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Voice. Instrument. Performance.

VIP Teachers

VIP School of Music

Get to Know Our VIP Teachers

At VIP School of Music, we take our responsibility seriously. We don’t just love music. We love helping others express themselves musically. We are all professional musicians as well as music educators. With lessons available seven days a week for all ages and instruments, we have options for everyone. This is possible with the quality of our VIP teachers. Get to know our teachers below. All our teachers are live-scanned and fingerprinted for your safety. If you’re interested in taking lessons, get in touch with us now. We offer same-day consultations.

A woman is sitting on the floor playing a musical instrument in front of a microphone.

Maria Hall

Maria Hall is the creator and owner of VIP School of Music. She is a music educator, music producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from San Diego, CA. She has been teaching and performing music for over 20 years, giving her students an education in music theory, performance, and songwriting. Over the years, Maria has been an instructor for The Music School, California Music Studios, Lakeside Middle School, and Riverview Elementary School. Maria created her first music school under the name Staump Music School, located in Santee, CA between 2007 and 2014. She served as Music Education Director.


Maria created VIP School of Music in 2015. This performance-based music school gives individuals of all ages the opportunity to learn the language of music and nourishes each student to find their unique way of expressing it.


Maria is continuously working to provide an innovative, challenging, and inspiring environment for her students to discover, create, and learn about music. She offers lessons for all ages and all levels of skill. If interested, please contact us or email vipschoolofmusic@gmail.com to schedule an appointment.

Maria on SHOUTOUT SOCAL
A woman is playing a flute in front of a sign that says stage

Cindy Sproul

Cindy Sproul teaches piano, saxophone, and flute at VIP School of Music. She started saxophone in fourth grade and continued throughout high school, where she participated in the Grossmont Union High School District Honor Band and the Top Talented Students Honor Band. In college, Cindy played for the Copper Mountain College Concert Band and then the Grossmont College Concert Band. Cindy has played the flute since fifth grade, where she played with her school band as well as the San Diego Youth Symphony. Cindy started piano in early elementary school. She took private lessons through the Halverson Piano Studio, where she was taught technique, performance, and theory. Cindy has been playing and performing at her church since her teenage years.


Cindy has been teaching music for eight years. Music is a passion for Cindy, and she describes her teaching style as theory-based with a combination of classical and modern music training, always focusing on the personal goals of the student.

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Jeannie Hanninen

Jeannie Hanninen teaches piano, ukulele, and voice. Growing up in East County, CA, Jeannie began playing the piano at eight years old and continued her formal music training by playing Annie in the SGI youth group theater. In high school, Jeannie studied piano and music theory in the VHS music department, joined the jazz and chamber ensembles at Valhalla High School, sang annually in the Grossmont Union High School District Honor Choir, and was a candlelight caroler at Disneyland California. In 2009, Jeannie toured through Italy and Rome and performed in the Pantheon and at mass in the Vatican. 


Today Jeannie continues her passion by studying performing arts and music theory at Grossmont and Cuyamaca Community Colleges. She is currently a vocalist in the Cadence Vocal Jazz Ensemble and a bandmate for the band Rabbits Foot. 

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John Peter Nollet (JP)

JP started piano lessons at an early age. JP performed at his sixth-grade elementary school graduation and has been performing ever since. JP has a music degree from Colorado State University with a concentration in music therapy. Although JP has had many jobs throughout his life teaching has always been part of it. He remembers his mom setting up his first student for him back in 1988. JP moved to California in 2021 and is now accepting students for enrollment. You can learn more about him at his website Johnpeternollet.com.

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Matthew Taylor

Matthew Taylor is a drummer and percussionist from Boston, MA. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music and a Master of Music degree from Longy School of Music in Boston, MA. As a performer, Matthew travels extensively in the United States as well as in Europe. A well-rounded musician, Matthew plays a broad range of styles from classical with the La Jolla Symphony Orchestra to jazz with many of the top local jazz artists in San Diego, CA. Matthew is also a dedicated educator of percussion and drum set and is an enthusiastic and accomplished private teacher for students at all levels.

