Teachers

GUITAR

Mike Boren (email)
) After 20 years playing guitar and 11 years teaching, Mike is one of the most respected instructors in the tri-state area. He started his love for the guitar after his college roommate brought home a cheap electric guitar as a loaner. Unfortunately for Mike’s roommate, he never got the guitar back. Within 3 months, Mike started his first band, while at Murray State University. Since then, Mike has played lead and rhythm guitar for dozens of local and regional bands in a range of styles including rock, blues, country, funk and jazz.

A prolific songwriter, Mike has displayed this talent in several original bands. The most recent incarnation, Three Questions, features Mike on lead vocals and guitar, Dave Welch on drums and Bryce Klueh on bass guitar. Mike has written all lyrics and composition performed by Three Questions, which has an alternative rock vibe. They currently are playing live at local venues.

Mike has taught guitar in several music stores over the past 11 years as a professional instructor. In 2002, he decided to open his own learning and recording studio after the learning environment in local music stores left he and his students wanting much more. The Guitar Lab idea was born because Mike could not provide the type of instruction he thought would encourage his students to grow musically. Growing from one instructor to now seven, The Guitar Lab is the regions premier music-learning center.

Not only is Mike an instructor and songwriter, but he also is a recording engineer and producer. Mike turns his ear for music to assist other musicians in producing their recordings at The Guitar Lab’s Recording Studio. When not teaching, Mike is in his recording studio working on various projects. From full bands to soloists, Mike has recorded some of the regions finest musicians.

• First prize at the Telluride Acoustic Blues competition (2002)
• Winner of the Kentuckiana Blues Society’s Blues Challenge (2002)
• Finalist International Acoustic Music Awards for his song Telluride (2004)
• First place in the Memphis Blues Society's Battle of the Blues solo division (2005)
• Simi finalist in the International Song Contest, Blues category, for “Monkey On My Back” (2006)
• Winner in the Memphis Blues Society’s Battle of the Blues (2006, 2007)

Blind Dog started teaching at The Guitar Lab in 2007. He enjoys teaching children as well as adults. He teaches kids as young as seven years old.

Jon Snyder (email)
) Jon has been playing the guitar for over 25 years and has been a professional musician for 20 of those years. His early background was on the piano at age eight. Later at age 10, Jon took up the trombone. In his teens, he was selected to perform with the Southern Indiana All Star Band for two consecutive years. Though he has a clear talent for the trombone, his love for guitar eventually won out. Jon began studying seriously with private instructors at age 18 and has not put down the guitar since.

After years of playing clubs with his rock band, he decided it was time to make a more serious move towards a career in music and enrolled in the Music Education program at Oakland City University. At Oakland City University he majored in Music Education and minored in Guitar Performance. Jon received various awards for his abilities as well as his leadership during his college career. He has been teaching guitar for over ten years with teaching positions at Oakland City University, where he took over the class and private instruction in his junior year, and then for seven years at Moore Music.

He performs regularly with his blues band, The Hog Maw Blues Band, with whom he also wrote and recorded a CD in 1994. His band has been featured on a PBS documentary that is aired all around North America. Jon also performs in an acoustic duo with his friend Dave.

Jon joined The Guitar Lab teaching staff in 2008. He teaches all ages and level of students. He provides individual as well as group instruction. He recently has started a Beginner and Intermediate Ensemble Class.

Matt Camp (email)
Matt began playing guitar as a preteen, learning mostly from his grandfather until his teen years when he began studying with many teachers in various genres.  Studying rock, country, jazz, blues and classical, he found it hard to focus on just one.  He became a regular in the local band scene by age 16 and was traveling with the touring act “Burning Bridges” by age 19.  In the 90’s he moved on to play for “The Bobby Clark Band” (John Mellencamp’s cousin) and Absolute/Warner Brothers singed band “Plush.”  Finally, in the last decade Matt worked in several groups until starting the hard working cover band “Pieces of the Day” and his original band “Calling Corners” which is currently opening for national acts. (For more information about Matt’s bands click on the Links page.)

Studying with over a dozen teachers, playing professionally for over two decades, being in many working bands and teaching for seven years, Matt is well studied, and very experienced.  Matt began teaching at The Guitar Lab in 2006 and has had students ranging in age from 5-50 teaching them bass, mandolin, and all styles of guitar.

Lance Hueston (email)
Lance is originally from Middleburgh, NY and came to Evansville to study guitar at the University of Evansville. Not new to music, he has been playing music since the fourth grade.  Lance has studied both drums and guitar. During his high school years, he played drums in the school Jazz Band. He has continued his love of jazz performance by playing the guitar for the University of Evansville Jazz Ensemble. Lance has played drums and guitar for several musicals in both Evansville and upstate New York. Over the past year, he has begun studying with classical guitar at the University of Evansville, professor Renato Butturi. Next year Lance is planning on interning with the Iron Horse Music Hall venue in Boston, MA. He hopes to work for a recording studio once he graduates from college.

