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Drew Brady (they/them)
Drew Brady (they/them) is all about keeping music lessons fun. They graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory, but their innate musical curiosity led them to become a singer, pianist, trumpeter, euphonist, guitarist, producer, and occasional gamelan player. They believe that music theory is a valuable resource that can do anything from helping people learn how to play their favorite songs to helping people learn how to write their own songs. They are well-versed in compositional techniques from various styles and time periods; from Beethoven to Webern, from Miles Davis to Thundercat, and from the Beatles to Olivia Rodrigo.
Drew wants to emphasize that playing music is just that, play. A student’s relationship with music shouldn’t be one dominated by feelings of stress or inadequacy, and Drew knows those feelings because they have had those feelings from music lessons before. While studying children’s musical cultures with Dr. Patricia Campbell at the UW, Drew learned that children are profoundly and innately musical, and Drew’s goal is to foster that musical relationship, regardless of age or experience.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @Drew-Brady-1 / Paypal drewski31@gmail.com / Cash App $drewby31
Gianni Aiello (he/him)
Gianni Aiello is a Burien-born multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and performer. He is driven by a strong musical curiosity which has taken him from learning Beatles tunes on the piano as a child to touring across the country in his rock band Naked Giants. In addition to his bass work with Naked Giants, he has played guitar and piano with Car Seat Headrest on such stages as Madison Square Garden, the Tonight Show, and Primavera Sound in Barcelona, and he also plays drums in the Seattle-based band Pablo’s Legs.
The desire to be a lifelong student of music keeps Gianni reaching for the next steps, and he believes that the same desire can be found in anyone. His lessons focus on exploring what excites each student about music - whether it’s personal expression through songwriting, intellectual development through theory and analysis, or just the sheer fun of jamming! While basic techniques are fundamental to any field, Gianni seeks to create a low-pressure learning environment where a student’s progress is determined not by their technical skill but by their enthusiasm for music.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @Gianni-Aiello / Paypal gianniraiello@gmail.com
Pablo Melcher-Ordonez (he/him)
Pablo studied music at SFCM and UM Ann Arbor, primarily under Scott Pingel (principal bass of San Francisco Symphony) and Maximilian Dimoff (principal bass of the Cleveland Orchestra). He holds his degree (summa cum laude) in classical double-bass performance, with an emphasis on early music. Although professionally trained in classical style, Pablo enthusiastically dives into other genres and encourages his students to do likewise!
A native Seattleite, Pablo is an active member of the Pacific Northwest music scene, enthusiastically performing, composing, and of course, teaching. Experienced in a wide gamut of professional performance settings, he values what we may call 'stylistic cross-pollination'. Especially in today's culture, the health of our musical community depends on connections made between wonderfully diverse people. Carrying that conviction, Pablo holds students to a multi-faceted approach to learning.
Classes maintain a balance between the individual student needs, and the general needs required for them to effectively function within the musical community. Pablo has taught students of ages six through 70, skill levels beginning through advanced, disabilities of mental and physical impact, and students of other such specific needs. This array of specific student needs requires an array of specific teaching methods. Private lessons with Pablo, through Mode Music Studios, take the student past their current musical limitations in a manner most suitable to their unique temperament.
Brandon Bermudez (he/him)
Brandon has been a working musician, producer, and engineer in the Seattle/Tacoma area for the past decade. He regularly plays in and around the Seattle area and sometimes tours in other countries. Brandon frequently collaborates with many professional musicians in the area. Recently, he's played bass with prog-rock band Bone Cave Ballet and alt-rock band Starry-Eyed Samurai, and drums with both new-wavers Trick Candles and pop-fusion band Nitrogen Lion Society.
