EMA/CMA Instructors
Mike holds a Master’s degree in Communications from Illinois State University and a Bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. His musical journey began with local rock bands and expanded through studies in Classical Guitar, Jazz Improvisation, and Music Theory.
With decades of performing experience in Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Louis, Mike now channels his passion into teaching guitar and band performance. He specializes in theory, sight reading, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, fingerstyle, transcribing, improvisation, composition, and recording.
His teaching embraces a wide range of styles including classic rock, pop, metal, folk, and classical.
Beyond private lessons, Mike is known for building student bands from the ground up—guiding players in choosing material, rehearsing effectively, and performing regularly at local venues.
Before founding Ellisville Music Academy, Mike taught guitar for 18 years at Mozingo Music. Years previous he was producing multimedia software for scientific educators and publishers across Minnesota, Illinois, South Dakota, and Missouri.
Today, as the owner of Ellisville Music Academy, Mike brings together his expertise in performance, teaching, and community-building to create a space where students of all ages can grow musically and experience the joy of music.
Ben’s musical journey began at age 7, when he saw someone playing piano on TV, pointed at them, and said “I should play that.”
From there, Ben started picking up more and more instruments, ultimately leading to a Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2018. While at UMSL, Ben was active in the Symphony Orchestra, Cello Choir, Jazz Combos, and Jazz Ensemble.
Specializing in cello and bass, Ben has had the privilege to learn from Kurt Baldwin (Arianna String Quartet), Jim Widner (Jim Widner Big Band, Stan Kenton Orchestra), Eric Grossman (K’s Choice), and many other fantastic teachers throughout his musical journey. He currently performs in a grungy math rock band, The Monocles.
Ben’s experience as a student learning classical, jazz, rock, and other popular styles of music, has inspired his approach to songwriting, composition, and performance, as he’s always looking for ways to fuse different styles together and blur the lines between these musical disciplines. He likes to have this approach while teaching as well, as he believes it drives the creativity of the student and can make for a more well-rounded musician.
Ben has taught private lessons for over 6 years, and has instructed small ensemble classes for nearly 10 years.
Ben works with students as young as age 4, and is currently available for lessons on cello (beginner-advanced), electric/upright bass (beginner-advanced), guitar (beginner-advanced), drums (beginner), piano (beginner), violin (beginner), as well as music theory, composition, and arranging.
Brett is a drummer / percussionist that has a robust history of teaching, performing and recording for over 25 years.
Brett’s accolades as a professional include his former band Lapush, who released their debut record, ‘someplace closer to here’ on 456 Entertainment (Universal Music Group / Carson Daly). Brett performed live on the NBC network television show Last Call with Carson Daly. The band's music was featured on television shows; Moonlight (CBS), Laguna Beach (MTV), The Hills (MTV), College Life (MTV), The T.O. Show (VH1) and the Clear Pictures indie film, Outpatient.
Brett has supported artists; Nikka Costa, Hot Hot Heat, The Bacon Brothers, The Urge, The Spinners, Stir, The Sounds and more.Brett recorded drums and percussion on the song ‘When The Blues Go Marching In’, as performed by Charles Glenn for the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
Brett has been involved with many worship bands in the area including St. Louis Family Church, Grace Church STL, Pathfinder (St John) The Crossing, The Journey, Life Christian Center, St John United and more. He has recorded and produced for SLFC JUMP! Kids Camp (STL Family Church).
Brett has performed with local talent that include Rhythm of the Nite / Greg Worzel, The LustreLights, Galaxy Productions, Downtime Productions, Erin Bode, Jim Manley, Jake Austin and more.Brett attended Crestview Middle School (RSD), Lafayette High School (RSD) and Webster University (Jazz Performance Major).
His lessons focus on all aspects of playing including drum set, percussion, concert band, marching band, jazz band, rock bands, rudimental and mallet percussion.
Brett currently teaches privately and resides in the St. Louis area.
St. Louis native Theresa Monteleone is a junior music performance major at Webster University. She is a two-time recipient of the Peggy Fossett Endowed Scholarship and has served as co-concertmaster of the Webster University Orchestra since her freshman year. At Webster, she also performs with the Webster Opera Orchestra, Webster Jazz Combos, Webster Jazz Singers, and in chamber music as a regular collaborator for student and faculty recitals.
Monteleone is in demand as a young professional, having already performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Josh Groban. Last year, she was featured in world premiere performances of music by Zach Tesch and Jorge Morel.This last summer she received a scholarship to attend Clazz International Music Festival in Arcidosso, Italy, where she had the opportunity to study with Grammy-nominated jazz violinist Jeremy Cohen and Italian soloist Laura Adriana. Currently studying with Prof. Matt Pickart,
Theresa began the violin age of eight and private lessons at twelve with Anne Branch. She began private teaching of her own as a high schooler from 2019-present, something which she is very passionate about. Not only does she instruct violin, but she also teaches piano, voice, guitar, and ukulele.
