History of Oak Valley Music Academy

Willi Rose

Willi Rose was born the oldest in a musical family where dad was the church soloist and choir director and mom was the pianist. By time she was in Jr. High School, she took her mother's place at the piano and sang duets with her father.

She began teaching piano during her high school years while she was completing the Sherwood Music School Piano Course. She was “courted” by Azusa College (before it became Azusa Pacific University) and she was the first student pianist to tour with the concert choir. She was chosen by the vocal teachers to be their accompanist and coach for the vocal students. That meant a knowledge of the Italian, German and English pronunciation. Her degrees are in piano and music theory. Higher degrees include a teaching credential, masters in choral conducting and record production.

From college Willi earned her teaching credential and taught instrumental music in the local schools. She was also the music director for St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights while continuing study on the organ and voice.

She took a sidestep from piano for about 25 years and went into radio broadcasting. She was a personality in both music and news, working in both Central and Southern California. Clear Channel was her radio home in Central California where she worked on six stations doing morning drive news and talk and afternoon traffic and a live separate news program…all simultaneously. In Southern California, she was instrumental as chairman of the committee that put together the new Emergency Alert System for Riverside/San Bernardino Counties.

Willi came back to “rest” in music in 2003. Since then she's formulated and created the Oak Valley Music Academy.

Julie Smith

Julie Smith spent 11 years in piano instruction from the time she was six years old. Music has been an important part of her life before and after her marriage to Ian Smith, who is our guitar teacher. She took part in both High School and College Choirs. She's a natural with our Little Mozart program.

Patrick Jones

Patrick has been teaching and performing music professionally for over 20 years. He started at age four with accordion lessons and continued with various styles of keyboard study. His musical experience expanded when he learned to play saxophone and strings (violin and cello) in various school music programs such as district honor bands, the Tournament of Roses Honor Band and many jazz/rock, concert/symphonic and marching ensembles. After high school, Patrick continued his musical career as a performer in the U.S. Marine Corps where he played flute and clarinet. On the side, Patrick does woodwind repair. He teaches saxophone, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and trumpet for Oak Valley Music Academy.

Ian Smith

Ian Smith picked up his first guitar after seeing the movie La Bamba in 1988. After only six months of study, he was asked to play for his church youth group and he's been playing and singing ever since. Twenty years later, he plays regularly for the church's main services and teaches the School of Rock. In addition to being self taught in guitar, Ian is also trained vocally. He's been married for 14 years and has 4 children. Ian has lived with his family in Yucaipa since 2001.

Billy Lindsey

Billy has studied music since the age of 10. By the time he was old enough to get a record player in his bedroom, listening to music was his #1 hobby. At 12 he was always teaching himself to play drums, and bass guitar. But at age 13, his dad showed him 3 basic guitar chords and since then, some 25 years later, he's rarely put the instrument down. It became his passion. His freshman year in high school through his graduation, he joined the marching band, jazz ensemble, and concert orchestra. He studied music theory, and during this time he also enrolled in private guitar lessons. He played all through college, and went on to form three different original rock/contemporary bands which consistently recorded and played live up and down his home state of California. He now focuses on guitar teaching and coaching. He also plays guitar at his home church, and is currently in a top 40 cover band which covers virtually every style possible, playing high class venues.

In his own words he claims, “In just a few minutes, I can teach anyone a little something on the guitar”. He specializes in helping people find their strengths in music, and where those strengths can be applied. Using his own passion is what drives him to help his clients be the best they can possibly be.

Brian Ross

Brian Ross began learning music at age 8 playing the trumpet. He made the transition to percussion and drums at age 18, playing the local working bands in the Inland Empire.

He's played with many local bands in Southern California since 1992 including The Black Diamond Band, Southbound, King Mixer and others. He's played with many excellent musicians such as singer Jackie Young, Joe Dickenson, guitar players Dan Nicholson, Bill Berg and Daren Wilcox.

He's studied with Robert Dominguez for three years, learning all the fundamentals from Rock to funk jazz to classic rock & roll to standards. He also learned drum notation and advanced techniques used in fusion and jazz.

Gretchen Arnott

Gretchen Arnott, violin instructor, has a B.A. in Music Education from Walla Walla University 1979. Her Musical enjoyment has included the Redlands Symphony, Riverside Symphony, quartets, trios, and many small orchestral groups.

Krystal Leidl

I started playing drums when I was about 11. I took personal lessons for a few years, then in high school formed a band of my own, and got a lot of experience in writing music and playing live, along with recording experience. I also played in Yucaipa High School drum line, and jazz band. From Jr. High till now I've been active in my church worship bands, and I currently am playing in a few personal projects of my own. I love playing drums. There are very few things in life that compare and being able to teach something so dear to my heart is amazingly fun and very rewarding!

Jessica McKee

Jessica was born second generation this country, as all four of her grandparents arrived at Ellis Island from Italy during the turn of the century. She stems from a line of performing musicians, from her father’s estranged first cousin Anthony Beneditto (known as Tony Bennett) to her Aunt and Uncle, Carlotta and Frank Giglio who performed and sang incredibly for many years with the West End Civic light Opera here in Southern California. She spent many evenings accompanying them to rehearsals and then attending several performances as a child. The theatrics involved with a full opera performance intrigued her. Her favorite score was the famous Opera “Carmen”.

