LAMusArt's Teaching Artists Take the Stage

James Hober, Ben Zurier, and Juan Gamez perform as a supergroup.

On Saturday, November 15th, Los Angeles Music and Art School hosted its very own Teaching Artist Showcase in which teachers took turns showcasing their talent in the ballet room. Despite the rain, guests enjoyed an evening of varying musical talents, ranging from vocalists to pianists and even a trio.

The night began with our Programs Manager, Marlene Grajeda, greeting the audience as the Emcee for the occasion. For each Teaching Artist who performed, she gave a small introduction that included each teacher‘s discipline and how long they’ve been teaching at LAMusArt.

Opening the show was the Visual Art Instructor, Diana Ortiz, who sang a cover of “La Fama” by Rosalía. Diana is a multi-disciplinary artist with a focus on visual storytelling in animation. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Animation/Pre-Production from California State University of Long Beach. As an instructor for almost two years, she teaches all ages of artists from Art for the Young to Art II.

Up next was the Communications Coordinator, Leslie Swadener, with a cover of “I Caught Myself” by Paramore. Although not a teacher, Leslie has been a part of the LAMusArt team since 2020, when she started as an Arts Education Intern. She received her BA in Music from Whittier College. As an employee of LAMusArt, she understands the importance of arts education and has continued her music education by taking voice lessons with Melina Adragna for two years.

Following the vocalists was LAMusArt’s own supergroup featuring guitar instructor James Hober, piano instructor Juan Gamez, and drum instructor Ben Zurier. Together, they wowed the audience with their own rendition of “Heaven in Pennies” by Esperanza Spalding and an original composition by James Hober entitled “No Rehearsal Blues.” James Hober holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Cornell University and studied film scoring at UCLA Extension. He has been a teaching artist at LAMusArt for over 35 years. Juan Gamez is a piano performance graduate of the Mike Curb College of Arts at CSUN. He has been an instructor for three years. Ben Zurier graduated from Towson University in Maryland with a Bachelor’s degree in Music in the Jazz/Commercial program with a concentration in Jazz Drum Set. He is also a graduate from the California Institute of the Arts with a Master's in Fine Arts and a concentration in World Percussion. Ben has been a part of the team for two years.

Piano and Audio Engineer instructor Nadia Aponte was up next, performing two of her own original songs. She opened up with a mellow piece titled “On Sundays,” which captured the beauty of spending time with those you cherish. She then sang and played a song called “Scary” that spoke vulnerably about how unpredictable life can be. Nadia is a homegrown talent, starting at LAMusArt at a young age. She has graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Industry Studies and has worked for years as a sound engineer for various events. Within the last two years, Nadia has become a permanent part of the team as an audio engineer instructor and a piano teacher.

Piano Instructor Brendan White closed the event with three excerpts from a version of The Nutcracker scored specifically for piano. The arrangement is designed to reflect all the musical elements of a full orchestral performance. He began with “Overture,” followed by “Marche,” and ended the night with the emotional “Pas de Deux.” Audience members were in a trance as Brendan’s fingers moved swiftly and seamlessly across the keys. Brendan studied at the Eastman School of Music and the Thornton School of Music University of Southern California, and has been a teacher at LAMusArt for about a decade. He performs regularly at community theatres and events.

Los Angeles Music and Art School would like to thank everyone who performed and the audience in attendance for continuing to support our mission. We look forward to seeing more of you at future events!

Photo credit to our photographer for the night, Erik Luna.