A man in a black hat is playing drums in a dark room.
A man is playing drums in front of a bush.
A young man wearing glasses and a blue shirt is smiling for the camera.

Jacob Studer

Jacob Studer is studying classical guitar at Grossmont College. He has played with the Grossmont Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Guitar Ensemble. He has many years of experience playing live shows with various bands around San Diego, CA. Jacob is inspired by all genres of music and is excited to share his passion for music with all of his students. He teaches guitar and piano. 

A man is kneeling down playing a guitar in a room.
A man is sitting on a bench playing a keyboard.
A man is sitting on a stool playing a guitar.
A woman is playing a guitar in a dark room

Jay Sanchioli

Jay Sanchioli graduated from SDSU with a Bachelor of Music in 2017. He plays in a band called Ten Bulls. They were hand-selected by Switchfoot to open for them at their 2017 Bro-Am music festival (under a previous name, Sights and Sages for the EP double plus). The band was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Indie/Alternative Album for the 2018 San Diego Music Awards (under Sights and Sages). The band regularly performs at San Diego venues like Casbah, Soda Bar, and Belly Up Tavern, and the group has also completed two tours across the country in November 2021 and November 2022! They are currently working on the follow-up to their first album. Ask Jay to learn more about what the band is up to!


In addition to Jay’s quest for private ventures, he is super passionate about teaching! With Jay’s lessons, you can expect to focus on your skills as an instrumentalist. This includes things like learning vocabulary and techniques specific to your instrument and learning your favorite songs. Jay will also help you focus on your skills as a musician. This covers things like vocabulary and techniques regarding musicianship. You will learn music theory, songwriting, ear training, timekeeping, and more.


Jay was included in NBC San Diego's "Top 10 San Diego Bassists" list in 2019. He wrote and recorded a full-length album titled The Physician's Magician as Ten Bulls in 2019. Jay teaches bass guitar, guitar, drums, and music theory at all levels. Additionally, he teaches piano and ukulele at a beginner or intermediate level. 

A man with a beard is singing into a microphone while playing a guitar.

Calvan Christ

Calvan Christ is a multi-instrumentalist with over 20 years of live performance experience and nearly 10 years of experience as a music instructor, youth mentor, and tutor. Bass guitar, guitar, and vocals are his primary instruments, and he is well-versed in classical and jazz music theory. He holds a BA in Philosophy from San Diego State University and was also a student of the jazz studies program at the University of Oregon. Calvan enjoys studying, playing, and teaching all styles of music from soft jazz to extreme heavy metal and everything in between. He currently plays in bands local to San Diego, CA and also has experience as a national touring musician. Calvan is an avid surfer and hiker, and he enjoys spending his free time exploring the outdoors and camping with family and friends. 

A man is playing a guitar and singing into a microphone on a stage.
Two men are playing guitars on a stage.
A young woman with red hair and freckles is smiling for the camera.

Genny James

Genny James teaches violin, piano, ukulele, and voice, and she studies violin performance at SDSU. She started as a student of Suzuki Strings at age seven and went on to play around San Diego, SD with groups such as Grossmont Symphony Orchestra, East County Youth Symphony, Pacific Lyric Association, SDSU Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra. Genny has been awarded by the National Association of Teachers Singing and is a former member of Cadence Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Genny also writes her own music, which can be found on all streaming platforms.

A young woman in a black dress is holding a violin.
A woman in a purple dress is playing a violin on stage.
A woman is playing a violin and another woman is playing a piano.
A man is playing a trumpet on a stage in a dark room.

Christian Florendo

​Christian Florendo currently studies jazz trumpet and theory under the San Diego, CA legend, Derek Cannon, at Grossmont College. He has many years of experience performing music, with deep backgrounds in jazz, Latin, funk, pop, R&B, and reggae. You can find him regularly playing around town with Sticcy Rice, a jazz fusion quartet, Honeytones, a 6 piece jazz/funk band, the Grossmont Big Band Jazz Ensemble, or the Grossmont Afro-Cuban Ensemble. You may also catch him at local jazz jams or guest starring in local bands such as Santana Soul or Rabbitsfoot. 