Lance is our newest guitar instructor at The Guitar Lab and is an Instructor-in-Training. Senior instructor, Mike Boren meets weekly with Lance to further develop his teaching skills. Lance also is an intern for The Guitar Lab recording studio and assists Mike with recording projects and audio engineering.

Jon Lutz (email)
Jon Isaac Lutz studied classical guitar with University of Evansville's Renato Butturi, jazz guitar with local teacher Ron Pritchett and double bass with Eric Sabo, currently with the President's Own Marine Band. He has performed locally as a musician both solo and as a group member with Little Moe and the Atomic Two Tones. He has also been a frequent bassist for local jazz gigs with Matt Kincaid, Dock Stocker's Dixieland Band, Sam Fulton Band and After Hours Jazz Ensemble.

Jon holds a BA in Theatre Arts from USI and has played as a pit musician for both amateur and professional productions, including productions at Civic Theatre, New Harmony Theatre and others. He has also appeared as an actor in USI, Civic Theatre and New Harmony Theatre productions, including Threepenny Opera, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Raisin In The Sun and Romeo and Juliet.

www.jonlutz.com and www.myspace.com/jonisaaclutz

Brock Stahl (email)
Brock Stahl began his musical career at the age of 5 by playing air guitar to any song that was on the radio. At the time, KISS songs were his favorite.  He started taking piano lessons around the age of 6.  In the fourth grade, he was introduced to the viola and began his classical training.  He was always a medalist in the city and state solo and ensemble contests while playing the viola.

After becoming very familiar with the piano and viola, he decided to try his luck at learning the guitar.  I only took a few months of classical guitar.  This left a lot of learning for him to do on his own.

Eventually Brock became an experienced singer song writer (writing over 75 songs) and formed a band called JEB (www.jebsite.com and myspace.com/jebspace).  They have toured across the country and have been making music for 12 years.  JEB has three CD’s of original music on their label, Funkster Records.

Brock is in his third year of teaching the guitar and piano to students of all ages.  He joined the Guitar Lab staff in December of 2008. After almost 30 years of musical experience, he is still learning everyday. 

www.jebsite.com and www.myspace.com/jebspace

PIANO

Beverly Karns (email)
Beverly started piano in the second grade and has been dedicated to music ever since. She began playing clarinet a year later and in seventh grade, she made concert first chair, clarinet. While at Reitz High School, Beverly continued her music acumen by learning the bass clarinet, baritone and tenor saxophone. She played clarinet in the Wind Ensemble, baritone saxophone and piano in the Jazz Band. Never one to turn down a musical challenge, Beverly also played clarinet and piano in marching band as well as bassoon in the orchestra. Her high school accomplishments include Honors Band, fourth chair, clarinet and Honors Jazz Band, second chair, tenor saxophone. Incredibly, Beverly played a different instrument during all four years of marching band!

Beverly made the wise decision to pursue music as a career and attended Murray State University, majoring in Keyboard Music Studies where she studied piano theory. Her method of teaching is uniquely matched to the pace of her students. Beverly wants students to enjoy the learning process and strives to teach students material they are interested in learning along with the fundamentals of piano.

She currently plays professionally as the keyboardist for McCutchanville Community Church where she has been performing for the past two years. She began teaching privately in Evansville over the last year and joined The Guitar Lab in 2008. She teaches children starting at age 6 as well as adults. Any skill level is welcomed.

DRUMS

Gregg Martin (email)
Gregg has been a professional musician for 34 years and has been teaching drums for 26 of those. He studied jazz and contemporary music at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He fine-tuned his skills with great drum instructors such as: Dennis Carlson, Gary Chaffee and Joe Hunt. His ensemble teachers at Berklee were an invaluable influence on his musical career. These teachers included Greg Hopkins, Bill Pierce and Tiger Okashi. His training at Berklee launched him into an exciting career of performing and touring with groups in twenty-two of the United States and the Bahaman Islands.

During his professional career, Gregg has performed with artists: Ernie Watts, Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, Bobby Vinton, Lucie Arnaz, Robert Goulet, Marie Osmond, Frankie Avalon, Connie Stevens, Fabian, Red Skelton, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Suzanna Somers, Sam Moore, Gary Lewis, Little Anthony, Dee Clark, Del Shannon, Tommy Roe, Four Aces, The Diamonds, The Ink Spots and Ron Kenoly.

In addition Gregg has played for the touring Broadway musicals, A Chorus Line, Grand Hotel and The Sound of Music

He has performed on numerous albums and has written three books on the subject of drumming.  Presently, Gregg shares his thorough knowledge of music and percussion at The Guitar Lab where he teaches any age and level of student.