3835 S. 48th Street Lincoln NE.
(402) 486-0599
INSTRUCTORS
All of Instructors have been teaching for several years or more and are active performing musicians in the local music scene!
Meet the Owners, Matt & Jenny
Matt Richardson
Guitar, bass, Banjo, ukulele, Mandolin
Matt Richardson is a Lincoln Music scene veteran, rocking in bands since he was 18. He cut his teeth first playing guitar rock and metal cover bands and occasionally bass guitar. He branched out into blues guitar with the band Blue Tango. Adept at multiple styles of music he started an all original funk rock band with band mate, Brian Morrow, called Planet Butter. Shortly after this era he picked up a new instrument, the stick, a guitar bass hybrid, to play with another local funk band. Getting back to his roots, he spent several years as lead guitarist in Blues Messengers, where he was able to play with some fantastic musicians, including Magic Slim, Hollywood Doug, Lil Slim Holt and Emily Bass. He is currently one of the Lead guitarists for the rock, Blues and Soul band, Big Daddy Caleb and Chargers. They are beginning work on their second Album.
Always pushing himself to continue learning he began studying jazz and bluegrass guitar with Steve Hanson. After attending several bluegrass camps Matt added the banjo to his lineup of instruments. He and his wife Jenny front the Americana band, the Midnight Wanderers. They’ve played multiple local festivals and won a couple of band competitions with this group.
In 2019, Matt was certified by Pete Wernick (Hot Rize) to be an instructor in Wernick Method Bluegrass jam program. With Jenny they have lead several jam camps
Matt has been a professional music instructor since 2002 and over that time has helped many students reach their musical goals. Several of his students are out there touring and working in the music industry.
Jenny Richardson
Guitar, bass, ukulele,
Co-owner of Blue Raven Music.
She started playing guitar and found a love for all styles of music from rock to bluegrass to folk which inspired herto branch out into learning other instruments. She now also plays bass (electric and upright), fiddle, banjo and ukulele. Jenny is always ready to help her students discover their passion for music and often inspires students to try more than one instrument! She is a firm believer that anyone can play an enjoy music! She also has a passion for songwriting is usually working on new songs. She also encourages and helps her students to perform and write their own songs.
Two of her bands have placed 1st at the Tallgrass fiddle and band contest. She currently plays Upright Bass and sings with the Midnight Wanderers and guitar and banjo in a duo with Matt.
Want to hear more about how Blue Raven began or Jenny and Matt's philosophy behind the studio? Then take a listen to the podcast episode with Lo on #SupportLNK!
Meet Our Instructors
Alicia Opoku
Brian Gerkensmeyer
Colten Welch
Mia (juju)
Julia Williams
Jonathan Leach
Sophie Holihan
Julie White
Meet our other instructors
Alicia Opoku
Piano and voice
A Nebraska native, Alicia Opoku, has 45 years of global musical experience. She began playing for worship services at age 12 in her country church, outside of Central City, Nebraska. After graduation she went to UNL for 2 years before heading out to San Diego, California. There she worked the local nightclub scene for 11 years by playing keyboards and singing with an eclectic variety of jazz musicians and bands.
She was commissioned to sing at the opening a of new club in Seinajoki, Finland, in 1991. Since returning home she has held Director of Contemporary Music at Saint Paul United Methodist Church for the past 15 years. She directs bells choirs, vocal choirs, band ensembles, & children’s choirs. She is very involved in the musical community here in Lincoln, and loves being a part of the rich local music scene.
She is a proud mom of Malcolm
Colten Welch
Guitar & Uke
Longtime student of owners Matt and Jenny Richardson, Colten has 10+ years of guitar experience spanning many genres, most notably blues, rock, jazz, and bluegrass. Colten loves to learn and perform music and has been playing in bands since the age of 13.
Colten placed 1st in the 2019 flatpicking contest at Nebraska Folk and roots. His band also placed 2nd at the Homestead fiddle and band contest.
He currently attends UNL and plays and writes with his bassist brother Braydn in the group Peachie.
Levi Gerlach
Piano
Levi was introduced to the piano twenty years ago and ever since has felt connected to the instrument. He earned a degree in music performance in 2011 at Doane College, where he dedicated his time to musicology, piano composition, and vocal performance. After graduation, he expanded his livelihood in performance to rock, folk, ambient noise, and improvisation, as well as continuing his classical practice as an accompanist. He has played with local projects including The Gems, Sun Day, Mildred Bonk and Leaves Brown. He continues to collaborate with local musicians and artists and believes exploring new territory is important.
