Our founder, Thom Alexander, a lifelong touring musician has played guitar for over forty years and holds a Master’s degree in education. Thom has worked in the music and entertainment industry since 1974. He has worked and toured with members of The Beach Boys, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Joan Jett, The Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe and the Fish, John Lee Hooker, Blondie and The Police, as well as many others. His love of all styles of American music, and his commitment to passing on its history has led him down the path to creating this school. For the past 11 years, Thom has taught guitar and bass in Lawrence.

Born in Topeka, raised in Lawrence, David spent his
formative years playing the euphonium and trombone in
Classical and Jazz settings. But 8 or so years ago the
bluegrass bug bit and didn’t let go. Since then David has devoted his musical endeavors to learning Bluegrass, Old Time, and Celtic styles. With one foot planted firmly in tradition, David acknowledges the dynamic nature of that tradition and the importance of individuality. Specializing in flat-picking and bluegrass rhythm, David is also proficient on mandolin as well as pennywhistle. David’s classical training
provides a solid background in music theory while his folk music experience emphasizes the importance of learning by ear. David has spent the last couple of years attempting to complete his B.A. in Anthropology while playing guitar and singing lead in the local Bluegrass band, The Highwater Marksmen.

Dylan Bassett is a composer, percussionist, and teacher. He has been playing  percussion for over 20 years and holds a B.A. in Music. His 17 years of experience teaching include work with the Missouri Fine Arts Academy, Drury University, Webster  University Dance Institute, Missouri State University, the Missouri Arts Council, Gash Voight Dance Theatre, Americana Music Academy, and out of his private studio. Dylan teaches private lessons in drum set, snare drum, keyboards, congas, djembe, orchestral and marching percussion, as well as traditional African, Cuban, and Brazilian drumming. He has performed in numerous jazz, rock, African, blues, and fusion bands throughout the U.S and in Africa. Dylan is currently directing the KU African Drum and Dance Ensemble and performing with the afro-jazz-funk band SUNU and various jazz bands in the area. 
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Nate Craft is a young man who spent 3.5 years teaching band at the Woodstock International School in India. He grew up in central Kansas, and migrated to Lawrence upon his return to the USA for the music.He is currently in the music program at KU, teaches most brass intruments and plays in two local bands, RedLefty and The Kinetiks.
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A Lawrence native, Chris DeVictor has been playing the upright bass for seven years. Having been surrounded by music and musicians, both family and friends, most of his life, Chris began playing music as a cellist in the fith grade. A ten year guitar player and a “closet” banjo player, his influences cover a wide and diverse spectrum—everything from old-time and bluegrass to jazz and blues. Currently, Chris is a regular Lawrence and Kansas City bassist for bands such as The AfterParty, The Konza Swamp Band,
The Mourning After, and other occasional random gatherings of music-makers.
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Matt Dollar began his musical career at 15 when he realized he could pick out tunes on the strings of a guitar and emulate his favorite rock stars. Since that time he has been performing and recording in a variety of musical styles from industrial to country and all stops in between. During the early eighties Matt did a tour of duty in Southern California but after realizing he wouldn’t always have the hair necessary to be California musician and unwilling to get plugs he returned to Kansas. As member of Manhattan and Lawrence based bands—most notably The Lonesome Houndogs—he has worked throughout the Midwest playing guitar and pedal steel. During the last two years Matt has been living in New England and worked as the steel guitarist for the Boston based band The Twilight Ranchers playing the hinterland and making occasional forays into other parts of the US.
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Ginger has studied violin for 15 years with Julie Holmburg. She was in the Lawrence Youth Symphony from 1997-2001 and she was a Concert Mistress in 200 as well as 2001. Ginger participated in the Kansas State Regional Music Festival from 2000-2003 where she recieved superior ratings all four years and advanced to the State Festival. After high School she studied fiddle style violin with AMA’s very own Diane Gillenwater for 2 years. Now Ginger is an AMA teacher herself.
