Meet the Guitar Staff

Kara Delonas is a graduate of Montclair State University, John J. Cali School of Music with a BA in classical Bass performance. She has performed at Carnegie Hall 6 times with prestigious artists such as Sarah McLachlan and James Galway. In addition to her classical studies, Kara has also been trained in other styles of music, particularly jazz, and has taken up a variety of instruments. 

Kara is equipped to teach upright Bass, electric Bass, Piano, Guitar, Vocals and theory. Kara has toured the country with NJ Break Contest winners, “Wyland,” and even headlined events such as the Skate and Surf Music Festival. With her experience in performing, 

Kara specializes not only in teaching instruments but also helping her students build up the confidence to either play for an audience or to just discover their passion for music.

Diego has been playing guitar since the age of 13. He is a graduate of the Kean Conservatory of Music, holding a B.A. in Music Education, and has been a public school music teacher since 2010.

His students have been members of the NJ All State and All Region bands, Juilliard MAP program, and the NJMEA Guitar ensemble. His students have attended schools such as Mason Gross School of Music, New England Conservatory, William Patterson University, Montclair State University, Mannes Conservatory, and others.

Diego enjoys playing all styles of music and performs in a variety of styles including grunge, rock, musical theater, Latin, jazz, classical, and pop. His approach in teaching strives to have students interact with music with as much imagination and playfulness as possible.

George Maher is completed his Bachelor's degree in jazz trumpet performance at Mason Gross School of the Arts, at Rutgers University. At school, George performed with RU's Jazz Ensemble under the direction of trombonist, Professor Conrad Herwig.

This group has had the privilege of performing at The Blue Note jazz club in New York City, and has performed with guest artists such as, Orrin Evans, Michael Phillip Mossman, Tanya Darby, and Joe Magnarelli. 

George originally hails from Connecticut where for three years of high school where he attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, in Hartford, CT.

At the Academy, George performed in a small ensemble under the director of Jimmy Greene, and Kris Allen. He also performed in the award winning Academy Big Band, lead by Douglas Maher. 

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George is an active musician who currently tours and performs with numerous groups. 

John has been playing piano since the age of 6 and playing drums, bass, and guitar since the age of 10. John has been teaching and instructing students on these instruments for the past 3 years. John draws his influences from many genres and artists, including Led Zeppelin, The Police, as well as D’Angelo and James Jamerson. In his free time, John writes music in various genres including; R&B, Bossa Nova, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Rock. 
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John has studied under many teachers over the years for each instrument. Most recently, John studied under Carlos Vazques of Mason Gross College of the Arts at Rutgers University, where he focused on Conga Performance. 
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This past year, John earned his degree in Education from Middlesex County College, and he will be going on to study English and Music Education at Kean University.
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John has found a passion for teaching students of any age, from beginner to advanced skill levels. His approach to teaching is student-centered: he focuses on the students' interests and needs. From there, he helps his students build the skills necessary to be able to play the genres and songs that interest them most. 

Dustin Sebes is a New Jersey native musician, artist, and teacher who has been studying and playing music extensively for the last 28 years. He began teaching guitar lessons while attending Ramapo College of New Jersey in the late 1990's. Graduating with honors, he attained a Bachelor's degree in the fine arts with a concentration in music. 

Since then Dustin has gone on to perform and compose original music in numerous bands including, but not limited to Conformicide, The Green Room, Coma Ghost, Capita, Identity Debt, Missing Debussy, Youth League & The Spies, and now currently KSSH!, and Sister Ancestor. Dustin is also a singer-songwriter and performs his own music along with classic covers by popular artists on stage and at private events throughout the tri-state area and beyond. 

He currently teaches Guitar, Piano, Ukulele, Mandolin, Bass Guitar, in addition to band and ensemble mentoring. Areas of expertise include music theory, fretboard and keyboard theory, composition, creative songwriting, repertoire building, and improvisation, with concentrations in classical, jazz, rock, folk and pop styles.

George Sheehy was born and raised in New Jersey. His first exposure to music was under the tutelage of his grandmother, who would teach him piano whenever she  would babysit. After three years of instruction on clarinet, George moved on to  guitar, an instrument he has studied for nearly 20 years.  

George was a founding member of  ong-time local stalwart Particle Zoo. Despite growing acclaim for their live show and original EP’s—as well as industry interest— the original lineup split after a year and a half together. After writing and recording several original EP’s, George took a hiatus from music. Around that time, George had taken a job with a children’s program and discovered his second passion—teaching. Following stints teaching SAT prep, and science for kids, George started as a counselor aide with the YWCA of Central New Jersey. 

Through hard work and talent, he worked his way up to Director of Children’s Programs before eventually stepping down to pursue a degree in biological sciences from Rutgers University. While not actively performing at this time, George enjoyed a return to the music scene with long-time friends Pontus Gunve, John Giordano, and EJ Gaub in the bands Harbor and Sickwell. With the establishment of RMC Studios in 2003, George found the avenue to combine his two great passions—music and teaching.

Jesse brings 15 years of teaching experience. He studied piano and composition at Rutgers University on a scholarship. Jesse's musical training coupled with on-stage experience (Limelight, Knitting Factory, CBGBs) has helped him guide and inspire many musicians. 

He focuses on building a strong technical grounding on the instrument. His lessons are tailored around the student's goals and musical taste. 

In addition to teaching Guitar, Piano, Drums, Bass, Ukulele, & Voice, Jesse also teaches songwriting, music theory, and arranging. He has experience teaching all age ranges and levels. He has taught total beginners to advanced students. 

Anthony Alejandro Martínez (Tony) is a Music Composition post-senior at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. He is of Ecuadorian and Spanish descent. Although music composition and the curiosity to learn piano came to him later in life, he writes in various genres. His culture and knowledge range from jazz, blues, Latin jazz, South American folklore, waltz, Caribbean, hip-hop, r&b, rap, pop, Latin music, classical, contemporary, ballads, film scoring, and hints of soul and gospel. 

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    He has arranged and performed as a pianist at local Latin Jazz festivals, for the former president of Ecuador Rafael Correa at St. Johns University, and some of his works are performed at Nicholas Music Center as well as other venues at Mason Gross. He currently plays and teaches piano, Venezuelan “cuatro,” “charango” (a 10-string instrument from Ecuador), electric bass, guitar, percussion including Latin percussion, ukulele, music composition, film scoring, songwriting including musicals, and music technology and production.