LOS RIOS ROCK SCHOOL - Key Persons
Clint Haycraft began his musical journey at the age of 9 when he began playing the clarinet in the St. Margaret's Episcopal School church services and pep band. By age 11, he had traded in his clarinet for the guitar, and began playing and singing in rock bands with his fellow students. By age 13, he was recording and performing his own songs, and continued to do so throughout high school. While studying Literature at the University of California, San Diego, Clint dis
covered composition for orchestral instruments, receiving the Special Award for Composition in 2003. He went on to earn masters degrees at California Institute of the Arts in 2007 and Zurich University of the Arts in 2010. Most recently (in 2015), he was awarded a Ph.D. in Music Composition from the State University of New York, Buffalo.
While living in Buffalo, NY, Clint Haycraft played in various bands with local musicians. Most notable of these was Citizen Dan, which covered exclusively Steely Dan material, including the album Aja in its entirety. Clint then joined the band High Horse, adding keyboards, lead and rhythm guitar, and vocals. High horse was awarded the Buffalo Nightlife Magazine Music Award for "Best Niagara Falls Band" in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and voted "Best Adult Contemporary Band" in the Western New York Music Awards in 2013.
Clint has privately taught guitar since 1999 and piano since 2010. In 2011, he began teaching music theory and music appreciation at the undergraduate level as a teaching assistant at the University at Buffalo and then in 2013 as an adjunct professor at Trocaire College. He has experimented with progressive teaching techniques with great success, and feels that the traditional way music is taught leaves much room for improvement. Clint‘s extensive knowledge of music theory, composition, and technology coupled with his passion for rock music allows him to offer students a holistic perspective on creating music, always with the intent of nurturing their creative spark.
Johnny Oskam is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, mix engineer and composer with over 10 years of experience in the music industry.
From a young age Johnny took to music and never stopped. Growing up in San Clemente, Johnny was involved in choir all through elementary, middle and high school. He earned the plaque for choral performance in his senior year at San Clemente High School and sees his background in choral music as the foundation for his love for music in general. He also began learning guitar and piano at age 13, and has been playing ever since.
Starting in 2010 and for the next 7 years, Johnny pursued a career as a blues/rock solo artist. He has played countless live shows, many of which as an opening act for national touring artists such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Burdon of The Animals, Robin Trower, Walter Trout and many, many more. He released two full length albums, Soul Search (2014) and In My Shadow (2017). In My Shadow was nominated by the Independent Music Awards for Best Blues Album of 2017. Johnny and his brother Michael were also nominated for best producers for the same album.
In 2017-2018, following the death of his father and band manager, Johnny decided to take a step back from pursuing a career as a blues/rock artist and focus his attention on other things. He began working as a teacher for School of Rock, where he remained as an integral part of their staff for three years, eventually taking the position of Music Director at their Rancho Santa Margarita location.
After leaving School of Rock in 2019, Johnny began leading worship at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, CA. You can still see him singing and playing guitar at mass on Sundays.
In 2020, Johnny began feeling the itch to pursue a career as an artist again. Feeling refreshed after a few years away, and with a new, more mature perspective on the industry and music in general, Johnny formed a hard rock band called Systerian. Formed with his best friend and long-time drummer, Katin Burns (also a teacher at Los Rios), Systerian has been consistently releasing music since September of 2020. Drawing influence from grunge-era bands like STP, Alice In Chains and the like, as well as nu-metal groups like Korn, Systerian has a familiar but fresh sound.
In addition to Systerian, Johnny also works in other avenues of the music industry. Taking more of a backseat role at times, Johnny produces for other artists, mixes, composes for film and liturgy, and of course teaches.