Recent Update: Congrats to Theresa on the October 2024 release of her excellent book, How to Teach Young Kids Music !
Ben Shafer is a multi-instrumentalist pertormer, creator, and educator located in the greater St. Louis area (saxophone, flute, piano, and voice). He has a passion for creating communities and enriching experiences through music no matter what genre or situation. Ben is an active musician in the STL scene, and continues to collaborate and create as a bandleader and as a freelancer for over six years through touring outside the city, music festivals, and gigs in the area.
As a teacher, Ben helps students ranging from kids to adults in all sorts of differing skill levels with a particular emphasis on organizing lesson material based on the students musical interests. If a student has interest in learning music from standard repertoire to genres like pop, jazz, world music, etc. Ben has got you covered!
Meredith Kessler is a pianist and vocalist from the St. Louis area. She started piano lessons at age 5, and has been playing for about 18 years. She grew up singing in school and church choir. In high school, she was involved in musical theater where she was in productions such as Pippin, Damn Yankees, Suessical, and The Addams Family. She also participated in a Women’s Chorus and Madrigal Show Choir.
Meredith attended Southeast Missouri State for her undergraduate degree where she earned her Bachelor’s in Music in Vocal Performance. At Southeast, she was involved in the auditioned University Choir and Chamber Choir and served as a soprano section leader her junior and senior year. She participated in the opera productions where she played roles such as Susannah in The Marriage of Figaro and Josephine in H.M.S Pinafore.
Alongside her vocal studies, she participated in the piano studio all four years and piano masterclasses. She is currently obtaining her Master of Music in Vocal Performance at Webster University. Here, she is involved in the Opera Studio and has done scenes from Cendrillon (Cinderella), Il Matrimonio Segreto, and Der Freischütz.
Meredith is currently working on the role Suor Angelica in the one-act Suor Angelica with the Webster University Opera Studio. Additionally, she is participating in the piano studio at Webster and occasionally gigs around the St. Louis Area.
Ask Bill Love if he has played there, and the answer probably will be yes! Bill has played everywhere from small clubs to Busch Stadium!
With 30+ years of playing experience he brings a wealth of knowledge to EMA.
Bill's music can be found on Soundcloud, You Tube, iTunes and all the major streaming platforms and includes original songs & cover songs with some of his tracks being mastered at Abbey Road studios London England.
Bill started his musical journey at the age of 9 playing drums in a band called The Love Notes with his brother then switched to guitar at the age of 15. He has taught private lessons and also a beginning group guitar class at Mozingo Music, led and facilitated a successful Acoustic Guitar Jam group at Mozingo Music and Fazio's Music.
Bill will be focusing on the beginning guitar student and has a philosophy that music should be a fun and enjoyable experience for students of all ages.
Videos by Bill:
On The Wings of a Nightingale (Paul McCartney)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9yVsts20Ys
I Can Hear Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9yVsts20Ys
She attended the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati for her Bachelor of Music degree in Clarinet Performance, and continued her education at University of Missouri Kansas-City Conservatory, where she graduated with a Master’s of Music in clarinet performance. While attending these universities, she performed in multiple world premieres, recordings, and once in a lifetime pieces and concerts.
During the summers, she has worked, learned and performed in unique camps, such as the SICPP in Boston, and Buffet Crampon USA Summer Academy in Florida; where she was commended for her clarinet abilities and professionalism while working in an ensemble.
She has also counseled and taught in middle school band camps where she honed in on her clarinet teaching skills.
Presently, she is performing in ensembles around the area and is more than excited to teach clarinet lessons to help grow the passion of music in others.
At 12, she began taking private lessons and performing in extracurricular orchestras, and she quickly found a great setting in which to foster her love of music— the Community Music School at Webster University. Moving up through the ensembles, both in school and at Webster, Paige developed an appreciation for the technique and artistry needed to teach and perform everything from solos to symphonies. She was inspired by many of her teachers and conductors, and chose to study Music Education in college, hoping to have the same positive impact on her own students someday.
As an undergraduate at the Ohio State University, Paige gained a deeper understanding of music theory and teaching philosophy. The university’s symphony gave Paige both the opportunity to play more advanced repertoire, and to watch professional conductors and their graduate students in action. Ohio State’s School of Music was not only a place of learning, but also a place to appreciate all genres of music with peers and colleagues. Some of Paige’s most memorable moments at the university were spent playing alongside her fellow members of Cellohio, the all-cello ensemble and organization led by Ohio State students.