He is the current Vice President of the Grossmont Jazz Club and uses this position to help teach and organize playing opportunities for his fellow musicians at Grossmont. Outside of trumpet, he studies piano with Reka Bodis-Parker at Cuyamaca College and can teach beginner levels of piano and ukelele.

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Jackson has been teaching music for over two years. He began singing professionally at 10 years old, performing gigs at Kobey’s Swap Meet. He also teaches drums, bass, and piano. With a background in rock and roll and musical theater, Jackson has performed throughout San Diego at venues such as Lestat’s Coffee House, the former Qualcomm Stadium, and the Balboa Theatre. He loves working with students and watching their progress.

A young woman in a black dress is holding a violin.

With a Little Help From My Friends

VIP School of Music

Blackbird

VIP School of Music

A man wearing glasses is playing a bass guitar

Joel Martin

Joel Martin is a self-taught bassist with 17 years of experience performing, touring, and recording. He often performs with Dante Elephante—a disco-inspired indie-pop & soul band—with highlights including playing Lollapalooza (2021), Audiotree Live (2022), a 31-city national US tour (2024), and recording for their forthcoming studio album (2025). Born and raised on California’s central coast, he gigged regularly with the psychedelic blues-rock band Saint Anne's Place (winner of the 2011 Downtown Sound Battle of the Bands). Joel received his BA with a major in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM) from UC San Diego in 2024. He is also a vinyl DJ and produces music in Ableton.


While learning songs the student loves, Joel emphasizes concepts and practices that make collaborating with others productive and enjoyable: actively listening to parts other than your own, understanding the role each instrument serves in an ensemble, the power of the rhythm section, the necessity of playing in time, and the ability to play through musical mistakes (we all make them, no matter what level of ability).


Joel teaches bass guitar and audio production. Additionally, he teaches piano and drums for beginners.


A man is playing a guitar in a black and white photo.
A man with glasses is playing drums in a band

Baruch Kellman

Baruch Kellman is a self-taught drummer and has been drumming since 1985. As a teenager, he started playing in punk and hardcore bands in San Diego and eventually started touring the States and Europe.


Baruch is very community-driven, and in the past, he was an adolescent residential counselor who also taught drums to at-risk youth. Worked for YMCA summer camps to enrich children’s lives.


During his time in Los Angeles in the 2000s, he was playing with different bands in LA. Circuit as well as some recording projects in which he started giving lessons to pass on the craft and share his touring and recording experiences with his students.


His approach to teaching is with discipline, humor, endurance training, and applying a creative approach to drumming.


Styles of drumming taught are Punk, Hardcore, Post Rock, and Classic Rock n Roll.


He is still active in the local music scene, playing gigs and working on multiple projects.


Drums are the heartbeat of music.

A man playing drums in front of a marshall amplifier
A man in a suit is singing into a microphone on a stage.

Daniel Freeman

Daniel Freeman graduated from Grossmont College in Spring 2021 and graduated from California State University Fullerton in May with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. At Grossmont, he studied classical voice with Audra Nagby and Dr. Randall Tweed, and jazz voice/improvisation with Melonie Grinnell and Derek Cannon. At CSUF, he studied Voice Lessons in classical and jazz with Dr. Mark Goodrich, Krystle Menendez, Andreas Preponis, and Teryn Re.


Daniel has performed with various ensembles at CSUF including Concert Choir, University Singers, Fullerton Jazz Singers, and Opera. Daniel has performed as a chorus member for artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Rob Kapilow, and John Williams. He was invited to the Chorus America Conducting Academy in July 2023 as one of the Podium Session vocalists. Additionally, he has recently performed internationally with California State University Fullerton University Singers under the direction of Dr. Robert Istad on a tour to South Africa and Rwanda.


Daniel is currently a staff singer for the San Diego Master Chorale, and a section leader with St. Marks Methodist Church. On the education side, Daniel has previously had the opportunity to be a student director for Cadence Vocal Jazz Ensemble in Fall 2024 where he led his own group of vocalist and rhythm section.


He is currently a vocal coach for Mission Bay High School under the direction of Lorelei Garner. Daniel is very excited to continue to grow as an educator and share his talents and compassion for music.

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