Music On Main - Meet Our Faculty





John Durbin - Owner of Music On Main & Music Instructor 

John has an extensive background in learning and teaching musical instruments.       He specializes in piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, drums, saxophone and clarinet.  John  has  been teaching music in the South Bay and Palos Verdes Peninsula area for over 30 years. He attended Pepperdine University under a full music scholarship and    holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education.  In addition to his teaching career, 
John is the leader of two successful  bands, "All Nite Express" (Top 40 & Classic Rock) and "The Fabulous Chevelles" (50's & 60's music).   His groups have    entertained crowds on board cruise ships, at major hotel chains, restaurants,             and casinos throughout Southern California and Nevada.  They have shared the       stage with Aretha Franklin; Paul Revere & the Raiders; Blood, Sweat & Tears; 
Chubby  Checker; and Dick Dale.  They are invited back year after year to 
entertain at various corporate events throughout Los Angeles, school award ceremonies, debutante balls, cotillions, graduation galas and car shows.  


Christine - Piano, Violin & Viola Instructor 

Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Christine is a classically trained musician with a talent for musical improv on the violin, a flare for Mozart on the piano and a love of teaching. Her music education began at age 7 with piano lessons. And by age 10, she had persuaded her parents to allow her to study violin as well. Christine is an all-around musician with over 14 years of private instruction on both instruments and experience performing in orchestras, ensemble groups, and as a solo artist. As a violinist, she has performed as Co-Concertmaster of the Colorado College Chamber Orchestra, played five concert seasons with the Catalina Chamber Orchestra, and as solo fiddle player in the musical Quilters for the Arizona Repertory Theatre. More recently, Christine has performed and recorded with indie band MAGs Element in Pasadena, creating her own solo arrangements. Christine has an M.A. in Theater Education from the University of Arizona. And in addition to teaching music lessons, Christine has enjoyed teaching creative drama classes as an afterschool teacher with Woodcraft Rangers and as a summer camp instructor.  But what Christine loves most is teaching piano and violin. She loves sharing the joy of music with students of all ages and skill levels, helping to bring out their highest potential with her patient approach. She helps her students build a strong foundation in the classical tradition while also encouraging them to explore various contemporary styles, from jazz to modern. She strives to make music lessons creative and fun, while covering all the basics of music theory, proper technique, note reading, and musicality. Christine teaches beginning to advanced piano, violin and viola.


Stacey - Voice & Piano Instructor

Stacey is a Jazz singer and pianist who combines natural talent, professional skill, and intelligence into a powerful and diverse sound. Educated at Humber College for Jazz Performance, she was mentored by world-class musicians like Shannon Gunn, and won the Thomas Kohoe vocal jazz award. As a musician in Seoul, Stacey translated her skills into impressive professional achievements. As a member of the vocal jazz group Hi-Singers, she collaborated on singles, albums, and live performances. As the bandleader of the fusion group Fahrenheit, she produced two mini-albums. As a vocal coach for the Korean indie label 9th Street Records, she nurtured talent and directed recordings. Through all those professional engagements, she cultivated an independent voice as a singer-songwriter, composer and arranger, culminating in a wide range of creations. In Los Angeles, Stacey composes for film and TV and does session vocal work. Throughout, she has taught and mentored a diversity of talent, and continues to teach with empathy and skill. Stacey specializes in vocal techniques and improvisation at all professional levels, music theory, stage performance, and piano in the beginner and intermediate range to all age groups.  
Special Note for Vocal Instruction: Due to warm-up and amount of information covered, minimum lesson time is 45 minutes. 


