Cupertino Staff

Matthew Pinck

Music Director | Rock Band Teacher

Matt, fondly known as "Yoga Matt" on stage, has collectively studied music since the age of five and has been teaching in Santa Cruz County since 1998. Among his arsenal of music expertise are: guitar, vocals, bass, composition, piano, and performance. His vast formal training has taken place in top schools, such as UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, and Cabrillo College, eventually earning his Bachelor Degree in Jazz Guitar from Skidmore College in New York. Over the years, Matt has gained much professional experience performing in Jazz, Funk & Rock bands, as well as performing solo. Matt & his wife Sarah also love to busk the streets of numerous cities throughout the world, from Hawaii to Newfoundland to the western European cities of Amsterdam, Belgium, Paris, London, Edinburgh and Dublin! Matt takes a unique and creative approach to teaching that engages students to bring out their best stage performance & skills!

Sarah Newman

Music Instructor for Piano, Voice, Choir, Harp, Recorder, Clarinet & Saxophone | Rock Band Teachers (In-Person & Remote)

Sarah has been playing saxophone for well over fifteen years and has been teaching for Be Natural Music since 2013. She studied music at UCSC, earning a Bachelors in Community Studies with a minor in Jazz. Sarah has a special talent for working with young children, developing special rhythm exercises and games, making learning music fun. Everyone adores Sarah! Sarah teaches Saxophone, vocals, piano and Harp. Sarah also specializes in song-writing. Her creativity helps young children come up with lyrics and melodies all on their own! She guides her students through basic song-writing technique, while encouraging their creativity. *Sarah is also a Certified Sound Therapist

David Powell

Drums & Piano Instructor (In-Person & Remote)

David grew up in Kentucky taking piano lessons at a young age. He grew up playing classical piano, but in his teen years found a new love; Rock 'n Roll. That's when he realized he wanted to learn the drums and move to California! David went to San Jose State getting his Masters in music performance specializing in percussion. For the past couple decades, he's played in some amazing bay area jazz and rock bands. His energy and excitement for music goes unmatched. David still performs, though his tour days are behind him. He now focuses his energy towards teaching. From beginning-advanced piano to music theory to beginning-advanced drums; this guy can do it all!

Brian Hermosillo

Guitar Teacher

Brian has been a part of the Bay Area Metal/Punk/Garage Rock music scene since the mid 1980s. Mostly self-taught, he has been playing guitar since he was 13. He was born in San Jose,Ca. but he spent the first 9 years of the 21st century living in Minneapolis,Minnesota and was an active member of the music scene there as well, playing in bands and recording other artists using his home analog studio 8 track reel to reel. Brian has toured with his bands all over the world including a few trips to Italy, Germany,France,Spain,the Netherlands and Japan. Brian is a record collector and owner of the former record shop Undefeated Records in Santa Cruz. Although guitar is his main love, Brian is a multi-instrumentalist and most recently has picked up playing the banjo for fun. Brian has taught several kids to play guitar,bass,and drums over the years and is excited to teach guitar again.

Curtis Wallace

Vocal & Guitar Instructor; Beg. Drum & Piano Teacher (Admin)

Curtis Wallace, a San Jose native, and a musician practically his whole life. Curtis was introduced to music by his parents at a young age- his mom is an operatic singer and piano player, and his dad plays blues and rock guitar. Curtis started singing and playing piano when he was around 8 years old, and picked up the guitar at 11. Influenced by a wide variety of rock and punk music, and early on learned to play mostly by trying to figure out songs by ear. As he continued with lessons. Curtis gained experience by playing guitar and singing in bands that played shows frequently, and toured across the U.S. with acts such as The Story So Far, Real Friends, Modern Baseball, and many others. Curtis also had the amazing opportunity to do a full tour in Japan, playing 9 shows in various cities there, as well as opening a show for Green Day at South by Southwest in Austin. Curtis believes that playing music is something that anyone can learn if you are passionate about it, and if you can dedicate some time to doing it as something you love, it can lead to opportunities and things you wouldn't have thought possible.