Jessica has performed with several honor choirs here in the inland empire since age 10. The youngest student and ‘protégé’ by the age of 12, She studied Voice privately with professional instructor Rose Edwards who taught Voice, Piano and Music Theory for the Music Department at San Bernardino Valley College. Jessica studied both Classical and contemporary music with Mrs. Edwards and entered several Classical competitions singing various arias in Italian, French and German. She was thoroughly taught the vocal techniques which still to this day, have maintained the quality and clarity of her wide singing range and vocal abilities.

Jessica continued to study music throughout her Jr. High and high school years and into College, providing the entertainment on a major Cruise liner sailing the Caribbean in the 1980’s. Jessica received a degree from SBVC with studies focused in Musical performance and Journalism. She has played the following instruments; Flute, Guitar and Piano and has written several contemporary vocal pieces accompanied by the guitar and piano.

Jessica began singing again professionally in the late 1970’s with a Rock Band and then again in the 1980 ’s with an original Jazz and Rhythm and Blues band. Through this group of talented musicians, she helped to create a local production company by the name of ‘Silk Productions’, here in the Inland Empire. She later joined a cover band with this production company, which became the house band at ‘Boomers’ Night Club in association with the Radisson Corp, who continued to draw a following for the next several years. Jessica has professionally performed in several venues, opening for and performing with such renown artist’s as the Spinners, the Drifters, Rosie and the Originals, Al Wilson, the Olympics, Don Julian and Fred Barry- the child actor on ‘What’s Happening’ known as ‘Rerun’, to name a few. Jessica went on to tour in Las Vegas as the featured vocalist with the sound of‘Chris Davis and his Big Band ̵ 7;, performing standards from the Big Band and Swing era.

She has performed with numerous Rock and Roll bands, Jazz bands and written and performed songs for particular interest groups to be aired on the radio. Jessica has been in the recording studio several times, recording original music for both solo and background harmony music.

She has been teaching professional voice performance here in Southern California and continues to perform professionally with David Ocasio and the band ‘It’s All Good’ out of the Orange County area.

Her years of vocal studies and experience within a vast musical venue lend a hand to her innate talent both as an entertainer, a vocalist and a teacher of stage and voice. “I consider myself a ‘Harmonic Enthusiast’ -there is nothing so beautiful to me as the perfect meld of harmonies, especially when my own voice contributes to this phenomenon. If I was to sum up my place in the physical world of music, I would say I am an Embassador of Song. I see myself as an interpreter for the ‘Language of the Soul’. From the trees to the birds to the human being…in any human condition, it’s a language I believe every living thing understands…and how simply beautiful is it when you feel understood.”

David Ocasio

Originally from New York City, David was born into a musically driven family who played with the likes of the critically acclaimed band ‘Chicago’, among others. After David’s father bought his first guitar at age nine, he was a natural addition to his dad and Uncles ensemble playing various classic Spanish harmonies and the rhythmic excitement of Flamenco. But it was the sound of those four British guys from Liverpool that caught David’s attention one Sunday evening on the Ed Sullivan show. This music encouraged a new style of guitar for David: Rock and Roll.

David continued his musical education through high school playing everything from Stage Band jazz, classical, blues, theater productions and even reggae. David was also asked to assist his music teacher in class as he was his ‘protégé’. At age 14, David competed in and won First Place at the talent show playing his electric guitar to the tune of ‘La Bamba’. Around this time he gathered other young musicians and created the performing band “Every Souls Promise”. They quickly became well known and were booked for Proms, Private parties, School dances and even at few local venues.

David holds a degree in Music and Music theory from Lochsheldrake College in Sullivan County, New York.

After serving with the New York Police Department, David moved to Orange County, California…where he eventually opened a number of Marshall Art schools instructing students of all ages. David himself holds several black belts in numerous styles of Marshal Arts. David never ventured far from music, and quickly formed the current Classic Rock, professional performing band ‘It’s All Good'. He has been teaching guitar professionally for 30 years and continues to teach also at his studio in Lake Forest. David has played with such professional artists as Jimmy Buffet, Tina Turner, Wishbone Ash, Near Miss (a group of airplane pilots’ gone Rock and Roll!) and many others in the industry. He also provides his musical talent professionally among a select few area musicians, as orchestral accompaniment for the live performances of the San Bernardino Valley College Music and Theater Department.

David brings with him a creative, enjoyable and innovative approach to learning music and is truly excited to be a part of Oak Valley Music Academy, near his new home and its wonderful community… here in Yucaipa.

Terrie Newell

Terrie Newell comes to Oak Valley Music Academy with over thirty years of personal and professional experience teaching children music. She is a former preschool teacher and children’s chorale director and currently is the Children's Ministry Coordinator at her church (ChurchForFamily.com). Terrie has taught both keyboard and vocal music and has a natural gift for helping even young musicians achieve.