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Rick Faris lives, eats and breathes music. Rick started playing bluegrass professionally at the tender age of eight and hasn’t looked back. In 2004 the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) awarded him the guitar player of the year. Rick tours year-round with his Dad, Mom and three brothers in the Faris Family Bluegrass Band. They entertain audiences all over the United States and Canada as well. The band’s accolades also include Vocal Group of the Year, Bluegrass Entertaining Group of the Year, and Bluegrass Band of the Year (traditional). Rick has over ten years experience entertaining crowds and jamming to the wee hours of the morn’. So if you want to learn how to play some hard driving bluegrass or just want to expand your repertoire for those late night jam sessions, Rick is ready to share the knowledge.
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Diane Gillenwater's interest in music began as the child of piano playing parents who listened to all types of music around the house. Her first instrument of choice, at the age of 10, was the drums as she wanted to be just like Ringo Starr. But she was destined to play the violin and has played since grade school. She is also proficient in guitar, piano and viola. Diane joined the Topeka Youth Symphony in the 7th Grade and the Topeka Symphony in the 9th Grade. She has played for musicals and shows with the Topeka Civic Theater. She attended Washburn University on a Topeka Symphony Scholarship where she received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance in 1983. She took 2nd Place in the Kansas Fiddling & Picking Championships in 1995 and is the 2002 Kansas State Fiddle Champion. She has played with Mark O'Connor, the late John Hartford and her hero, Vassar Clements, as well as many others. She is the fiddle player for the bluegrass band, Pastense and has regularly played several local bluegrass festivals, as well as the American Music Festival in Silver Dollar City. She is very active with the Kansas Prairie Pickers Bluegrass Club and has taught several fiddle workshops.
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David Ludwick has played music professionally since junior high school in various groups and styles. The most recent being the Lawrence City Band, Ottawa Symphony, several rock and country dance bands, and a ballroom dance band called the Prairie Dogs. After getting a music degree from KU, he has taught many types and genres of music. His teaching history includes twenty years of college and elementary music classes and thirty years of private students. David is proficient playing and teaching piano, guitar, mandolin, voice and percussion.
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Jim Krause moved to Kansas to attend Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas in the fall of 1971. While he was a student there, he developed an interest in the folk music of the United States. A work/study program in eastern Kentucky during Jim’s junior year furthered a continuing interest in American folk music. After completing his senior vocal recital, a pioneering venture that included both traditional and original material, Jim graduated from Bethel in May, 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in vocal music performance. Jim has been playing banjo since the early ‘80s and has performed and toured with such groups as The 97th Regimental Stringband, and The Euphoria Stringband. He specializes in the claw hammer style of banjo playing and is a former banjo contest award winner at the Fiddling and Picking Championships.
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For more than two decades, Allen Macfarlane has been playing the lap and hammered dulcimers, and has been teaching others to play and share in the joy of the music produced by these instruments ever since. Though largely self-taught, Allen continues to make others aware of the potential of the lap dulcimer by stressing music theory and its application in arranging music for the dulcimer. His teaching experience is vast and varied, having taught classes at community arts centers, community colleges, music festivals, dulcimer clubs and other venues throughout the Midwest. We at the Academy are delighted to have Allen Macfarlane in our family and proud to offer his classes to you.
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An immigrant from the East Coast, Denny's been playing the Lawrence area since 1968. With roots in rock & roll, Denny played guitar and keyboards with local rock bands while attending KU. In 1973 a band called "The Flying Burrito Brothers" featuring steel guitarist "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow caught Denny's ear. Bowled over, Denny set his sights on pedal steel as the instrument to learn. Denny credits Sneaky Pete, Buddy Cage, JayDee Maness, John Call, Rusty Young, Red Rhodes and Tom Brumley.as his many influences. Playing with all the local country groups at one time or another, (Billy Spears, Arnie Johnson, Johnson Shockley and Nashville hopeful Wade Richardson), Denny is a wealth of musical knowledge. In keeping with the country rock formula, Denny also plays a pull-string telecaster and baritone guitar, and works on Dobro and banjo ("when the power is out.")