Mike Rhian
Drums & Piano
Mike Rhian was first introduced to the world of music at the young age of 5. Starting private lessons at such a young age allowed for a musical foundation to grow upon. He has taken over 10+ years of drum set specific instruction ranging from private instruction here in Lincoln, NE to the University of Northern Colorado’s jazz drum set performance studio. In addition to playing keyboards and percussion, Mike Rhian was also awarded a Downbeat award in his freshman year of college for ‘North America’s Best Jazz Choir’ in the Graduate division.
Mike plays regularly at the Zoo Bar in Lincoln on Tuesday evenings with ‘Jazzocracy’ and Wednesday evenings with ‘Vibe Check.’
I love being able to bring together what I’ve learned from each instruments individually, to help change perspective from just a narrow field of view.
Joshua Rector
Fiddle, guitar, Digital production
Joshua Rector, better known by his stage name Joshua Rex, is a violinist/fiddler, singer/songwriter, and music producer based in Lincoln, NE. He is widely recognized as being “that fiddler” in many country/rock ensembles across the Midwest. Demonstrating a high level of showmanship on both the acoustic and electric violins, his advanced improvisation techniques balanced with decades of composition and show-building experience make him highly sought-after for both live and studio performance. He is also a music producer, not only fluent with digital audio workstations such as Ableton Live and Reason Studios, but also with iOS music apps, where the majority of his projects get started.
Joshua can be seen fiddling for Jack Hotel, Kali Indiana, KC Cameron, and many more acts on a regular basis. He is about to release music for two of his personal projects: Joshua Rex and the Ruckus (country/Americana), and Sic Sigma (melodic bass/electronic).
Joshua’s fiddle curriculum blends old-time, Celtic, and contemporary repertoires with sight-singing, ear-training, psychological and somatic exercises that ensure mind/body wellness in tandem with musical excellence. His production curriculum varies from using free abandonware that can be run on the oldest of laptops, to powerful and affordable iPhone/iPad apps that rival expensive hardware, to the industry standard Ableton Live.
Thai Nguyen
Guitar
A parallel to his multi-cultural upbringing, Thai’s musical upbringing was varied and wide-ranging. His father was an active working bassist in Vietnam in the 80’s, playing heavy rock alongside 80’s pop hits, and his mother had Top 40 radio playing constantly throughout the 90’s, but his first interest in the guitar came from two nuns from Mexico playing in church when he was in kindergarten. Later on, his choir director introduced him to The Beatles in middle school and life changed for the better. It opened up a universe of variety that has set the precedent for his work as a gigging musician to this day. Truly a lover of all genres, he’s kept himself busy playing live in multiple bands for the past 10+ years ranging from alternative rock to country to soul. He’s currently a core member of The 402, a party/events cover band based in Lincoln and Big Daddy Caleb and The Chargers, a blues and old-time rock ‘n roll band. He is also a regular player with Diamond Empire Band and The Downtown Collective, both corporate wedding/events bands based in the midwest as well as two country acts, McKenzie Jalynn and Kali Indiana. In addition to primarily being a guitar player, he sings, plays bass, and writes songs, probably in that order, and he has an original project, with two full-length albums out, called Method of Escape. He has taught basic beginner guitar on and off since his later high school years and is excited to once again share his passion and burning love for music with aspiring players as a teacher here.
Mark Leeker
Guitar, Ukuele
Mark has been teaching at Blue Raven Music Studios since we opened our doors in 2009. He offers guitar and ukulele lessons, focusing on learning basic music theory and reading tablature. Rock, Country, Blues, Folk and Bluegrass are some of the musical styles he teaches.
Mark plays guitar with the bands, Jerry Pranksters and Peach Truck and continues to gig and record with many other local artists.
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Brian Gerkensmeyer
Bass & Guitar
Brian 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 Hanson student, and competed in the National Flatpick and International Fingerstyle Championships in Winfield three times. Brian Currently performs with The Jerry Pranksters, Shawn Holt and the Teardrops (Best Blues Artist 2014) and OLD COUNTRY.
