Music Lessons
Music Lessons
Are you looking to enrich your student’s education but still keep it fun? Look no further than the lesson program at Dale City Music! We have highly qualified, patient instructors who know how to make learning fun! And don’t let the lack of an instrument stop you! We will let you borrow for your first lesson to determine if the instructor is a good fit and we have beginner guitars, bass guitars, keyboards, drums, brass and woodwinds in stock at competitive prices! Come in now and see why for 40 years, parents have depended on us to educate their children in the wonders of music!
We offer private (one-on-one) lessons for Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Mandolin, Ukelele, Trumpet, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Flute, Theory and Improvisation.
Casey Pugh – Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Ukulele, Piano, Trumpet, Theory and Improvisation.
Casey Pugh has been teaching and performing music in the DC area for more than twenty years. Known for his solo classical guitar performances, he has also played in many combos ranging from flamenco to jazz to rock.A classically trained career professional musician, Casey shares his experience and knowledge with his students. His teaching approach stresses technique and theory while tailoring lessons to each individual student’s level and interests. Casey is comfortable teaching all styles and skill levels.
Casey holds regular student concerts so his students can apply what they have learned in a performance setting. These range from beginner recitals to solo performances of original music.Casey is a three time winner of the prestigious award for INSIDENOVA Prince William County’s Best Music Instructor.
Eliane Sunderlin – Piano
Eliane is a graduate of the Federal University of Goias, Brazil, where she earned degrees in Music and piano. She performed piano nationally in Brazil as a recitalist, and played chamber music in the Conservatory of Music of Anapolis, Brazil. She has had a great passion for music since childhood where she started playing in church at a young age. She has played piano for her previous church in California, and currently for her church in Stafford, VA. She has been teaching students of all ages to play piano since 1994, and currently plays locally in concerts, weddings and church services. Eliane helps students of all ages develop their skills and to become independent musicians, learning to play and enjoy the music that they love!
Juan Somarriba – Guitar
Juan started playing guitar at the age of 14. He went on to study classical guitar and musical theory at Radford University, where he received his BA in Music. He has performed and recorded with numerous DC rock and metal bands, to include Garden of Shadows, Brave, While Heaven Wept, Black Horizon and Modulus. Juan brings to his teachings not only years of experience with students of all ages and levels, but most remarkably his ability to address the spectrum of guitar techniques and musical fundamentals in a uniquely thorough and well organized way.
Sam Carolla —Drums and Percussion
Sam is an active musician in the greater DC Metro area and a native Virginian. He holds a Bachelor’s of Music with a concentration in Jazz Studies from George Mason University. Sam started music lessons at the age of 12 and was initially influenced by alternative rock, but soon became inspired by the sounds of jazz and fusion. Sam has six years of experience teaching students of all ages, and plays locally in a variety of styles including rock, funk, pop, straight ahead jazz, big band and musical theatre. He has performed with Steve Novotel, Cristian Perez, Kenny Rittenhouse, Eric Alexander, Wade Beach, The Peter Edelman Trio, the GMU Jazz Ensemble, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Afro Cuban Ensemble and many more.
Scott Dinorma – Saxophone, Clarinet and Flute
Scott studied saxophone, clarinet and flute locally and at NVCC and JMU, taking private lessons from Dennis Brown(Hylton HS), Joe Eckert(USAF Airman of Note), Drs. John Gunnar Mossblad and Rick Crowley(JMU) and Robert Holmes(US Army Band). Scott studied music theory and jazz improvisation privately and at NVCC and JMU. Scott has taught 40,000+ music lessons in a 20+ year career and students have gone on to play professionally and just for fun. Scott has performed in VA/MD/DC and the East Coast and participated in national touring ensembles including marching bands, jazz bands, wind ensembles, rock, funk, blues, original and cover bands, wedding ceremonies, recaption ensembles and corporate events.
Paul Jung—Piano and Drums
Paul was born in Seoul, South Korea into a musical family. A mother who was a piano teacher and a father who was a piano tuner. Paul naturally picked up playing piano through his mother and when he was nine started playing drums. In 2001, Paul moved to the US with his family where he continued his musical studies at school, through his mother and his peers.
In 2008, Paul was admitted to Berkeley College of Music with a scholarship. While at Berkeley, Paul studied music performance and music theory and also took part in many recording and performing projects with his peers. Since 2012, Paul has worked as a performer and educator throughout Northern VA and Washington DC.
Dan Kelly – Guitar
Dan has taught guitar at Dale City Music for over 35 years. He works with students of all ages and levels. Dan teaches many styles, including classical, traditional, rock, pop, blues, jazz and country. Students are taught to read music and/or tablature as well as learning music theory.
They also learn to play using flat picking and/or finger style methods. Individual lessons are customized for each student.Weekly progress reports are provided to the parents of younger students. Dan has played professionally at many venues in the Metro DC area. Dan has also done various studio recording sessions including some of his own compositions. He plays both acoustic and electric guitar.
Gary Luciani – Guitar
Gary Luciani began playing guitar at the age of 12 and was self-taught for his first 15 years on the instrument, before attending and graduating with honors from the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media. Gary’s performance experience includes playing lead/solo guitar in jazz, rock, metal, pop and progressive styles, while specializing in classic/hard rock/progressive rock and metal.
Gary’s teaching style places emphasis on learning by ear and ear training with a strong basis in music theory and exposure to various styles and diverse techniques on both acoustic and electric guitar.
Breanna Gromicko
Breanna Gromicko received her bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Clarinet Performance Certificate from Shenandoah Conservatory as a student of Garrick Zoeter. She made her orchestral debut at the age of sixteen with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, PA. Gromicko actively performs in operas, chamber music, and improvisation collectives in Northern Virginia. She has played with numerous ensembles including the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, Westmoreland Symphonic Winds, and the Mid-Atlantic Wind Symphony.
