STAFF
Mike Williams - Camp Director
Mike is the Camp Director at Soundwall Music and has been
involved since its inception. In 1995, he worked with Jana Pantazelos
(Camp founder) to develop the residential program as its Music
Director. Mike earned his Master of Arts degree from CSUH in music composition. He teaches Music Literature, Popular Music and
American Culture, Music Theory and Guitar at Los Medanos College
in Pittsburg, CA. Mike has taught privately since 1972 and in 1995 authored the advanced guitar instruction book, "Guitar Lessons with
the Greats," for Warner Brothers Music.
John Xepoleas - Music Director/Drums
John has been the drum instructor at the residential camps
since their inception. He has been the Director of Music at the
camp since 2000 and works closely with Mike Williams in guiding
the curriculum and success of the Soundwall music camps. John
has a B.A. in music from California State University at Hayward,
is a regular contributor to various drum magazines and has six
method books published by Warner Bros., including the "Lessons
with the Greats" series for drums, bass, guitar and saxophone.
He manages and plays drums for The Fundamentals and has
been teaching privately since 1975.
Chris Meek - Guitar
Chris joined the Soundwall staff in 1996, first as an assistant to
Mike Williams, then as a primary guitar instructor. Chris has been performing around the Bay Area for 13+ years, playing club dates, festivals and recording sessions with such diverse acts as Shaka
Ra, Myron Edwins, Gashouse Gorillas and Sugar Boogie. He also has carried a full teaching schedule for the last 7 years. Currently
Chris plays regularly with Jr. Deville (blues), Trilogy (a Rush tribute)
and has recently joined Dyno54 (Funk/Soul).
Jason Wall - Drums
Jason Wall is an active performer, recording artist and drum instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been a part of the Soundwall Music Camps since 1995. While camps are in session, he serves as one of the primary drum instructors. The rest of the year, he is the Executive Director serving on Soundwall Music’s Board of Directors. As a recording artist, Jason’s drumming has been heard on several national television shows including The Bad Girls Club, MTV Road Rules, VH1 Old Skool, and various NBC sports programs to name a few. As a performer, he has toured nationally and internationally with Bay Area vocalist Bray, the French funk group The Motivators and Jazz legend Louie Bellson. Jason also keeps a very active teaching schedule with his private students, master classes, and as a contributing writer for DRUM! magazine.
Marc Levine - Bass
Marc has been a full-time musician since age 17. He has
performed or recorded with the following artists: Barry Manilow,
Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick, Olivia Newton-John, Melissa
Manchester, MichaelDamien, David Hasselhoff, Burt Bacharach,
Dianne Schuur, Rosemary Clooney, Gerry Mulligan, K.T. Oslin,
Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain. He has been a bass instructor
at Soundwall music since 2005.
Chris Cole - Vocals
Chris has been singing professionally for the last 25 years.
He has worked in a variety of musical settings ranging from
Hard Rock and Funk to R&B and Swing. He is a great showman
and has been a Soundwall staff member since 2002.
Ann Hughes - Vocals
Ann Hughes has been teaching at Soundwall since its inception.
Threeof her children are Soundwall alumni. She has been
singing professionally for almost 30 years in the Bay Area and
Los Angeles area. She has been teaching private and group voice
in the Bay Area for 16 years. She has a diverse style covering
jazz, big band, swing, gospel, blues, pop and rock. She has been
the music director at Canyon Creek Church in San Ramon for
15
years and sings with a number of local bands including: Ace High,
Bob Claire Orchestra and the Cooltones
Adam Schuman - Guitar
Adam Schuman is a talented young musician who plays guitar,
bass and sings. He has been performing, recording and teaching
music in the SF Bay Area for the last 10 years. Although his main
focus is rock music, he has played with bands performing a variety
of musical styles including: jazz, funk, gospel and blues. Adam
has been a Soundwall Music instructor since 2000. He is currently performing with the San Francisco based band, Cold Hot Crash.
Mike Ramos - Guitar
Mike Ramos has been playing guitar for 13 years and enjoys
composing, performing, and improvising through many genres
and stylesof music, from blues to jazz to metal to electro-acoustic.
This will be his third summer teaching guitar at Soundwall, although
he is also an alumni of the camp.Mike keeps a full time teaching schedule and is a student of Mike Williams.
Bray - Songwriting
Bray began teaching at Soundwall in 2007. He teaches songwriting
and helps prepare bands for their performances. As arecording/
performing artist, Bray has toured in 10 different countries. His
songs have been heard on shows such as MTV Road Rules and
VH1 Old Skool. He has written and/or performed with artists such
as Scott Weiland, Slash, Joe Satriani and Dr. Fink (From Prince's
band). Bray brings great enthusiasm to the camp and shares a
unique approach to writing, recording, and performance. www.braymusic.com
Patrick Sexton - Guitar
Originally from the Bay Area, Patrick lives and attends school in Los Angeles. He came to Soundwall in 2003 as a student, and so much enjoyed his experience he decided to give back! Patrick is a recent graduate of Musicians Institute, and is currently working toward his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition. He has extensive experience teaching, playing guitar and singing, and has performed at various venues including the Knitting Factory. Patrick has studied with great musicians including Jimmy Wyble (Frank Sinatra), Dale Turner (Editor of Guitar One Magazine), Jorg Kohring (Lifehouse & Blend) and Carl Schroeder (John Lee Hooker). He is currently the Youth Administrator and Worship Leader at a local church where he arranges, directs, leads, teaches and participates in a variety of musical events.
OTHER STAFF & GUESTS ARTISTS
In addition to our regulars, Soundwall Music has had a fine group
of teachers and guest artists over the years. These have included:
Eva Gardner (Pink)
Tim Stewart (50 Cent)
Jeff Campitelli (Joe Satriani)
Glenn Letsch (Montrose & Robin Trower)
Jimmy DeGrasso (Ozzy Osborne, Alice Cooper, Megadeth)
Jeff Ochletree (Led Zeppelin, Tool, Billy Cobham)
Steve Bowman (Counting Crows)
Ariena Cap (Victor Wooten protege)
