the same school. 

Gabe teaches band workshops and private lessons at SoMa on Mondays and group classes and private lessons at Mission Bay on Wednesdays. He’s available for private lessons at both locations on guitar, bass, ukulele, piano, DJing, and electronic music, and also for drum lessons at SoMa on Monday afternoons.

Hilary Craddock grew up in New York City and began her piano study at age 5. She attended the Brearley School K-12 and then graduated with a degree in English and Art History from the University of Virginia. She attended the Diller Quaile School of Music in Manhattan, NY from elementary through high school. There, she studied classical piano, music theory, and madrigal singing with Marjorie Duncalf. Hilary studied piano pedagogy and music history at SF State, during which time she also sang in the jazz choir led by Molly Holm and studied ear training and advanced music theory.

 

Hilary has been teaching piano in the Bay Area since 1998. While raising two boys of her own, she developed a special talent for teaching the youngest and most energetic and curious learners.

 

Hilary fills her life with music, always learning a new instrument, or musical style, or leaning into her classical background. You can find her at various venues around town performing with her band, The Lost Weekends, for live band Karaoke events. Hilary gravitates toward singing, playing, and performing with others. Before kids, you could find her on Friday nights upstairs at the legendary Paradise Lounge, hosting raucous singer-songwriter performances.

 

Caroline Dahl plays boogie-woogie, blues, and rock piano in bands and solo at many Bay Area clubs.  She is frequently seen wearing sequins and sensible shoes.  Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, she earned a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Kentucky.  She had some classical piano lessons in high school, but soon abandoned them to self-teaching of American popular styles picked up from records and the radio.  Specializing in up-tempo boogie woogie, swing, and blues, Caroline currently plays with the Cajun/American roots band, Tom Rigney and Flambeau.  Caroline also plays solo piano regularly on Sundays at Mama’s Royal Cafe in Mill Valley.  She has played solo at piano boogie-woogie and blues festivals in France, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, and at numerous venues in the United States.  She is also an internationally exhibiting textile artist. carolinedahl.com and YouTube at dahlvideo.  Caroline teaches private lessons at Fort Mason.

 

• “Caroline is a great teacher. She is patient, teaches at a pace that is understandable to me and is upbeat and encouraging. I look forward to my lesson every week and always leave motivated to learn more and get better.” – Mike E.

Sharman Duran, vocalist and keyboardist, has been performing jazz standards, Top 40, Soul, Rock, Pop, and Latin jazz in bands since 1976.  She works with adults and students in 7th grade and older.  Sharman teaches private lessons in voice and piano – at Fort Mason and online.

Francesca Lee graduated from Sir Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts (Music) in 2002 majoring in pop vocal performance and songwriting with disciplines in both guitar and keyboard.  She is best known for her soulful/sultry vocals and music that merges styles of Folk, Pop, Blues, and Jazz.

 

During her residency in the U.K., Francesca performed as a backup singer for the popular televised awards show, The Top of the Pop Awards at The Manchester Arena alongside artists like Nellie Furtado, Tom Jones, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue, Wyclef, and Travis.  She was also featured in a pilot episode for the MTV Networks show (The Real World).  She recorded her first debut independent album with Scottish Sony recording artist Sandi Thom, who later topped the Billboard charts in the U.K. with her song “I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker.”

 

In 2004 she moved to San Francisco and established herself in the Bay Area music scene as a singer-songwriter.  A top ten regional finalist in The Lilith Fair Talent Search through Ourstage.com, songs from her album The Pieces Left, produced by Michael Winger, Executive Director for NARAS (The Grammys), was featured on KFOG’S LOCAL Scene Vol. 6 and Songwriters Unplugged-Live at Yoshi’s.

 

She has been working as a professional musician in The Bay Area since 2004 and has been a staff show producer for Bread & Roses Presents since 2010.  She is passionate about guiding students on how to discover their own unique sound, carve out their niche, and how to develop their craft as singer-songwriters.  She has also served as a previous judge for West Coast Songwriter’s monthly songwriting showcase & competition.

 

Francesca teaches private lessons at Fort Mason.

Paul Sebastian Rodriguez is a Venezuelan musician based in San Francisco. He started learning the guitar at age 10 and has been immersed in diverse musical studies for 20 years now. Curiosity-driven, his self-taught nature led him to curate his own pathway through music over the years, facilitated by select literature, courses, and mentors that helped him shape his vision while focusing on a wide variety of topics, such as music theory, ear training, composition, improvisation, music technology, recording, and production, to name a few, covering many different styles from acoustic to electronic music and everything in between, mixing creative and technical approaches. Eventually, he had the opportunity to develop as an instructor and discovered enormous fulfillment in sharing his experience with others, leading him to continue giving lessons as a private instructor and providing his services to music academies in the last decade, instructing students from many different backgrounds, ages, and levels. He has been a part of different underground music scenes while continuing an ongoing formation, also working on his own compositions and experimenting with creating spaces for free improvisation. His teaching is goal-oriented and student-focused, always making sure to dive into topics of interest, to ease understanding of relevant concepts and acquisition of the necessary skill set, and most importantly to have fun while learning!

Leonard Sherman is a talented music teacher and musician who possesses a wealth of knowledge in multiple instruments: clarinet, sax, flute, guitar, piano, bass guitar, and percussion. As a music educator for over 25 years, he is dedicated to helping students of all ages develop their skills and passion for music. With his extensive experience and expertise in a variety of styles, including, jazz, rock, folk, and Latin, Leonard is able to provide a well-rounded education to his students. Whether you are just starting out or looking to improve your skills, Leonard is the perfect instructor to guide you on your musical journey. 

With an early background in trumpet, piano, and voice in concert bands, marching bands, community symphony orchestras, and barbershop quartets, John Turner eventually settled on the keys, touring with national recording groups and working as a session player.  He has also accompanied cabaret acts and played for Top 40 and show bands, upscale restaurants, five-star hotels, corporate events, and private parties.  John teaches only online private lessons. 

 

• “I am a mid-forties professional with absolutely zero musical experience. I started in November of 2012 and this was my first musical lesson of any form. Although Fort Mason is far for me to travel, I have never considered changing my teacher, because John has an ability to make it interesting and change the lesson based on what you need so that it never gets boring. Even when I feel completely stuck and think I just don’t have the time to devote to it, John finds some way from his wonder tool kit to make me produce a little break through.” – Sabine

Amanda VanderMeer graduated with high honors from Portland Community College’s Professional Music Program and has been playing and writing music for twenty-five years, touring the globe and releasing two studio albums. Since 2006, she has taught a wide range of ages in drums, piano, vocals, music theory, and songwriting. She plays drums in her current band Deathtrap America.  Amanda teaches online private lessons in piano, drums, and voice.