A committed teacher as well as performer, Gromicko has taught private clarinet and piano lessons for the last 4 years and has worked with marching bands, jazz bands, and musical pit orchestras for the last 8 years. She specializes in beginning piano (child through adult), and woodwinds from beginning to advanced ability levels. She is currently a K-5 elementary music educator and choral director in Prince William County.
Bruce Farquharson
Bruce Farquharson graduated Magna cum laude from George Wahington University with a Bachelors Degree in Music. Prior to graduation, Bruce won the Institute for the International Education of Students Merit Scholarship to study composition in Austria, Vienna. In addition to studying at George Washington University, he studied at The Juilliard School, and Grove School of Music. His primary studies included composition, guitar, piano, viola, and conducting. Bruce has been commissioned by orchestra and chamber ensembles as well as performed in many settings including classical, rock and jazz, to name a few. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the NOVA Manassas Symphony Orchestra. For the past few years Bruce has contributed his abilities as a composer to many films including “Cougars”, “Birds Of A Feather”, “Lot Lizards”, “The Touchstone” , “Samsara”, “Dirge”, and “The Matchmaker” as well as spots for television and the internet including advertisements such as the ad for “Get Out The Vote” . The films he has scored have played in film festivals including “Fantasia Film Festival” in Canada, Horrorfind” in PA, and in “Chicago Fearfest”. In 2012 Bruce completed his first cd of guitar oriented instrumental music titled “Sonic Bricolage”. The cd showcases a wide range of styles such as rock, funk, blues, and finger style acoustic. The influence of scoring films, compositionally and also with regards to instrumentation, can also be heard throughout the cd. Bruce has also completed music for theater productions such as “Red Scare On Sunset” which was performed at the Hylton for the Performing Arts Center in association with George Mason University as well as “Macbeth” which was performed by The Castaways Repertory Theater and “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream”. In addition to performing with his band Patchwork Dorothy throughout the DMV area (and as a sub in other music groups that play rock, jazz and blues), Bruce also teaches guitar lessons at Dale City Music.
Millie T. Martin
Millie T. Martin, is from Washington DC and grew up surrounded by the wonderful music programs of Northern Virginia Youth Symphony and Fairfax County Public Schools. She started with piano lessons at the age of 7years old and bass at 11 and before she finished her senior year was performing professionally as a bass player with Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and was also part of the National Symphony Orchestra’s young artists program.
Ms. Martin received a BM in performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music and plays everything from baroque to modern music, musical theater and jazz.
She received her MM as a full graduate assistantship at Memphis State while working with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. This afforded her the opportunity to teach music theory, sight singing and ear training and music history at a university level.
Ms. Martin moved to California and the SF Bay Area in 2011 where she freelanced and taught bass at Humboldt State University from 2012-2014. She has performed throughout the state as a soloist and was a modern and baroque orchestral player from San Diego to Northern California.
While living in LA she performed with their premier baroque group Musica Angelica, also doing recording work at Gower and Sony Sound Stage Studios and freelancing with orchestras in the LA area. While in LA she taught for World Mission University and The Harmony Project.
Prior to moving to California in 2011 in DC she performed with the Washington National Cathedral Choir , the Washington Bach Consort, the National Gallery Orchestra, the Washington Ballet, the Baltimore Opera, the Maryland Symphony, the National Philhamonic Orchestra. As a studio player she played projects for Omega Studios, Cue Studios, for PBS and Japanese television and also played on recordings to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Washington National Cathedral and also recorded with Washington Bach Sinfonia.
Millie has also spent many happy summers in Graz, Austria and Europe performing opera with the AIMS festival orchestra.
Upon her return to the DC metro area in 2019 she has performed with the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra in addition to freelancing with orchestras and choral groups around DC. She has also done studio work for a PBS movie at Bias Studios and played a concert commemorative of the 30 year anniversary and fall of the Berlin Wall.
Ms. Martin brings a lifetime of experience and love of music to her students and passes on the knowledge of the great teachers she has studied with throughout her career.
Steve Richards
Inspired by his uncle, Steve’s love of drumming began at age 7. It grew stronger in school bands, gigging with local bands, and was fostered through lessons with Master Percussionist, Jim McCall. Steve went on to build his extensive skills on road tours, as a session drummer, and as a percussionist in the United States Marine Corps Band. He spent 15 years with the Washington Redskins Marching Band drum line and has played with popular regional bands and offered private drum instruction for over 20. His unique teaching technique offers students a chance to experience the power of music as they build their own skill and love of drumming.
Jordan Frank
Jordan is a Pennsylvania native who first picked up guitar at 8 years old and began to take it seriously when Guitar Hero became too easy. He was primarily self-taught and played and sang in multiple bands of varying styles. At one point, he played in a band that opened for Bret Michaels of Poison. At age 21 during undergrad at Messiah College, he began studying jazz improvisation under Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Kirk Reese and jazz guitarist Jay Umble. Currently, Jordan gigs locally playing classic/hard rock, country, metal, acoustic, and he plays praise & worship at various churches in PA and VA. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of classic rock/country cover group the Lonesome Ryder Band.
His main inspirations are Jerry Garcia, Andy Timmons, Eric Johnson, Chet Atkins, and George Benson among others. Jordan views playing guitar as another language we can use to tell a story or communicate our emotions so his lessons focus on helping students unlock the tools and knowledge to express those feelings.
Since graduating in 2018 with a B.A. in Chemistry Education, Jordan moved to the Woodbridge area and currently teaches chemistry at a local Prince William high school. He also stays active in the local high school sports scene coaching multiple varsity teams throughout fall, winter, and spring.