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Soundwall 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 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 began teaching at the Soundwall Music camps in 1996. He works closely with John Xepoleas in developing useful techniques for the camp drum students. He performs both locally and in Europe with the power funk group, "The Motivators", and has recorded and toured with Jazz legend Louie Bellson. Jason has his own private teaching practice and is studying drums with Pete Magadini and Steve Smith.
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, Michael Damien, 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.
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.
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. Three of 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.
Joe Young - Guitar
 Originally from the SF Bay Area, Joe currently lives and performs in NYC. He started teaching at Soundwall in 2005. He has studied with acclaimed musicians such as Barry Finnerty, Mike Zilber, John Abercrombie, and John Patitucci. Since moving to New York he has maintained an active performing schedule and has played in various venues such as the Knitting Factory and Monterey Jazz Festival, along with many others. He is currently working on his Bachelors degree at City College of New York.
Mike Ramos - Guitar
Mike Ramos has been playing guitar for 13 years and enjoys composing, performing, and improvising through many genres and styles of 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.
Laura Chavez - Guitar
A former alumni, Laura has been teaching at Soundwall since 2003. She has been teaching private lessons and been performing in the Bay Area music scene for the last seven years. Laura  maintains a very active performance schedule with the Lara Price Band which has included venues such as Yoshi's, the Monterey Blues Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival as well as tours throughout the United States and China
Bray - Songwriting
Bray began teaching at Soundwall in 2007. He teaches songwriting and helps prepare bands for their performances. As a recording/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
Kevin Van Geem - Drums
Kevin is our triple threat. He is a former Soundwall student who has developed into a great drummer. He is also a composer and excellent bass and guitar player. Kevin is currently finishing his Bachelor's degree for jazz drumset performance from Portland State University. His hobbies include, but are not limited to: pizza, burritos, card games, sandwiches, movies and rock climbing. He started teaching at Soundwall in 2002. Check out his bands. The Rainy States and A Cautionary Tale.
Patrick Sexton - Guitar
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