Justin Norman was given his first acoustic guitar for his 10th birthday, and after six months had performed his first "solo act" for an elementary school talent show inSacramento. By the time he was 11, he was playing in the local church youth group regularly and knew he had found a new love to compete with sports. By the time Justin wasin high school, he was in various rock bands performing at local venues, private parties, and churches with Matthew Logan Vasquez and Phil Allen (Grammy Award winning engineer/producer for Adele/Pink/others). Hegrew up listening to classic rock & roll, but was inspired by the likes of local guitar heroMarc Seal to dive into the works of technical guitarists like John Petrucci (DreamTheater/LTE), Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, and others in the virtuoso vein. Justin took his first music theory class his junior year with RayWoods at Dana Hills High School and was soon to learn that he had an ear for musical composition not just confined to a guitar alone. These foundational classes paved the way for what was to be the beginning of his real musical journey.
At 19, Justin moved to Hollywood to attend Musicians Institute, where he was exposed to top-notch jazz, fusion, rock, and country music players. He had the opportunity to pick the brains of who he felt were some of the best private instructors in the world. After a year of learning and networking,Justin was asked to join an up-and-coming band called The Confession as a lead guitarist. He recorded a full length album with the group before hitting the road several times, opening for bands like AvengedSevenfold and Megadeth as well as being part of two Warped Tours (2006 & 2007). During this time, he was sponsored by Dean Guitars.
After two years of off-and-on touring, Justin decided to go his separate way from the group and his touring days in the metal world were over. He plays locally with various artists/friends, both in the studio and a live scenario. In 2011, he joined some of these friends in performing live on America's GotTalent, backing Michael Grimm (AGT Winner). To this day, he's had the opportunity to play in small, intimate settings with the likes of the Van Halen brothers and Tre Cool (Green Day), of whom he has recorded a few songs in a group called Bubu & The Brood, featuring Tre's wife Sara Wright as lead vocalist. He has also released two solo instrumental records called Introspectrum (2016) and SacredSpace (2018).
Justin has been a private instructor and live group director at Los Rios Rock School in San JuanCapistrano for nearly 7 years now. He has returned to teaching because he has found that: "Music, and the ability to express oneself by playing music with others, can bring a certain unequivocal joy through all seasons of life, and it's important that the young people today understand this." He specializes in guitar but has a keen ear for bass, drums, piano, and other instruments. He also loves to help other artists from a producer/composer standpoint, creating and arranging music. He wants to share his gifts and experiences with the eager hearts willing to learn.
Phil Allen is a producer, engineer, multi instrumentalist. Starting out as Warren Huart's intern at the age of 19, Phil has had a steep career: He became head engineer of "Harmony Studios" and later on "Spitfire Studios" where he worked with high profile producers and writers like Fraser T Smith, Dan Wilson & Jack Douglas and engineered songs for Daniel Powter, Adele, Aerosmith, P!nk and Miley Cyrus. In 2012, Phil won a Grammy for Adele's "Someone Like You."
Ryan Bernardo is a composer, producer, sound designer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist from San Clemente.
He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electronic Music Production and Sound Design from esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Ryan began his music education with Classical piano and violin lessons as a child. However, it wasn't until he picked up guitar and drum set as a teenager that he found his passion in pursuing music as a career. Gaining a wide range of experience from Classical piano competitions as well as performances in various high school rock bands, Ryan eventually took his talents to the Berklee College of Music, where he was admitted as a drum set principal. While at Berklee, Ryan became fascinated with the process of electronic music production, which requires a combination of recording and sound design knowledge, proficiency on a number of instruments, as well as an ear for musical arrangement. This deep interest ultimately influenced his decision to major in Electronic Music Production and Sound Design. In add ition to his major, Ryan strove to deepen his knowledge of music theory by enrolling in Berklee's advanced Jazz Harmony courses, as well as courses in Atonal Solfege and the Musical Analysis of Stravinsky's repertoire. Outside of his classes, Ryan also gigged frequently during his time in Boston. He was involved with a number of projects: he recorded and performed drums for The Colonnade, guitar for Quarrels, and bass for Wolfbeater. He also conceived his visceral electronic act, HØUNDS, towards the end of his Berklee education, an act that he performs as to this day. On top of his involvement with a wide variety of projects, Ryan also performed for a wide variety of crowds. Over the course of his Berklee career, he has played gigs ranging from punk shows in house basements, to live radio performances at Harvard University, to full-scale productions at Berklee's esteemed Performance Center. Since graduating from Berklee, Ryan has worked in Boston, New York City, and Los Angeles. He has scored a number of short films, a couple of which have gone on to win awards at nationally recognized film festivals. He has also written music for television shows broadcasted by Fox Networks, Dreamworks, and Netflix. Ryan also performs and collaborates frequently with musicians in Los Angeles and San Diego. Aside from music, he works on the side as a visual artist, as well as a sound designer for animation. Ryan first found his passion for teaching while at Berklee, when he began to offer freelance tutoring in music production to younger students. He has continued to teach to this day, providing lessons in production, arrangement, sound design, and songwriting in his home studio. For Ryan, the most fulfilling part of teaching music is seeing his students willingness to learn, not because they have to, but because they truly want to.
