Teachers

Larry Stewart started playing the guitar at age 13, first teaching himself tunes off the radio- he grew up with names like Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis. At 15, he played his first gigs and was most interested in players such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and the Paul Butterfield blues band. After falling in love with the tunes like Take 5 and Girl from Ipanema, he went straight to LA after high school to perform and had the privilege of jamming with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Herb Alpert, David Crosby, Steven Stills, Arlo Guthrie and Delaney and Bonnie. Now an accomplished jazz guitar player, Larry spent time studying at both Ohlone and Las Positas Colleges. Besides guitar, Larry is also proficient at both electric bass and ukulele. He regularly performs solo and with various jazz bands anywhere from Stockton to Livermore and beyond in addition to teaching at Main Street Music.

Caleb Cadaing is a performer, composer, and educator based in San Joaquin County. He graduated from California Baptist University in April 2019 with a Bachelor of Music in Theory and Composition. Caleb has been playing his main instrument, the trumpet, since the fourth grade. During his time on trumpet, he has developed experience in a diverse background of performance groups including concert band, jazz band, orchestra, pit orchestra, pep band, and even a dixieland band, with which he recorded three CD’s and participated in a tour to Europe. Caleb attended California Baptist University from 2015-2019, where studied music theory and composition with Dr. Glenn Pickett and Dr. Joshua Rodriguez. While at school, he continued to participate in various performance groups and took private lessons with Mr. Rich Chasin, principal trumpet of the South Coast Symphony, and Mr. Barry Perkins, principal trumpet of the Pacific Symphony and recording artist for many blockbuster films. Additional studies in college and after college include conducting, music education, piano, trombone, baritone, ukulele, and bass. Caleb continues to teach lessons on trumpet, trombone, baritone, ukulele, and music theory online and in San Joaquin County. In his free time, he enjoys practicing various instruments, composing and arranging music, reading, playing video games, serving on the worship team at his church, and playing in his local community band.

Having played and taught for many years, Tom Renner has found much success both teaching and performing in the central valley and bay areas. With 30 years of experience, he specializes in saxophone and clarinet as well as flute. He also teaches violin, trombone, trumpet, piano as well as some double reed. Tom received a B.A. in music education from Gustavus Adolphus college in Minnesota and has taught in the Tracy Unified School District for many years at several levels. Tom currently serves as the Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the school district and is heavily involved with the Performing Arts Magnet at Tracy High School. Inspired most by Chris Potter, his dream is to perform jazz until his last living day.

Dave Villa is a great jack of all trades teachers. A saxophone player first and foremost, he's been playing since 1982. As a public school teacher for the last 21 years, he has experience on nearly all wind and orchestral string instruments. He offers lessons on flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, tenor sax, violin and viola in addition to his primary, alto sax. Dave received his Bachelor's in Music Education from CSU Stanislaus. His biggest inspirations are Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Paul Desmond and Charlie Parker. Some of Dave's favorite accomplishments include his first jazz solo performance in 1983 and his senior recital in college. In addition, he has traveled to Europe on two different occasions to perform with different groups. Dave's biggest musical goal is to be a better player than he was yesterday.

Jon Herbers is a percussionist based in California's Central Valley. He is currently working towards his bachelor's degree at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music where he studies percussion performance and is an active performer with the orchestra, wind ensemble, 28/78 New Music Ensemble, and Pacific Heavy Ensemble-a heavy metal orchestra. He has also performed alongside such notable acts as the USAF Band of the Golden West and Orphic Percussion. He hopes to pass his love of music on to his students and the next generation of drummers.

Joseph Serrano is a professional drummer based out of Tracy, CA. He currently performs live with the Latin funk band Third Sol and other groups in the Central Valley and Bay Area. Joseph has 23 years of drumming experience. He played tenors and snare (center snare) in the high school drumline, percussion in the high school concert band, and drum set in the high school jazz band all four years. He also taught his high school drum line the year after graduating (1st place champions!). Joseph has worked with metal bands Wrath of Vesuvius (WRVTH) and Black Passage, where he toured the country and Canada, played hundreds of shows and recorded multiple EP’s and full length albums. Although he’s mostly played in metal bands, Joseph also specializes in funk, r&b, rock, jazz plus many more. Joseph also loves making pizza, loves sports and of course, loves teaching!