Juliana Tarter

Guitar, Piano, Ukulele & Bass Instructor

Juliana is a California Bay Area multi instrumentalist best known for her work as a guitarist. She gained interest in guitar after listening to Randy Rhoads, who became a major influence on her playing and outlook on music. She has been playing guitar and performing for 15+ years. Some highlights include being mentored by Delores and Kelle Rhoads, playing lead guitar for Queen tribute band The Killer Queens at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go and the NAMM convention in SoCal, writing original music for and performing with her bands Crimes of Passion and Vegan Vulture Club, playing live on KFOX radio, opening for the Doobie Brothers and Steve Miller, playing solo shows opening for the Misfits and Michael Schenker, and becoming an endorsed artist with Jackson Guitars and Clayton Picks. Juliana holds a BA of Music degree from SJSU where she studied jazz guitar with Rick Vandivier, and played bass for several ensembles. She also studied classical guitar at De Anza College, and studied rock, metal, and jazz guitar privately with Ry Kihn.

Ian Ridsdale

Drum & Hand Percussion Instructor

Percussionist, teacher, and radio DJ Ian Ridsdale has been playing drums and percussion for nearly twenty years. Having started playing drums at a young age, Ian branched out into other percussion instruments during his time playing in his high school marching band and wind ensemble. He also played drums and other percussion instruments in the Laguna Beach Concert Band, Synergy Drum Corps, and the San Clemente Jazz Band in Orange County, CA. These instruments include concert snare, bass drum, marching tenors, marimba, tympani, triangle, and other assorted percussion instruments. During his time as an undergrad at Cal Poly, SLO, he played congas in the Cal Poly Jazz band under the direction of Paul Rinzler. While he lived in San Luis Obispo, Ian played drums in several rock bands, recording an EP and performing at the Shabang Music Festival. Since then, Ian has graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching from UC Irvine and taught English in middle school in high school, in addition to drums and percussion.

Michael Bragg

RRB Coordinator & Events

Michael fell in love with Music from the age of 10 years old, watching his Father perform live shows and play with various bands around the Bay Area. He started to learn the Bass Guitar and started his own band by the age of 12 years. During his early years he learned how to read music playing the clarinet in middle school band as well as teaching the clarinet to beginners. He continues to play with the same band he helped form to this day and has over 20 years of experience in playing live music all over the country. His live music career music background is mainly Punk Rock and Metal, but he has a passion for all forms of music.

Tina Masuda

Cupertino Office Manager

An east coast native, Tina is an accomplished accountant and operations manager with a Bachelor's degree from the University of San Francisco. With many years of experience in the field, Tina brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Be Natural Music community. When not managing a busy office, Tina enjoys practicing guitar, indulging in video games, and is an avid fan of horror fiction.
"Music can change the world because it can change people." - Bono

Lucas Banks

Guitar, Piano & Beg. Drum Instructor

Music has always been a huge part of Lucas' life. Growing up in Cupertino, he began playing piano at age 5 and guitar at age 10, inspired by the Rock Band video game. Since then, he has written, produced and published his own music and enjoys playing live whenever he can. Lucas' passion for performing grew during his time spent in Murcia, Spain, where he performed weekly at open mics and collaborated with other local artists. His fun-loving, encouraging energy makes his students feel comfortable right away and excited to come back and learn each week. Lucas believes that each student can enjoy learning how to harness their talent and experience the magic that playing instruments can bring!

John Wallace

Drum Instructor

John Wallace is a dedicated drummer, audio engineer, and live event professional who brings a well-rounded perspective to music education by combining technical expertise with real-world performance experience. With a deep understanding of rhythm, dynamics, and technique, John helps students develop their skills while sharing insights from his work in live sound engineering and event production. John’s experience in professional audio setups and live performances allows him to teach not only drumming fundamentals but also how to adapt and thrive in real-world musical settings. Passionate about inspiring students, John strives to help them grow as musicians and build confidence both on stage and in the studio.