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Kim Matchette is a graduate of KU who has taught private piano lessons for many years. Specializing in the instruction of beginning to intermediate students, Ms. Matchette uses the combined methods of technique, theory, sight-reading, ear-training, improvisation and composition. As a private instructor, Ms. Matchette promotes the importance of teacher/student rapport in order to ensure each individual a positive and progressive learning experience. Ms. Matchette also emphasizes the significance of maintaining an environment where the student is given a "voice" and therefore, has a vested interest in his/her own musical growth and development.
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Jimmie Meade grew up in Chicago and the blues got him when he was a teen. The gift of a Little Walter record changed his life forever. Finding his way to the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Jimmie studied harmonica with Joe Filisko and eventually began sneaking into blues clubs, playing and listening to blues harmonicats like Little Mack Simmons and Sugar Blue. Eventually finding a new home in Lawrence, Jimmie was able to meet a myriad of students of folk, jazz and blues to play with and learn from. For the last four years Jimmie has moved between Chicago and Kansas City, sharing the stage with bluesmen such as Sugar Blue, Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater, John Primer, Lee Mcbee and Lazy Lester. When he’s not teaching harmonica here at the Academy, you can find Jimmie playing with his band, Levee Town .

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Noah Musser plays banjo in the bluegrass band The Prairie Acre. After seeing Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys bring the house down in Bean Blossom, Indiana in 1973, Noah immediately fell asleep. He was 2 years old. As a lasting effect of that early exposure, Noah had recurring banjo dreams for 22 years until purchasing his first 5-string in 1995, As a daytime graphic designer and illustrator, Noah’s musical approach brings together the precision of an engineer with the spontaneity of a artist.
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Michael Paull was born and raised in Ft. Collins, Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. He moved to Lawrence in 1993 ("I thought I'd go see what the horizon looked like.") where he has lived ever since. In January of 2003 he became a staff teacher at the Americana Music Academy and keyboard player in a number of musical groups promoting awareness of the school's community outreach programs. He teaches all skill levels on piano, incorporating early jazz, classical (including Ives and Copeland), folk blues, country, rock n' roll and any creative mixture of these styles for composition and improvisation. Michael performs his own works frequently and coordinates other performers for benefits and various local music events.
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Joe is a Lawrence native who is known for his meticulous rhythm and clean style on the mandolin. He began playing the mandolin at the age of nine and has been performing in local bands for over twenty years. Joe was a two-time Kansas Fiddling and Picking youth award winner and in 1999 was named the Kansas Fiddling and Picking mandolin champion. He also won the RockyGrass mandolin contest in 2000. In addition to his fine mandolin technique, Joe holds a Master’s degree in Education.
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Calvin McGuire is a local drummer who has been playing for 14 years. He is a record artist who plays with the band Browntown in the Kansas City metro area. He teaches beginning snare rudiments and drum set for the young rock artist. Calvin primarily works with the styles rock, reggae, and funk.  He is excited to help drummers create and improve rhythms and beats for rock bands. 
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Lorissa McGuire is a Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC). She earned her BME in music therapy for the University of Kansas in 2004 and is currently working towards a master’s degree in music therapy. Lorissa primarily works with children (age 3-21) with disabilities including autism, developmental disabilities, deaf, visually impaired, mental retardation, and severe multiple disabilities. Lorissa has over seven years experience in working with children with autism. In addition to children, Lorissa also has experience working with adults with mental disabilities, mental retardation, and dementia.

Lorissa also teaches various instrumental lessons. While attending KU, Lorissa studied flute and performed in the University Wind Ensemble and KU Basketball Band. She has taught flute lessons for over 10 years. Lorissa also teaches adapted piano and guitar lessons for young students and students with disabilities. Using simplified music and/or a color coded system, students can learn at their own pace with additional visual support. Lorissa has taught at Americana Music Academy since 2004.