Brian Hunt has been playing his primary instrument, the guitar, for over 15 years. He's been a teacher here for 8 of those years. In addition to guitar, he also offers lessons on ukulele and bass guitar. Brian has certification from the Berklee College of Music in Boston in music theory, harmony and ear training. His favorite artist is John Mayer and he excels in blues, pop and acoustic finger style. In addition, he enjoys country and rock music. Other than one day making it on the big stage, seeing his students succeed in music is Brian's most important goal.

Larry Stewart started playing the guitar at age 13, first teaching himself tunes off the radio- he grew up with names like Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis. At 15, he played his first gigs and was most interested in players such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and the Paul Butterfield blues band. After falling in love with the tunes like Take 5 and Girl from Ipanema, he went straight to LA after high school to perform and had the privilege of jamming with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Herb Alpert, David Crosby, Steven Stills, Arlo Guthrie and Delaney and Bonnie. Now an accomplished jazz guitar player, Larry spent time studying at both Ohlone and Las Positas Colleges. Besides guitar, Larry is also proficient at both electric bass and ukulele. He regularly performs solo and with various jazz bands anywhere from Stockton to Livermore and beyond in addition to teaching at Main Street Music.

Andrew Verdoes has been playing guitar for over 40 years, performing for over 35 years and teaching for over 25 years. He received a BA in music from Cal State Hayward (now Cal State East Bay) in 2000. He began teaching at Main Street Music in 2001. A couple of Andrew’s former students are now teachers at Main Street Music. Andrew has studied and performed many types of music including: Classical, Jazz, Country, Rock, and Blues. He has a Classic Rock band, Blue-a-Fuse, that he performs with around the area regularly.

Evan Warwick is a specialized guitar teacher at Main Street Music, offering lessons specifically on classical guitar. He graduated from Fresno State University, Class of 2014, with a B.A. in Music Composition. He studied under the direction of Kenneth Froelich for 2 years, and Benjamin Boone for 1 year. While attending Fresno State, Evan was an active guitarist, performing with the Fresno State Guitar Studio both in their Guitar Ensemble and as a soloist. In addition, he has performed many times with the Fresno State Concert Choir, and the Fresno State Chamber Singers, and has years of experience in recording technology. Outside of Main Street Music, Evan helps run a music program at the Tracy location of the Boys and Girls Club.

With an impressive 63 years on piano, Mike loves his Hammond B3 organ and also plays flute and piccolo as primary instruments. In addition, he is proficient on guitar, electric bass, ukulele, banjo and alto sax. Mike's first performances date to 1968 and he began teaching in 1972 after spending time at both DeAnze Junior College and San Jose State. His favorite artists span many styles and include JS Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Thelonius Monk, Duke Ellington, The Beatles, No Doubt, Frank Zappa and Charlie Parker. Mike is most proud of opening for Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship, performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival and playing for a huge crowd at Golden Gate Park on the famous 'trailer stage'. His daughter Adrianne sings, plays piano and ukulele while his son Phoenix also teaches here at Main Street. Mike's goals are to continue composing, teaching, playing and sharing his music.

Jessica is one of our great piano teachers who has been studying the instrument for 17 years. She's been teaching here for the last few years after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in music from Walla Walla University in Washington state. Jessica is very proficient in both classical music and musical theater tunes, which often cover many genres of modern art and pop music. Outside of teaching at Main Street, Jessica has done many orchestra pit performances with both the Woodminster Summer Musicals company as well as the Pacific Coast Repertory Theater. In addition, Jessica is a staff accompanist at Las Positas College where she plays for an assortment of music classes as well as theater productions at the college.

Phoenix is one of our phenomenal multi-instrumentalist teachers. His primary instruments are the flute and piccolo, as well as voice. In addition, much of his teaching workload involves the piano. Phoenix has been teaching for the last 5 years, with a total of 14 years playing the flute including a performance degree from California State University- East Bay under the direction of Michelle Caimotto. His favorite musicians are a collection that includes Elliot Smith, Coheed and Cambria, Maximum the Hormone, Thelonius Monk, Kendrick Lamar and Yoko Kanno. Among the biggest musical accomplishments, in 2015 Phoenix had the opportunity to perform in an Amy Porter master class and also sang in the Legend of Zelda symphony chorus in 2016. Going forward, his biggest goals include learning to play the contrabass flute as well as to master and perform the Nielsen flute concerto.

