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Mark Benassi

Mark is the owner of Lafayette Music and has been playing trumpet for over 60 years but last played professionally in the late 60's. Since then, he has continued to enjoy playing with friends and family in different settings as well as doing a little teaching. His focus as a teacher has been to develop methods of practice for the occasional player who wants to sound good but has very limited time to devote. Beginners as well as more advanced amateur players can both benefit from these techniques which can make playing brass instruments more satisfying with a minimum of daily practice.

Shawn Coleman

Clarinetist Shawn Coleman was Principal Clarinet of the Wyoming Symphony and continues on the faculty of Kinhaven Music School’s Junior Session. He is currently President of the Board of the Colorado Youth Symphony and a member of the Colorado Limited Gaming Commission. Shawn studied at Juilliard with Ayako Oshima and Charlie Neidich and earned a Masters of Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he currently resides.

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Kim Kopp

Guitarist, Vocalist, and local Music Teacher Kim Kopp has been performing and teaching for decades.  As a teacher, I have worked with all ages, small group as well as private lessons.  With degrees in Education, Music and Guitar Performance from Colorado State University and Musician's Institute, my focus has been to cater lessons to student's needs.    

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Jon Gauer

Jon Gauer is a trombonist and vocalist with professional performance experience in all styles and a discography of over 30 albums. He performs with numerous local ensembles, including The Cat's Glasses (formerly the Jon Gauer Octet), Vanimal Kingdom, Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Performance Now Theatre Company, and more. He is also active in the music education community, with over 10 years of experience teaching private lessons, and has several former students who are now professional musicians themselves. You can learn more at his website, https://jongauer.com, including his resume, recordings, and information about lessons.