Julietta Rabens
Harp & Piano
Julietta is passionate about the art of teaching and has enjoyed working with a diverse range of students including children, adults, and students with special needs. Her approach is flexible, assisting students in achieving their individual goals. She has developed a harp curriculum for adult beginners called “Classics at Your Fingertips” and “Technique at Your Fingertips” books1-5. She has also developed a harp curriculum for children called “Plucky Bunny’s Harp Adventures” books 1-3. In addition to being well-grounded in technique, students are encouraged to explore a wide range of repertoires and to create their own music. Her philosophy in the arts is focused on using creativity to enable healing and happiness for each individual.
As a performer, she is an enthusiastic advocate for new music, and has performed with a variety of ensembles ranging from orchestral to experimental, jazz, folk, and other chamber groups. She also has a passion for a variety of folk harp traditions including Celtic, Paraguayan, and Mariachi.
She received a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition, minor in Piano Pedagogy from University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studied with Dr. Randall Snyder. She received her Master of Music in Harp from Northern Illinois University where she studied harp performance with Liz Cifani, and received training in Healing Harps and special education from Dr. Ron Price.
She resides in Lincoln Nebraska where she teaches piano, harp, voice, and composition to students of all ages and levels through Blue Raven Music Studios.
Julia Williams
Accordion
Accordionist Julia Williams has 25+ years experience performing solo and with groups in a wide gamut of styles. She has performed with the Omaha Chamber Music Society, Sioux City Symphony, Omaha Symphony, and the Kenny Janak Orchestra. She also has played music and acted in several live theater productions. As a young player she won numerous competition honors including the US national championship for the Accordionists and Teachers Guild (ATG). She has degrees in music performance and musicology. Julia plays and teaches piano accordion and chromatic button accordion.
Mia
Piano & Voice
Jenny Tyner is thrilled to be returning to Blue Raven Music after a 5 year hiatus. Jenny has been teaching music since 2005 in various styles and levels: she taught high school vocal music and music theory in NYC, she was an adjunct professor of music for Union College, she taught elementary music for LPS, and has taught private lessons throughout. Jenny has a bachelors in Vocal Performance from La Sierra University (Riverside, CA) and a masters in Music Education from CUNY, Hunter College (NY, NY). Although classically trained in both piano and voice, her first loves are musical theater and choral work. Selected stage credits include: performing in NYC, Europe, and Nebraska in 3 different professional choirs over the span of a decade; she was the featured soloist at Radio City Music Hall for CUNY graduation in 2005; she soloed with the Omaha Symphony at the Holland Center in 2013 and 2014; she was Musical Director of Rocky Horror Picture Show with the Haymarket Theater in 2016; she was lead singer of The Six (a cover band in Omaha) in 2017-2018, and she played Sally Bowles in the Haymarket Theater’s production of Cabaret in 2018.
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Jonathan Leach
Piano
Jonathan Leach is an artist who has always loved pushing the boundaries of his own knowledge and comfort when it comes to music. Initially a singer, his desire to know more about the notes he was singing lead him to pursue piano so as to better understand the infinite beauty of music and harmony.
Now, established in the Midwest as a pianist, Jonathan plays in bands varying from local projects like Wick O’ Rya and Vibe Check, to national wedding band conglomerates such as Diamond Empire Band. Jonathan also works as a studio musician for countless recording studios and producers across the United States. If there is a way to play music, Jonathan will find a way to be a part of it.
His favorite phrase when it comes to music is “Freedom over knowledge” and that reigns true in his playing. He works diligently to make sure that playing music is as fun as possible at all time!
Sophie Holihan
Violin, Piano, Drums
Sophie grew up in a recording studio, and therefore has had a connection with music as long as she can remember. She has studied piano for 15 years, violin for 14 years, and percussion for 10 years. In 5th grade, she played piano in jazz band, but after high school began, she switched over to drums. While attending Lincoln East High School, she played second violin in the orchestra. She also played drums for the Blue Note Jazz Band, and studied classical percussion through concert band. She lettered in marching band, playing snare and bass throughout the 4 years she was a part of it. She played first and second violin in a small chamber orchestra called Apollo, directed by Miss Heather Pederson. Also interested in writing music, one of her compositions called Purple Midnight was performed at Lincoln East High School by the Woodwind Choir. She has privately taught piano lessons before, and is now hoping to expand her career through Blue Raven.
