DAN ROBBINS

Dan Robbins has been teaching instrumental music at La Paz Intermediate School in Mission Viejo, California for 31 years. He teaches Intermediate and Advanced Band as well as String Orchestra and two Jazz Ensembles. He graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education.

In 2000, Mr. Robbins was honored as the La Paz Intermediate School and Saddleback Valley Unified School District Teacher of the Year. He has been nominated for the Grammy Music Educator Award, and this past year he was honored as a national quarter finalist. In addition, La Paz Intermediate Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Robbins, has been one of 6 middle schools in the U.S. selected to perform at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Fest 14 times since 2005.

Mr. Robbins continues his work with the South Coast Youth Symphony Orchestra as the Associate Conductor, and has traveled to Europe 10 times as a performer/conductor with the ensemble since 2005.

Dan Robbins is married to a music and nurse educator and has two boys, Nicholas and Nolan, ages 24 and 26. A musical family, both boys are former members of the La Paz music program, as a bass and trumpet player respectively.

OUR COACHES

The La Paz Instrumental Music Program is one of the top Intermediate School programs in Southern California. The program consistently receives the highest marks possible at local music festivals in Orchestra, Concert Band, and Jazz Band. Through booster donations, the La Paz music program has access to professional sectional coaches for all instruments. These coaches help provide students with a consistently high level of individual/small group instruction on a weekly basis, which results in tremendous growth in every student’s musical skills and ability.

Lisa Cherry

Horns

Lisa Cherry has been playing the horn since 1978. She completed her degree in Performance in 1981, and won her first professional orchestra job in Veracruz, México. She has been “free-lancing” ever since her return to the United States.

Televised all over the world, Ms. Cherry was in the “Hour of Power” orchestra from 2001-2010 at Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. She has toured with several orchestras, operas and symphonies throughout the world.

Ms. Cherry has a very successful horn studio in Orange County, where she teaches and inspires musicians of all ages. She holds a B.M. in Music Performance from California State University, Long Beach, and her extensive teaching background has led her to top Universities all around Southern California.

Lisa is currently on faculty at Cal Baptist University in Riverside and Professor of Horn at University of CA, Riverside. She also teaches at The Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA). She also offers private lessons in her home.

Daniel Blank

Violin

Daniel Blank started playing the violin at age 9 and continued playing classical music through school. He has continued with classical studies, but his musical interests now cover a wider range.

After many years of playing Rock and Pop in the Northwest and Alaska, he moved to Nashville, where he spent 10 years touring the country with such artists as Tanya Tucker, Johnny Paycheck and Trick Pony. He also performed many times on the Grand Ole Opry stage, live and on television broadcasts.

Since moving back home to Orange County, he teaches at local schools and privately. He also performs regularly playing anything from string quartets to square dances and jazz to country.

Corey Townley

Percussion

Corey Townley is an experienced drummer with over 30 years' experience. He has a demonstrated history of working in the music industry and is skilled in audio recording, jazz, music composition, songwriting and music industry. He graduated from SCHS and is considered a design professional.

Corey says the biggest complaint about playing the drums is the overabundance of amazing musical sound. He decided to make his own bundled/rod type sticks. After improving the design flaws that most drummers complained about, he increased production and Core Drums organically grew into what it is today.

Corey has been instructing for over 20 years and has been teaching at Rancho Canyon Music since 2003.

John Reilly

Woodwinds

John Reilly is an accomplished woodwind doubler and a free-lance musician. He is one of the few who plays "all" the woodwinds, including oboe and bassoon. John got his bachelor’s degree from University of Nevada and a Master’s in Woodwind Doubling from University of Redlands.

While living in Lake Tahoe, John played in the backup band for Harrah’s Reno, accompanying many well-known celebrities including, Sonny and Cher, Frank Sinatra, the Carpenter’s and Stevie Wonder… just to name a few!. Since his move to Southern California in 1982, John has played in soundtracks that have been heard in over 75 films and commercials! He's been nominated for 5 Grammy's and is on Stevie Wonder's latest award winning CD, "A Time to Love".

John has two grown sons, Michael and Brendan. Both are accomplished musicians, who live in Los Angeles and London respectively. Since 2005, Mr. Reilly has been teaching at California Baptist University, Riverside, CA. He currently lives in Lake Forest with his lovely wife, Lisa Cherry, a professional French Horn player (and La Paz music coach) along with their two Golden retrievers. He offers private lessons in his home.

Christy Alesi

Viola

Christy Alesi graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in music education. After moving to Orange County she did graduate work in Viola Performance at UCI.

Teaching and performing are her two loves, with over 30 years of classroom experience and 35 years of private instruction. She is currently a violist in Symphony Irvine, and in the past has played in the Orange County Symphony and other local groups.

Nick Robbins

Bass

Nick has been a musical artist since birth, and has been playing instruments since the age of 3. A born singer, his instrumental experience began with piano, transitioned to cello in Elementary School, and eventually found its home on the bass at the start of Intermediate School. Nick attended Mission Viejo High School from Fall 2011- Spring 2015 where he gained much musical experience playing bass in all the available performance classes including String + Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Big Band + Combos, Musical Pit Orchestra, Electric String Group, as well as playing Sousaphone in the Marching Band throughout all 4 years of high school.

Since graduating high school in the Spring of 2015, he has played in numerous bands, recorded in amateur and professional studios, and performed at many venues including Disneyland, Herb Alpert's Vibrato Jazz Grill in Bel Air, The Queen Mary, and many more. Nick comes from a family of musicians and teachers, so combining the two has come naturally to him, and both of which he considers to be a great honor. He greatly enjoys sharing the beautiful truth of life with others through the gift of music!

Rudolph Stein

Cello

Rudolph Stein is a member of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra and works as a cellist in the Los Angeles recording industry. Before moving to California, he was principal cellist of the Charleston (WV) Symphony and prior to that, principal cellist of the Shreveport (LA) Symphony. He was also a member of their resident string quartets.

As a Chamber Musician, Mr. Stein has performed over National Radio and Television. He has also toured many parts of the United States, Europe and Latin America. He currently performs with his brother Edmund as a violin-cello duo and other various ensembles.

Mr. Stein is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy High School and has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has served as Professor of Cello at the University of Charleston has taught privately throughout his career.

Currently, Mr. Stein teaches privately in Mission Viejo and teaches virtually to students online around the world.

Elijah Parra

Trombone

Elijah Parra is an alumni of El Toro High School. He is currently studying Trombone Performance, with an emphasis on classical music, at Saddleback College with professors Joey Sellers and Mike Hoffman.