Matt Richardson- Owner and founder of Blue Raven Music Studio's, Matt began playing the guitar nearly 30 years ago.  His musical journey has led him down a long winding path begining in his teens with rock & metal.  In the last 10 years he has taken great interest in many traditional forms of American music including blues, bluegrass, ragtime, Jazz and folk.  In 2005 he began studying bluegrass and Jazz with Steve Hanson and due to his influence has taken up the banjo. 
Matt has been teaching acoustic and electric guitar for over 10 year in the Lincoln community.  
GUITAR * BEGINNER BASS * BEGINNER BANJO

Jennifer Richardson - Co-owner and visionary behind the specialized youth lessons has been playing music for over 6 years. Her love for music extends beyond the guitar to include the mandolin, fiddle, piano, and vocal exploration. Jenny is excited to meet your child so she can share her passion for music with them.
GUITAR * YOUTH GUITAR

Tom Adkins -During a stint in the Air Force, Tom earned a Masters degree in Adult and Occupational Education from Kansas State University in 1975. Tom has lived in Lincoln since 1981, working as a mainframe computer programmer for a local life insurance company. In early 1991, when Tom was 43, at the urging of his son, he started taking music lessons from Steve Hanson. Since that time, Tom has learned bluegrass style guitar, banjo, and mandolin from Steve. Plus, he has taken fiddle lessons from Morris Collier and Deb Greenblatt. Tom believes you always keep learning, and continues to take lessons from Steve Hanson. Tom has performed with several bluegrass bands over the years. He currently plays with the Manor Maniacs at Lancaster Manor and performs bluegrass gospel with Arbor Road at local churches and nursing homes.
GUITAR * BANJO * MANDOLIN * OLD TIME FIDDLE

Steve Hanson- www.stevehansonmusic.com

*GUITAR *MANDOLIN *BANJO

Gary Hinkley- At age 7, Gary began taking guitar lessons from Frank's Music Studio in Lincoln. During his teens he played in garage bands but generally was shy and mostly played for his own enjoyment. This changed when he began attending Steve Hanson's Bluegrass Camps. There he met John Pierce who coaxed him into playing with the band Burnt Biskits  (burntbiskits.com) which he continues. Gary learned finger style guitar from Peter Blakesley in the 1970s and has taken lessons from Steve Hanson since 1986. Gary Plays acoustic and electric guitar as well as frailing banjo.

Gary is a certified Industrial Education teacher with a  Master's degree in Vocational and Adult Education. However, his enthusiasm for guitar landed him the job of  Guitar Teacher at Lincoln High School for the last 4 years prior to his retirement in May of last year. Teaching guitar to 25 kids, from beginner to experienced, all at the same time, in one classroom, for 50 minutes a day, while writing all the curriculum, was a tremendous challenge... and also the best experience of his 29 year teaching career.
*Guitar

Brian “Pickle” Gerkensmeyer - loves to perform and does so over 100 nights a year.  His main instruments are bass and guitar and he has delved into many styles of music including Jazz, Blues, Rock, Bluegrass, Classical, Fingerstyle, Country and Folk.  Brian attended the University of Nebraska School of Music, is a former Steve Hansen student, and competed in the National Flatpick and International Fingerstyle Championships in Winfield three times.  Brian Currently performs with The Jerry Pranksters, The Bluegrass Hoppers and Nashville Recording Artist Sheila Greenland.
BASS * GUITAR

Mark Leeker has been playing and teaching guitar for over thirty years with students ranging in age from 6 to 76 . His relaxed approach makes learning the guitar an enjoyable experience. Styles include: rock, country, folk and blues. Mark plays guitar with local Lincoln bands, The Coopers and The Jerry Pranksters. Mark has been with Blue Raven since the beginning!
GUITAR *

Mike McCracken comes to Lincoln from Nashville, TN, with over twenty years of professional playing, recording and touring experience. During this period, Mike has had the honor of sharing the stage with such “hall of fame” artists as: Hank Thompson, Jack Greene, Charlie Daniels, as well as many of today’s top acts such as Big and Rich, Chris Young, and many others. Along with a strong background in country music, Mike had the opportunity to attend college on a jazz scholarship, giving him the ability to cross genres on a regular basis covering styles like: blues, bluegrass, rock, rockabilly, R&B, gospel, etc.. Mike teaches: steel guitar, lead/slide/rhythm guitar, dobro (resophonic), and beginning banjo.
Mike has also taught and coached at the high school level in Kansas for eight years and has the expertise with helping students of all ages accomplish their musical goals.
DOBRO * LAP STEEL * GUITAR * PEDAL STEEL

Laurie Martinez Lessman - received her B.F.A in Musical Theatre from UNL. She has taught voice/piano in Lincoln for over 20 years. She was extensively involved with directing and music directing for the Lincoln Community Playhouse. Laurie has performed in many musicals at LCP, Pinewood Bowl, Haymarket Theatre and the Nebraska Repertory Theatre. Some of the many productions she's been involved in: "Why Do Fools Fall In Love"; " A Year With Frog and Toad"; " A Chorus Line"; " Wizard of Oz"; "Bat Boy" and many more! While in college, Laurie was a member of "Scarlet and Cream Singers" and currently, Laurie performs with "Broad Appeal", a women's trio of a cappella music from the yesteryear. In her other life she is an accompanist at Park Middle School and teaches voice and piano at Blue Raven Studios. In her spare time, Laurie is mother extraordinaire to Evan, Willow and Trey. Any other really spare time is saved for rainy days when she loves to read and sing at the top of her lungs.

VOICE * PIANO

GRACIE MORIN I just finished working at a boarding school for special needs children. I am the new assistant choir director at the Newman Center (on UNL Campus), write my own music, play piano, organ, guitar, flute and piccolo. I have accompanied for Masses, concerts, and solos. I took 8 years of private piano lessons and have played the organ since I was in 7th grade. I love garageband, learning about music and touching peoples lives with music.

PIANO * YOUTH GUITAR * FLUTE