Meet Our Teaching Faculty
San Francisco’s Best Music Teachers & Educators
Our Team, One Commitment
Our faculty is deeply committed to teaching as a profession, dedicated to helping students meet their unique goals.
Blue Bear teachers also work as musicians, expert in their individual crafts, with significant experience in the music industry.
Teacher Bios
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Mark Abdilla

Daniel Avina

Ariel B

Liz Baker

Henry Baker

Cole Berggren

Patty Boss
What students are saying:
- “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

Kent Brown
What students are saying:
- “Prior to his class, I had never touched a guitar. I joined as a student in my mid-30s, and Kent’s patience and natural ability to teach (any level) have proven to be my musical lighthouse.” – David K.
- “From the beginning, Kent has listened to my aspirations, and my lessons have been based on my specific goals. Not only is he is a highly skilled musician, Kent is a fantastic teacher!” – Alicia C.
- “Learning to play a new instrument as an adult can be intimidating, but Kent creates a very relaxed and supportive environment that makes learning fun and enjoyable. With his tips and tricks, I was able to play my favorite songs in just a few months!” – Jaclyn H.
- “He is an outstanding teacher: extremely skilled with an enormous breadth of experience; fun and engaging; patient and encouraging.” – Jeremy K.
- “Kent takes the time to explain everything in plain language so that the whole class understands. He focuses each week’s lesson around a song that incorporates a new chord or technique (usually music that most people know – Beatles, Stones, REM, Pixies, Eagles, etc) which I find is a great way to learn.” – Dan S.
- “With all the knowledge I have learned from Kent, I have been able to write my own songs and play at open mic. I highly recommend you study guitar with him.” – Yuchun C.

Robert Brownstein

Lea Centauri
What students are saying:
- “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.

Michael Chulada

Randy Clark
What students are saying:
- “Randy Clark is an EXCELLENT slide guitarist and fingerpicker. His technique is pristine and his attention to detail when teaching is awesome. Because of this, if you practice, you can become an excellent slide and/or fingerpicking guitarist in NO TIME!” – Riz A.

Gabe Cohen

Hilary Craddock

Caroline Dahl
What students are saying:
- “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.

Greg Dayton

Sharman Duran

Sam Edelman

Rick Harrell

Elizabeth "Elz" Henderson
Her first DJ gig was in 1998 in a large warehouse called 2nd and Jackson in Oakland. Soon after, she started playing for many legendary San Francisco long-running events, including 2nd Sunday, Sister SF, Feel Good, Sonic at 1015, Mixed Elements, and The Gathering. In March 2008, Elz graduated from Ex’pression College with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Sound Arts. After graduation, she spent the summer interning for DJ Shadow, assisted in the preparation for the launch of DJ Shadow Digital Store, and processed sound samples for the store. She has since released music on Muzimo Records, Harlem Records, Look Out Records, Laser Native, and has self-released music on Bandcamp.
Elz has also taught therapeutic beat-making and DJ workshops for elementary and middle school children using Ableton and the Push with the nonprofit Today’s Future Sound and Robot Heart throughout the Bay Area. She has been a DJ instructor at Blue Bear School of Music since 2018 and teaches private and group classes for adults and teens. Last year, she formed an all-femme DJ collective Empress SF that has a residency every 3rd at Zhuzh. Her mission is to use music to heal people by giving them a safe space to be themselves while injecting them with positivity via dancing to the best music.

Rachel Hoiem

Adam Hughes

Taylor Husted

Rowan Katz

Evan Langley

Spencer Layne

Sean Leahy
What students are saying:
- “Sean is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and he knows how to teach music on the fly. He can quickly strip down complicated songs, whether it’s keys, rhythm and lead guitar parts, or the backup singer’s note, and have you sounding good within the first day of playing with your new band.” – Brett O.