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Christopher Nichols has completed a Master of Music in Clarinet at Kansas State University and a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet from The Boston Conservatory. He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts at University of Kansas. He has studied clarinet with Ian Greitzer, Steven Barta, Tod Kerstetter and Stephanie Zelnick. His saxophone studies were with Ken Radnofsky. He has been on the faculties of the Boston Arts Academy, the Berklee College of Music City Music Saturday Preparatory School, and the Ottley Music School. Formerly the concertmaster of the 1st Infantry Division Band both in Bamberg, Germany and Fort Riley, Kansas, he is currently a member of the 312th Army Band here in Lawrence.
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Kat Oliver is a board certified music therapist (MT-BC). She has a B.A. in Psychology and upon completion of her thesis will earn a master’s in music therapy at the University of Kansas. She has experience working with children and adolescents with disabilities including autism, mental retardation, visual impairment, severe multiple disabilities and emotional disorders. In addition to this Kat has experience working with adults and elderly with mental disabilities and mental retardation.
Kat also teaches music instrument lessons. She studied flute at the University of Kansas and has been playing for 20 years. In addition to flute, Kat also teaches adaptive music lessons. Younger guitar and piano students or students with disabilities may benefit from adaptive music lessons, using simplified music and color coded notation to provide support indicated by each student’s individual needs.
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Dan Rempel has been playing guitar since he was 13, which means for the last fifteen years. Of late, his concentration has been on the styles of folk and blues. Dan has been involved with the Americana Music Academy right from the start, as a student, as a volunteer, as a veritable musical sponge—we are proud to call him teacher. In addition to his focus on teaching guitar, Dan fronts the local band RedLefty
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Emily learned to play the soprano ukulele in Hawaii while attending Kauai High School, class of ’49. She switched to baritone ukulele while taking a class in music methods for elementary school teachers at KU in the 60s. Her professional experience includes stints as Head Start teacher, where she taught songs to children, and Adult Day Care activity leader, where she developed singalong activities for seniors. Emily enjoys collecting old songs and singing with groups of all ages. She believes people learn best by participation, especially in group activity.
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John Thompson has been playing the accordion for thirty-four years. He studied at the Marsh Accordion Studio from 1968 until 1978 when he came to the University of Kansas to study tuba with Scott Watson. His love for the accordion (and at the request of local accordion master Arch Jamison), soon found John and his wife Corrie establishing the Kaw Valley Accordion Club here in Lawrence. When not heading this dedicated club or teaching here at the Academy, you can find John playing with the Don Lipovac Accordion Orchestra in Kansas City as well as performing solo and with other enthusiasts in the Lawrence area. We at the AMA are proud to add John Thompson to our roster of incredible instructors.
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Scott Tichenor was already a seasoned guitarist in 1977 when he first picked up the mandolin. After that experience, he never put the mandolin down. A mainstay in the Lawrence and Kansas City acoustic music scene, Scott is co-author of Mel Bay's Deluxe Chord Encyclopedia and host of the internet's popular Mandolin Café. He was a founding member of Last Kansas Exit, winner of the 1985 National Bluegrass Band Contest and has toured extensively as a representative of the Kansas Arts Commission and Mid-America Arts Alliance. With 25 years of mandolin experience and a background in education, Scott looks forward to sharing his knowledge of the world's finest musical instrument (his opinion!) with the students of Americana Music Academy.
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Byron Wiley has been part of the Lawrence music scene for the past 14 years. He plays guitar on American old time fiddle tunes but mostly plays Swedish traditional dance music on fiddle. He studied in Sweden at Malungs Folkhogskola and has attended workshops in the States. He also dabbles around on other instruments such as the Norwegian langeleik and Hardanger fiddle. Byron is a national and international resource for Norwegian and Swedish music and dance. He served as president of the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America for five years and continues to be active in the organization.
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