After earning her Bachelor’s degree in the Spring of 2023, Paige returned to the St. Louis area to continue teaching private lessons. She’s since been building a roster of cello students, hoping to open her own private studio in the future.
In St. Louis he continued to freelance with various groups and pit orchestras including New Line Theater, Kirkwood Theater Guild, Alpha Players and many others. He was a featured soloist with the Northwinds Concert band and was a member of the Rhythm Imperials horn section for years (Motown and R&B music).
Carl believes in building solid fundamentals while helping students become expressive performers. He enjoys working with students of all ages to help them reach their goals.
Carl received his Master of Arts in Teaching from Lindenwood University and is a music educator in the Parkway School District.
Graduating from Webster University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Audio Engineering, Evan Florida is a well-rounded musician with a diverse background. While in college, he minored in music, studying piano, drums, and cello - even playing cello in the Webster University Orchestra. If he’s not playing music himself, you’ll find him engineering recordings in the studio. Evan’s diversity of knowledge in the broad field of music and audio is sure to fill the gaps in your student’s musical education.
The guitar bug bit Bryan at 13 years old, the first time he heard Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” From that moment, he knew he had to play guitar for as long as his fingers could pluck the strings. He taught himself how to play within a year, and started his first band in high school. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Performance from Southeast Missouri State University, specializing in classical and jazz guitar. During that time, he was a member of the SEMO Studio Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Combos, was selected for the All-Collegiate Jazz band, and was active in the Symphony Orchestra.
Bryan was a music teacher at Mozingo Music for almost a decade, before relocating to California. He just returned home to St. Louis after spending 15 years in the Los Angeles music scene, where he played various venues such as The Viper Room, Whisky A-Go-Go, and The Baked Potato. While there, he also did movie soundtrack work for feature films such as Jamesy Boy and Mono, and played guitar/bass for various bands/musicians, including Seal, Mykell Wilson, JT Harker, Josh Paige, and Electric Soul Parade.
Bryan’s teaching style is all about combining solid guitar skills with an enjoyable learning experience. It is his goal to help you grow as a guitarist, as he believes that the more you learn, the more fun guitar becomes. Students can expect to build strong technique while staying inspired and excited to play.
Bryan welcomes students of all ages and all abilities. He enjoys teaching many styles of music, including rock, metal, classical, jazz, blues, pop, R&B, etc. He is available for beginning to advanced lessons in electric & acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and music theory. He is currently half of the duo, Jim Heathen & The Kidd, as well as guitarist for The Blind Trees and 50 Cent Buddha, among other projects.
They say “Learn the changes, and then forget them” — So first, you gotta learn the changes. And navigating the musical landscape can be much easier with an experienced guide to help illuminate the trail.
Nick Elwood is a full-time professional musician who has been performing, writing, recording, & teaching for over two decades. He’s done his share of musical exploration. And although creating, performing, & studying music is his specialty, he’s equally inspired by stoking the spark in others through music education: “…the transmission of knowledge and skills, & the development of character.”
Nick is an inspired & committed believer in the power, potential, possibilities, benefits, & magic of non-AI, human-made music in all its forms & applications — whether it’s recreational, professional, or any mix of the two. He’s actively involved in several music projects & bands — including main original outlet Stone Sugar Shakedown — and has refined his skills and understanding through touring across the country, playing a variety of music styles on both coasts (and in-between).
There are more technologies & resources available now than ever — but nothing compares to sitting down in-person & delving into music together. The human element allows for instantaneous feedback & flexibility, and does far more to prepare a student for real-world music-making than anything via screens. It’s all-around better for the mind, body, & spirit.
Nick is grateful to provide a solid foundation of techniques, practical knowledge, & music theory. In parallel to this, the lesson plan will be strategically customized to suit the student’s needs, desires, curiosities, passions, & goals. Happy to work one-on-one, in small groups, or with full ensembles / bands. Flexible on lesson frequency & how best to spend the time together, with the goal of empowering, encouraging, providing guidance, sharing experience, & enhancing the latent inspiration of the student or group.
His formal music education includes apprenticeships with a handful of esteemed & brilliant teachers, as well as studying Music Theory, Jazz Performance, & Audio Engineering at both Webster University & Berkelee School of Music. Consistent local live music experience ranges from Forest Park & Missouri Botanical Gardens to The Fabulous Fox Theatre. Recording experiences include favorite St. Louis spot Sawhorse Studios & famous Los Angeles hub Capitol Records. He currently resides in St. Louis, MO.
Music’s gifts are scientifically verifiable, and experientially undeniable — and Nick is grateful to assist with all styles, skill levels, goals, & backgrounds. Whatever your calling may be, he can help. Indeed, many paths are possible.
