Our Teachers

It’s so Important to have the Right Teacher

The journey is the most important part of learning.  We will always do our best to make sure you are having fun in a comfortable relaxing environment while advancing in whatever style or technique you choose.

We would love to meet you and see which teacher would best suit what you would like to learn.

Glenn Torresan

Teaches:

  • Acoustic guitar
  • Electric guitar
  • Slide guitar
  • Basic music theory
  • Song writing techniques

     

Glenn has been playing guitar professionally since 1976 and while he is likely too humble to tell you this himself, he is truly a genuine master of many styles of guitar.

  • Modal playing (don’t be scared!)
  • CAGE, and 3 note per string systems as well as how and when to use them
  • Basic theory (a little understanding opens up new possibilities)
  • Rhythm techniques
  • Finger picking
  • Slide guitar (any style): standard, Drop D, Open A, E, and C tunings, (and anything else you can think of) left and right hand techniques.

During Glenn’s long career, he has played almost every genre (country, folk, blues, heavy and light rock, pop, reggae, and metal, world etc.) Glenn will work with you to tailor your lesson plan to help you become the player you want to be, and with that, open new horizons along the way.

Glenn Torresan - Master guitar teacher

Chad Nesrallah

Teaches:

  • Production and recording: Beginner – Advanced.
  • Private lessons: Guitar, drums, piano, bass: Beginner to intermediate.
  • Group lessons: Band coach.
  • Music business: artist management and development, social strategy: Beginner – Advanced
  • Styles: All. (Pop, rock, blues, metal, country, rap, hip hop, folk, dance, world, reggae, etc)
  • Specialty: Song arrangement, production

Chad has been producing music since 1987. Having played almost every concert band instrument and done extensive scoring and conducting. This has given him a great understanding of what makes a strong arrangement. Chad is also the director and head instructor of the School of Recording Arts. As the owner of Fat Dog Studios since 1987, he also has extensive experience recording and producing every kind of music imaginable.

Music producer, songwriter, teacher, band coach

Shelley Cohen (a.k.a. Vocal Dynamo!)

Voice acting coach

About: Voice Actor/Teacher/Coach/Mentor, Writer, Communications Specialist

Teaches:

  • “Becoming a Voice Actor” , an introductory course to the world of narration and voiceovers
  • Private coaching: Voice coaching for voice actors, or to improve speaking, presentation or training skills
  • Voice Acting business: How to market yourself to find work (as part of Becoming a Voice Actor)
  •  Genres: Corporate videos, commercials, on-hold and IVR (telephony), medical narrations, websites and e-learning programs

     

Specialties: Helping voice actors hone their skills, narrating corporate videos (on and off camera), commercials (on and off camera), telephony, Web and e-learning

After graduating from the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s (B.C.I.T.) Broadcast Communications course in the late 70’s, Shelley went to work in radio in Castlegar, British Columbia (B.C.). and has been voicing commercials and corporate videos for governement departments and industry ever since.  With the advent of voicemail in the late 80’s, she joined one of Canada’s premier voicemail and on-hold companies and has been one of Canada’s top voicemail artists for clients such as Rogers, Canada Post, CIBC, President’s Choice Financial, National Gallery and many other businesses and associations.

She became a certified Instructor/Facilitator in 2000 and taught over 3,500 hours of Security Guard and Private Investigations training over several years.  In 2010, she developed the “Becoming a Narrator”  course, which was offered through a local community college.  In 2013, she joined Fat Dog Productions where she now offers “Becoming a Voice Actor” in the spring and fall.  Registration is now open for her next course!

Voice acting coach

George Gritz

Bouzouki instructor, Greek Music Specialist

Teaches:

  • Bouzouki
  • Greek Music Theory
  • Melody and chord structure

George has decades of experience playing bouzouki and creating traditional and contemporary Greek music. 

Bouzouki