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, composition, piano, electric bass and drums. His vast formal training has taken place in top schools, such as UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, and Cabrillo College, eventually earning his Bachelors in Jazz Guitar from Skidmore College in New York. Over the years, Matt has gained much professional experience performing in Jazz and Rock bands, as well as performing solo. Matt takes a unique and creative approach to teaching that engages students to bring out their best, learning theory as well as valuable performance techniques.
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
Andrea Urzua
Guitar & Beg. Ukulele Instructor (In-Person & Remote) Bilingual English & Spanish
Andrea loves listening to all kinds of music but she specifically likes to play metal and rock. She teaches students riffs and solos by Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin, Metallica, Pantera, Slipknot, Polyphia, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd & Boston. When it comes to teaching, Andrea's philosophy is to teach techniques so the student knows their instrument, teach basic theory to implement creativity, as well as simply having fun by teaching songs that the student loves!
Malakai Lawton
Guitar, Piano, Voice, Beg. Ukulele & Trombone (In-Person & Remote)
Malakai has been playing guitar for 9 years and enjoys writing and performing original songs as well as performing with several local bands and being a radio DJ on KBCZ 89.3 FM Boulder Creek Community Radio! He enjoys discovering new music, however, he spends most of his time listening to classic rock and folk-rock. When he’s not playing guitar he enjoys playing other instruments such as piano, violin, and trombone; Malakai also enjoys hiking in the redwoods and looking after his Siberian Husky, Koda.
Rowan Johnson
Enrollment Specialist & Administration
Rowan has been involved with Be Natural Music since 2017. He started with playing in bands as a student and now he works doing real rock bands and private lesson recruiting. He is a multi-instrumentalist with over a decade of musical experience who knows how to play saxophone, drums, bass, piano, and guitar. He puts these talents to use in his bands with our staff members Andrea and Lizzy (shout out to The Subtractions & Field Hockey). He currently studies music at Cabrillo College.
Chris Soriano
Guitar, Bass & Ukulele Instructor (In-Person & Remote)
Musician, Music Educator, Artist and Luthier Chris Soriano has been studying and playing music for over 20 years. He graduated from the University of North Florida with an Art degree in 2003. Using his knowledge and skills acquired as an Art student, he started building/designing guitars shortly after graduating and eventually ran a stringed instrument repair shop part time in Florida. After working as a part time Luthier and a full time commercial sign maker for over 10 years, he went back to UNF to study in the Music Technology program for three years to pursue a music related career. He worked as a full time music instructor and musician playing guitar/bass in various local Jazz, Blues and Latin bands in Northeast Florida. Chris moved to Santa Cruz, California in 2019 and currently teaches Guitar, Bass & Ukulele where students learn Basic Music Theory, Rock, Latin and Jazz Improvisation. He also works at The Santa Cruz Guitar Company and plays gigs regularly around the Santa Cruz area.
Barbara Martin
Music Instructor for Drums/Percussion, Voice, & Piano | Rock Band Teacher (In-Person & Remote) Bilingual English & Spanish
Drummer and Multi-Percussionist Barbara Martin is originally from Guantanamo City, Cuba. She went to Vocational School of the Arts in Guantanamo, then Professional School of the Arts in Santa Clara, and eventually attending the University of the Arts in Havana, Cuba as a Percussion Major. During her studies, she had the opportunity to perform with the Harvard Symphony Orchestra and was also the lead percussionist and Timpanist in The Santa Clara Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band for more than 9 years. She has played with various bands in Cuba playing popular and traditional music of Cuba like Rason, Ella's Son, Elizabeth and Razones, Cadencia, and Alter Ego. She eventually taught percussion at the schools that she went to as a student. In 2012, she relocated to Doha, Qatar to play nightly as a percussionist and lead vocalist at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for four years. Upon arriving in the United States, she took on the Drummer and Lead Vocal positions in several bands performing in different genres-Jazz, Latin, Pop and Rock in bands like Catch the Groove, The Integral Latin Band, Barbara, and the Boys, Bomba Jazz, Barbara Martin Group, Alma Rumbera Band, Modern Groove Experience Big Band, Martin/Soriano Duo, and various solo projects. She teaches voice and piano but is a specialist in percussion. Her primary instrument is Latin Percussion-Timbales, Congas, Bongos, Cajon Flamenco and Minor Percussion. Her formal Classical training makes her equally adapted to teaching and performing with the Vibraphone, Marimba, Xylophone, and Timpani. She focuses on making music learning a fun and engaging endeavor where students get to learn their favorite music, as well as get some introductions to new and exciting instruments and music genres that they may not be familiar with. Students will also learn Basic Theory, reading music notation, performance techniques, and making the best out of every performance situation.
Jen Oberti
Office Manager & Scholarship Manager
Bringing our community together to make music education alive and available to anyone who wants to learn.
Lizzy Sterling
RRB Coordinator & Recruitment
Lizzy loves everything about music. She has been playing guitar for 9 years and drums for 4. She joined Be Natural as a student back in 2019, playing in multiple bands over a 4-year span. She now works helping with real rock band recruiting while she is going to school. In her free time, she plays in bands with Andrea and Rowan (shout out to The Subtractions & Field Hockey). She listens to all kinds of music, from Elliott Smith to Black County New Road and so much more. When not doing music, she loves art, nature, and spending time with friends and family.
Lupe, the all-around musical kitty!
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