Francesca Lee

J.T. Locke
What students are saying:
- “J.T. has been awesome to work with! Part drill sergeant, cheerleader, spiritual guru, fashion police and now great friend he has given me musical knowledge and ability way beyond my expectations!” – Alan N.

Hank Maninger

Lewis Martin

Richard Michos
What students are saying:
- “Richard has been teaching my son ukulele and electric guitar for over a year. Richard is a fantastic guitar player and a great teacher. He has a knack for knowing what will keep the child interested and engaged and is willing to be flexible to make sure that his students develop a passion. My son has gone from dreading practice to not having enough hours in the day to play to his heart’s content. He now wants to be a professional guitar player!”

James Mitchell

Kevin Mullane

Lori O'Dell
Lori O’Dell has an extensive background in the arts and has been a professional musician and choreographer for over 20 years. She holds a Master’s in Piano and Chamber Music from the University of Georgia, as well as a Doctor of Education.
Lori taught Music Appreciation, Music Theory, and Keyboard for 14 years in the California Community College System, and has also worked in the private and public K-12 school sector as a piano and voice instructor. She has created and cut music, choreographed, and performed and taught dance and music around the world, including Japan, South Korea, the UK, Qatar, Namibia, and Kenya.
An active member of the Bay Area music scene, Lori serves as rehearsal pianist for the San Francisco Boys Chorus and Pianist for Marin Girls Chorus, with whom she will be performing at Carnegie Hall in the Summer of 2025. She is on the board for the San Francisco Chapter of the Music Teachers Association of California and has curated symphonic concerts throughout the city with various non-profits and foundations.
Lori is a teacher of all ages, and a fan of all styles of music – from classical and jazz, to pop, rock, and bluegrass. As a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, bluegrass was and still is a huge part of her life. When she’s not playing piano, you can find her sharpening her banjo skills and on the dance floor flat-footin’. And to counter that bluegrass, Lori’s other true passion is electronic music, and she has been following her favorite band, Depeche Mode, around the world for decades.
Her primary mission is to meet students where they are, listen to their goals and passions, and help them achieve their dreams-whatever those dreams might be. While she anchors her instruction in theory and technique, she also believes that improvisation, sight-reading, collaborating, and playing by ear are essential elements to making a well-rounded musician and artist. Most importantly, she believes music should be fun. It is possible to be a phenomenal player and also have fun! Music has brought immeasurable joy to Lori’s life, and it gives her great joy to share music-making with others. Learning to play an instrument is like learning another language – a universal language that lasts a lifetime.
Lori teaches private piano and voice lessons on Mondays at Fort Mason.

Brie Peterson

Janak Ramachandran
What students are saying:
- “Every week is challenging, requiring lots of practice in between, but rewarding because skills that seemed impossible when they’re introduced come easily within a couple weeks. The variety and progression by which skills are introduced simply cannot be reproduced in a self-taught environment & the group setting provides the additional motivation to practice during the week. I feel fortunate to have stumbled upon Janak from the beginning and I highly recommend him to anyone similarly looking to learn guitar from the ground up!” – Forbes H.

Mike Rao
What students are saying:
- “I had never played guitar before starting lessons with Mike – he even had to teach me how to hold a pick! I have learned a ton from Mike over the years and still look forward to my lessons each week.” – Kathy M.
- “Mike Rao has a style that is so patient and laid back that you don’t realize how far out he’s pushing you. Then one day it hits you that you just improvised for 16 bars, and fell right back into the rhythm so the next student can solo –on a song that, last week, you didn’t even know how to play!” –Brian G.
- “Mike Rao has been an amazing guitar/music teacher. When I began lessons with him I was a 48-year-old non-musician. 8 years later I am playing, learning and comprehending guitar far past my wildest fantasies.” – Ian E.
- “Year after year, Thursday nights with Mike = best hour of my week.” – Brett O.

Paul Rodriguez

Davia Schendel

Leonard Sherman

John Turner
What students are saying:
- “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

Ray Wilcox