Matthew Verona has been playing piano and organ for over 20 years and has been teaching since 2014. Matthew started teaching young musicians at Main Street Music in 2019. He graduated from Stanislaus State University, Turlock with his bachelor’s in music education, holds a certificate in beginning piano pedagogy from Las Positas College, Livermore and has taken many music education and performance classes from University of the Pacific, Stockton. Starting new students in music with a strong core in music fluency in a large part of his teaching philosophy. Matthew is a well-rounded musician; besides keyboards he also plays harp and all woodwinds. Since 2013, Matthew has been the organist for The Christian Science Church in Stockton. His current passion in keyboards is restoration and performance with 19th century American reed organs.

Born in Osaka, Japan, Takako began piano lessons at the early age of four. She enthusiastically played throughout her childhood, traveling to Australia and later Russia where she performed "Chopin Piano Nocturne". After high school, she entered Osaka College of Music majoring in Piano studying with Yoshiko Baba. Two years later she seized the opportunity to study piano in the United States first at Seattle University and later the University of Idaho and then Utah State University, advancing her piano skills under the supervision of Jay Macley and Ralph Van de Beek. Accepted into the coveted Liszt Academy of Music in Hungary, Takako instead elected to study with Thomas La Ratta at the University of Notre Dame de Namur where she completed her BA in music with an emphasis on piano performance. During her university years Takako performed many recitals and concerts throughout the entire Bay Area. Winning first prize in the Notre Dame Piano Concerto Competition she performed the "Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor" with Redwood Symphony Orchestra as a soloist. After receiving her BA, Takako attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to study piano with Paul Harsh. Takako has taught piano privately for 26 years taking many students from their first notes to an advanced level, while raising a growing family she continues to work on accompanist for schools, churches, and pianist for parties, weddings and theatre productions throughout the bay area.

Elizabeth Dubie has been a public school music teacher here in Tracy since 2008. She has also been giving private lessons on violin, viola and cello since 1996. Elizabeth received her Bachelorís of Music degree from CSU Stanislaus in Turlock. Her public teaching credential is from the San Joaquin County Office of Education. Elizabeth teaches many styles but her favorite styles to listen to are bluegrass and the symphony orchestra. She especially likes the San Francisco and New York philharmonic orchestras. Mrs. Dubie is happily married to Phillip Dubie of Dubie Racing who does repair work Main Street Music. Their four kids are a trumpet player, a flautist, and two violin players.

Offering lessons in both violin and viola, Margaret earned a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance as well as a Minor in Violin and Piano from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. While in school, she was a student of violist Doris Lederer (Audubon Quartet). Margaret grew up in the capital city of Caracas in Venezuela, where she was involved in the music program El Sistema that teaches music as a larger and longer lasting part of childrenís lives and as a vessel for social change. Using her experiences, she has traveled internationally to share her passion and vision with other music programs. Margaret is the founder and artistic director of Music Mission San Francisco, an El Sistema inspired music program tailored towards under privileged children. Prior to her studies in the United States, she performed with the world-renowned Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela under Maestro Gustavo Dudamel. Additionally, she has worked with several professional chamber ensembles and symphonic orchestras in the United States.

Erik Alvarez Urbina (The Rocking Cellist), born 1988 in Stockton, CA, began studying cello at a young age. He has studied with Louise Saunders, Nina Flyer and Jakob Koranyi. a University of the Pacific graduate, Erik's passion in life is to share his knowledge of music through teaching as well as sharing his musical talents with many people.

Bernardette Medeiros, also known by many as Ms. Bernie, is a full time voice teacher. She has been singing since she was 13 years old and has been teaching for the last 14 years. Ms. Bernie received her Bachelor's of Music in vocal performance, cum laude from University of the Pacific in 2001. She attended the Conservatory of Music on a full ride scholarship by receiving the Excellence in Performance Award, given to one incoming freshman. Some of her musical milestones include performing at Disneyland and working with several Grammy, Academy and Tony award winning artists. She also had the pleasure of playing a leading role in a west coast premiere opera. Ms. Bernie's long term goals are to continue to change lives with music as well as see one of her students accept a Grammy, Academy or Tony award. She is proud to have past students try out for or appear on America's Got Talent, The Voice, X Factor, American Idol, Steve Harvey and Ellen. Bernardette is a third generation Tracyite, where her husband also grew up, and they have one son in the GATE program.