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To contact an individual teacher to inquire about lessons, please call MIR Music
at 503-693-0434.
Ron Hurst
Drums Ron Hurst has been the drummer for John Kay and Steppenwolf since 1984. He also plays
and has recorded with John Kay and Friends, Kay's most recent solo project.
A seasoned touring veteran,
Ron's credits also include performances with Chuck Berry and Charlie Daniels' "Volunteer Jam" Band,
as well as guest appearances with Greg Allman and the Doobie Brothers. When called to task, Ron has also stepped
in to play with "The Guess Who" and "Three Dog Night" (when last minute emergencies prevented their respective
drummers from performing.).
Ron currently resides
in Portland, Oregon, where he has quickly established himself as an accredited drum instructor. When not on tour,
Ron stays busy balancing teaching and session work with various international projects. Ron's work with John
Kay and Steppenwolf has made him a well sought after commodity in the music industry.
Sharon Donaldson Violin, Fiddle
Sharon Donaldson
started playing violin at the age of 9 in a school program in Arizona. She then started private lessons with Pamela Joseph.
As a young adult, she moved to Oregon, got married and had four children. During that time she continued to play violin and
discovered Celtic music. She learned to play Scottish and Irish music in the traditional way (by ear) and also joined the
Scottish Fiddle Club of Portland which played for the Scottish Country dancers and at the Portland Scottish Highland Games.
Sharon has also played in a couple of bands, and continues to perform in small ensembles for weddings and parties. These ensembles
play in various genres ranging from classical to Celtic to old time and ragtime, and even classic rock.Sharon has been teaching
violin/fiddle to children and adults since 1998.
Val Blaha
Piano, Guitar, Mandolin
Born and raised
in southern California, Val Blaha started began her study of piano at age 6 and performed starting at age 7 at a multitude
of venues including school recitals, local public and private events, piano competitions, national conventions and churches.
At age 12 she received the Individual Achievement Award from the Motion Picture Council of Southern California. During her
teens she performed as a soloist and accompanist and also studied music theory, hymn playing, guitar and voice.
At UC Santa Barbara, Val studied under Wendell Nelson and Thomas Russell, concentrating on piano accompaniment for 3 years
in the Bachelor of Music program. She went on to get an MA in Anthropology from Western Washington University. In 2001
she decided on a career change and devoted herself to teaching music, playing guitar, piano, mandolin and washtub bass, songwriting,
and small-scale farming.
Val believes that music is an integral part of life, and that love and appreciation
for music can be deepened by a good learning experience. The discipline and skills learned from the study of music can
also help students excel in other areas of life.
Val works with students from age 6 on up, and enjoys working
with adult students at all experience levels. She has found a great deal of difference in how students learn best and so she
uses a variety of method books and teaching approaches. She also focuses on practice techniques so that students learn how
to learn. Lessons
are held year round, and students can start at any time, but openings for new students tend to be available in September,
January, and throughout the summer. My teaching schedule fills up quickly, so if you are interested in lessons starting
within the next 6 months, contact me for lesson time availability or to get on a waiting list. I usually have about 30-35
students on my roster. Most
students do one 30 minute lesson each week. Some students prefer to do 45 or 60 minutes lessons weekly, if they have ample
practice time. I try to be flexible and work with students to decide the best schedule based on individual needs
and goals. All lessons are
individual, although parents are welcome to sit in on their children’s lessons if they wish.
piano lessons I teach all levels of piano from beginners to advanced. Note identification and music reading is taught from the
start, as is basic rhythmic understanding. I also focus on development of proper technique and the artistry of playing piano
music. I usually use the Faber
piano books (Piano Adventures), but also use other materials including exercise books by Czerny, Hanon, etc. I also encourage
students to let me know if they have preferences about music styles or particular songs, works or artists, and I try to include
those whenever possible. guitar
lessons I teach beginning folk/rock/country
guitar. I introduce basic first position chords and a variety of picking and strumming techniques. I also teach beginning
music reading and students learn how to pick out some tunes, and how to find the starting pitch of songs if they wish to
sing along while playing. While
I do teach basic note reading, I focus mostly on rhythm guitar skills, which include strumming, finger picking, etc. I don’t
teach lead electric guitar. I
often will also work with rhythm guitarists on their vocal skills… breathing, song interpretation, and basics like
how to sing and play guitar at the same time. mandolin I’ve
recently started teaching beginning mandolin lessons. These are for students with little to no prior experience on the mandolin.
Students will learn to read notes and tablature, basic rhythm understanding, how to play chords, etc. We’ll focus
mainly on bluegrass and Irish music. additional info I hold
a couple of recitals a year for my students so that they can demonstrate their progress for family and friends.
Patrick Nearing
Trumpet
Patrick Nearing has been playing trumpet and teaching in the Hillsboro/Portland
area since 2002.
It is Mr. Nearing's feeling that music has filled his life with happiness and afforded him
many wonderful opportunities to grow personally as well as musically. It is Patrick’s sincere desire to share the gift
of music with his students,so they may also expand their hearts and their horizons through the world of music.
Patrick’s teachers have included the following:
Ira Lee, Professor of Music, University of Oregon
Brad Alison, North Texas State University
Noyes “Bart” Bartholomew, Indiana University
Paul Mazzio,
North Texas State University.
In continuing pursuit of musical enlightenment, Patrick is now studying Jazz Theory
and Harmony with James M Gregg, a trumpet player, composer and conductor from Flagstaff Arizona, and a graduate and recent
faculty member of Northern Arizona University.
John Gross
Tenor Saxophone Alto, Clarinet, Flute
John Gross is an internationally respected musician, and has resided in Portland since 1991. Among his employers past and present: Harry James, Stan Kenton, Lionel Hampton, Shelly Manne, Don Ellis, Woody
Herman, and Toshiko Akiyoshi. (Learn more about his musical background on
Wikipedia )
He performs regularly with the Gordon Lee Quartet, David Friesen, David Frishberg, and the Alan Jones Sextet and
his own groups Belema Bii and the John Gross quartet. John has taught at universities in the US and Europe and is the author
of "185 Multiphonics for the Saxophone, A Practical Guide" published by Advance Music.
Benjamin Zuelsdorf Piano, Vocal Coach, Music Theory Tutoring
Benjamin
began his musical journey when he was 11 with classical piano lessons in Chicago. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree
(Piano; Jazz Emphasis) at Portland State University in 2011. Benjamin has studied and performed straight ahead jazz,
western classical, Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Funk, experimental and electronic genres. He has composed and arranged for
many types of ensembles including jazz vocal groups, jazz chamber groups (trios, quartets, etc), vocal ensembles and Big-bands.
He
has five years of experience in piano instruction, working with students age 4 through adult from all skill levels, in the
Portland and Forest Grove area. His teaching experience ranges from working privately with students on piano and voice,
coaching elementary students in after school music programs and, assisting with instruction of adult group-piano classes at
Portland State University.
Benjamin
welcomes students of all ages, styles, and skill levels for piano and voice lessons. Students will learn about reading music,
proper technique and body awareness, repertoire studies, music theory, and improvisation. He also works with intermediate
to advanced students in: Jazz, composition, advanced music theory, classical repertoire and ear-training. Lessons are tailored
individually to each student based upon their learning styles, music goals and skill level. "The journey through music can be long and challenging.
I would love to offer my experience and training to make your journey fun, creative, and a life-long pursuit."
- Ben
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