He believes that as long as the fundamental passion and curiosity is there, all it takes is the right attitude and mindset to reach one's goals as a musician.
Spencer Askin started playing guitar at age 12. When he was 13, he joined his first band. He has been gigging regularly ever since. Spencer's dedication to music at such a young age has allowed him to share the stage with various well-known, established performers. He has opened for Buckcherry, Lynch Mob, and the Lemonheads, just to name a few. Today, Spencer, now 22, can be seen on stage fronting his own band, The Gromble. He sings, plays guitar, and even the occasional trumpet, for the Orange County indie/alternative rock band formed in the summer of 2009.
The Gromble is signed on 37 Records. They released a self-titled EP on the label in December of 2010. It is available on iTunes. The band was nominated for four Orange County Music Awards, including Best Live Band. With influences such as Weezer, the Pixies, and Pavement, The Gromble is finding itself winning over fans and playing to packed houses. Spencer and The Gromble are currently working on a full length album to be released summer of 2012. Spencer writes the bulk of the lyrics and says the upcoming release is self produced but sounds like a bigger production with full orchestral arrangements.
Spencer studied three years of jazz guitar at Saddleback College. He has five years of private teaching experience. Los Rios Rock School is thrilled to have Spencer Askin on its teaching staff. Spencer's interest in diverse music genres allows him to teach guitar, bass, and trumpet. He also teaches ukulele, drums, and beginning piano. He uses his real-life music experiences to mentor the students at Los Rios Rock School in theory, voice, songwriting and performance.
Tyler Marolf started piano lessons at the young age of 7. He took lessons for five years, much like many children do. But when he was 12, everything changed. He received his first bass guitar as a gift from his parents. Hearing a band practicing nearby, Tyler approached the house and asked if he could play bass with them. He was met by two musicians, Dan and John Cardoza. They accepted Tyler into their musical world and continued to mentor him as a musician for many years. His love of music and playing with others in a band was solidified at that moment. Throughout school and a career in the finance industry, Tyler knew he would end up coming back to music.
Tyler was exposed to many styles and instruments during this period of mentorship. He picked up the guitar at 15 and started singing at 16. Several years later, he took up drums. His free time was filled with music and jamming with the brothers and his peers. After many years in a corporate job, Tyler decided to come back to his musical roots and teach others as his mentors had done with him so many years before. After beginning to tutor students in 2007, Tyler realized he wanted to return to performing as well. He started the band The In Between. With Tyler fronting the band on vocals and lead guitar, he set out to mak
Tyler plans to teach students more than how to play their instruments and be in a band. He has another dream that was realized when Los Rios Rock School completed development of a full recording studio. Now, the kids and instructors can work together to record, mix, master, and produce their own music in a professional recording studio. Tyler Marolf and Los Rios Rock School provide a truly unique music learning experience for the local community.
In 2015 Tyler partnered with Chris Bates to create TeacherZone.com. The vision to reach more kids with the power of music globally had now become reality. TeacherZone is a powerful Social Learning and business Management Software that helps teachers and School owners around the world manage their business' and keep their students engaged with music learning even when away from their instructors. Along with their podcast, The Teacher Zone with Chris and Tyler, they now inspire teachers and schools around the world with new growth and creative ideas for their lesson programs.