Liana  - Piano and Voice Instructor

Ms. Liana is a Gundo resident who has been surrounded by music her entire life. Having started choir and piano at age 6, she began diving into different music ensembles in high school including marching band, color guard, choir, and symphonic string. Through the string program, she helped elementary students as a section leader in beginner strings after school. She continued her music journey and received an A.A. at El Camino College. During that time she interned at South Bay Children's Choir under Diane Simons and helped developing voices. After El Camino, she transferred to Cal State University of Long Beach where she received a Bachelor of Music in Performance with an emphasis in Opera. Discovering a passion for music and the arts, she has years of experience in ballet, acting, band, symphony, choir, solo singing, color guard, and a season with DCI through Gold Drum Corps. Her primary focus, however, is opera and musical theater. She has played roles including Marsinah from Kismet and Euridice from Orpheus in the Underworld along with scenes as Cunegonde from Candide and Adele from Die Fledermaus. She has won several scholarships and competitions through solo voice. Her notable achievements include singing at Carnegie Hall, singing with Music Academy of the West, and receiving the Daily Breeze Making a Difference Award. 
Liana teaches beginning to advanced lessons to students of all ages.     
Special Note for Vocal Instruction: Due to warm-up and amount of information covered, minimum lesson time is 45 minutes. 


Raquel  - Piano Instructor

Raquel has been playing piano for almost ten years. Her love for music began at age 12, when she started taking singing classes, singing in her church choir, and even played guitar for a few years. When she began to take piano lessons, she realized how well classical music resonated with her. She joined the Applied Music Program at El Camino College and later discovered her joy for teaching. Raquel obtained her Associate’s in Music with Honors from El Camino College, where she studied under Dr. Polli Chambers-Salazar. Raquel also received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education Summa Cum Laude, studying under Dr. Zachary Deak at California State University of Los Angeles.  She is excited to continue to pursue music education and enjoys sharing her passion of music. Raquel teaches beginning to advanced piano to students of all ages. 


Mary - Piano & Voice  Instructor

Mary was born and raised in San Jose, California. From a very young age, music has always held a strong impact on her life. She began learning to play multiple instruments such as the guitar, ukulele and piano which led her to start writing music and play coffee shop performances throughout high school. With all the instruments she plays, Mary specializes in voice and performance. Mary currently studies vocal performance at California State Northridge and is enjoying her third year participating in opera productions and multiple ensembles on campus. She has been studying piano and music theory since the age of fourteen. Teaching music has always been a passion of hers. She loves to teach to help inspire, mentor and lead future musicians. Mary hopes to inspire the same love and admiration for music for her students at Music On Main.
Special Note for Vocal Instruction: Due to warm-up and amount of information covered, minimum lesson time is 45 minutes. 


Kiana - Violin & Piano Instructor

Ms. Kiana is a Junior at Cal State Long Beach, majoring in Violin Performance. She is a graduate of the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), where she has served as both Concertmaster and Second Violin Principal of the OCSA Symphony Orchestra. Kiana has been studying the violin for 17 years and currently studies under Moni Simeonov. She formerly studied under Gail Gerding Mellert and Hiroki Kajita. Kiana has won several competitions including Satori, SYMF, and VOCE. She has also performed in various musicals and youth orchestras, such as All State, All Southern, Asia America Youth Symphony, and JCM Chamber Group. Kiana teaches beginning to advanced violin as well as beginning to intermediate piano to students of all ages. 


Diana - Piano Instructor 

Raised in New York, Diana is now a local El Segundo resident and mother to three young children. Her eldest daughter is a piano student at Music On Main, and she is delighted to be teaching here too. Diana has been playing piano since the age of 4. She won medals in the New York state piano exams each year. After auditioning, Diana was accepted to attend the Julliard School in NYC as a pianist when she was in the 9th grade. She worked with many amazing teachers and students in solfege, music theory, quartets, duets and solo work. Majoring in classical piano, her biggest piano accomplishments were performing at Carnegie Halls and recording a CD.  Diana 
also attended Brown University and majored in Materials Engineering as an undergrad, while also doing a Masters program to obtain her Teaching Certificate of Sciences for 7-12th grade. She was also a piano accompanist in college, mostly for strings. After graduation, she taught physics and chemistry in middle and high school for several years, and then became the Co-Director of a tutoring company where she taught math, science, ACTs and SATs prep. In 2010, Diana was accepted into UCLA for graduate study. In 2016, Diana graduated with a PhD in Chemical Engineering, had her first daughter, and moved to El Segundo. She is excited to continue her piano career with Music On Main. Diana teaches beginning to advanced piano to students of all ages.