Brandon believes that consistency, versatility, and attitude are the traits that make great musicians. With his interactive-guidance teaching approach, the student controls the pacing of each lesson, which alleviates classroom anxiety and helps the lesson material become more comprehensible. With a heavy emphasis on creativity and technique, Brandon will improve their understanding of rhythm and the ability to perform in many styles of music by sharing his 20+ years of composition and performance experience.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @Ezekiel-Lords
Dick Cady (he/him)
In 1978 Dick Cady attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, in the 2-year diploma program for writing and arranging. On returning to Seattle in the mid 80's, he studied with the storied jazz piano teacher Jerome Grey for 3 years. Since the late 90's he has attended many of the Golandsky Institute summer seminars, first at Williams College and later at Princeton, and studied with many of the staff including John Bloomfield and Kendall Feeney. In 2004 he began studying with Charlie Banacos for several years.
He was a regular on the Seattle music scene for many years doing club dates with his own group and many other instrumentalists and singers including Ernestine Anderson and Pete Seeger. He was the music director for the Orion Street Youth Theater. Dick has been providing instruction steadily for over 25 years to all ages and levels.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @ladyerin — Use memo line: FOR DICK CADY
Ricky Claudon (he/him)
Ricky brings together his background as a tutor and paraeducator with his lifetime experience in music for an individualized approach to music education that focuses on memory, fluency, and music appreciation. As a working musician, he has spent time developing his skill by adapting and learning a variety of styles on piano and guitar.
In piano, he specializes in theory, memorization, performance, and improvisation has a deep knowledge of classical style, and teaches popular Baroque and Romantic repertoire. Ricky also teaches Blues, R&B, and Rock & Roll styles, and in general, encourages his students to explore a diverse range of music.
In guitar/uke/bass, Ricky enjoys teaching fingerpicking style, improvisation, and basic theory. He also teaches students who want to learn to sing, play and write their own music. He specializes in combining rhythmic and lyrical styles and teaches techniques on how to effectively memorize lyrics and changes in songs.
Erin Rubin (she/her)
Erin is the owner of Mode Music Studios and founder of Mode Music and Performing Arts. She teaches piano and voice. Erin started on piano at the age of four. At twelve, she was on stage with the local working musicians at various Seattle venues and festivals. She has written music for and performed with many Seattle bands including: Wesafari, The Exploding High-Fives, The Quiet Ones, People Eating People, Nouela, and Danny Newcomb. Erin has worked and currently works as a hired studio musician since the age of 17 in Bellingham, Seattle and Los Angeles areas. Erin found her calling as a teacher in her early twenties and believes a healthy balance of technique, theory, and arranging in the context of songs the student loves, is the fast track to any student’s success in music lessons.
Emily Jensenius (they/them)
Emily Jensenius was born in Issaquah, WA, into a family of music lovers that includes several pianists, an opera singer, and a zither player. As a teen, Emily played viola in the Seattle Youth Symphony and also performed on Classic King FM radio with their string quartet. Emily went on to study viola performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice University, and Florida State University. Their major teachers were Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey, James Dunham, and Pamela Ryan. At FSU, Emily received assistantships to coach viola and chamber music, as well as to play with the College of Music's Eppes String Quartet, which collaborated with student composers on new works. The Eppes was coached by cellist Greg Sauer and mentored by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.
As an orchestral musician in Florida, Emily played with many professional ensembles, including the Tallahassee Symphony, the Columbus Symphony, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, and the Albany Symphony. After graduation, Emily was fortunate to live in Oxford, England, for a few years, where they taught privately and performed as a member of the Oxford Chamber Orchestra and the Oxford Sinfonia. Emily currently lives near Washington, D.C., and teaches for Mode online.
Emily encourages students to be self-directed and will follow each player's musical interests while also fostering healthy technique and critical listening skills. A lesson with Emily will typically focus on the physical setup, pitch and rhythmic awareness, style and phrasing, and strategies for efficient practice. Emily's goal is for every student to enjoy being a musician and to feel increased self-confidence as they improve. Some of Emily's other interests are distance running, watching video essays, listening to oldies, folk, or pop music, and baking pies.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @ej_viola