Jasmine - Violin & Piano Instructor​

Ms. Jasmine is a professional violinist and music teacher/coach based in Orange County. She received her Bachelor’s in Music Performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory in California State University, Long Beach in 2014, where she studied with Linda Rose. She also studied with Elizabeth Baker, past director of the Taos Music School and LA Phil First Violinist. She currently receives coaching from Stacy Wetzel, a first violinist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Jasmine performed as a soloist in the Glendale Youth Orchestra in 2010, in the Bob Cole Conservatory Showcase Concert in 2014, and in various recitals, operas, musicals, and concerts. She has also played for a group of 20,000 people at the Urbana Missions Conference in 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri. She enjoys being a chamber/orchestra musician and is part of the American Youth Symphony based in UCLA, and the La Mirada Symphony Orchestra. Jasmine is also an MTAC-certified music teacher for beginner piano and violin and a strings coach for Laguna Hills High School, Millikan High School, and Hughes Middle School. Currently in her 9th year of teaching, she enjoys teaches students of all ages around Los Angeles and Orange County. 


Brenda - Voice & Piano Instructor

Brenda is a soprano vocalist and pianist from the South Bay. She has been singing her whole life. She specializes in musical theater and opera; however, she is also well versed in other genres such as jazz, pop, and R&B. Brenda is currently working on obtaining her BA in music performance. She has trained in multiple countries including the US, Mexico, Italy and Colombia. Brenda is experienced in singing in English, Italian, Spanish, German, and French. She has performed in theaters such as Carnegie Hall and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Teaching has always been just as much of a passion for Brenda as performing. She has been teaching students professionally for over three years and has taught various students ranging in age from 5 through adults. She firmly believes everyone has a voice and it’s never too late to sing! Brenda teaches beginning to intermediate piano and advanced vocal coaching.
​Special Note for Vocal Instruction: Due to warm-up and amount of information covered, minimum lesson time is 45 minutes. 


Ding - Piano Instructor​

Born in China, Ding has been studying piano since the age of 4. A piano performance major in his senior year, he is a recipient of a Cole Scholarship and a Keyboard Foundation Scholarship. Ding is a student of Dr. Shun-Lin Chou,and has previously studied with Professor Manami Kawamura in Pasadena City College. He has performed under numerous capacities, including solo, collaborative, and various chamber ensembles. He was also a member of the PCC orchestra. In 2017, he won exceptional awards including PCC Concerto Competition, first place in Bertrand's Old Town Music Award for Piano Performance Scholarship Competition, Franklin Tzeng Piano Award for Excellence in Music Studies, and the Collaborative Piano Award in Honor of Betty Dandy for Excellence in Music Studies. Ding has a passion for chamber music and other ensembles, he attended the 2019 Credo Music summer festival in Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio for further chamber music study. In his first year studying in CSULB, he was chosen to perform in the Conservatory showcase, Piano showcase, and later joined numerous other music performances. He has been awarded  in the Beverly August Piano Competitions, also a prize winner for the CAPMT competition and MTNA competition. He has also been active as a piano accompanist and played for many University degree recitals, and helped many advanced to top conservatories. Ding teaches beginning to advance piano to students of all ages.


India - Violin Instructor

Ms. India began playing violin at age seven and played in the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony. She credits her mother as her musical inspiration and first learned how to play the violin from her, before learning from a series of excellent teachers. In more recent years, India has played in several weddings, open mic nights, and was part of the city of Santa Cruz’s First Friday performances.  In addition to playing the violin, India has coached and played tennis for over fifteen years. She has a bachelors degree in global economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has volunteered as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters for a number of years. In her free time, India enjoys exploring Los Angeles, playing tennis, and playing and teaching the violin to students of all ages.



Gabe - Saxophone, Clarinet  & Flute Instructor

​Mr. Gabe is a Los Angeles based saxophonist and woodwind doubler known for his versatility across all styles of music. Gabe first picked up the clarinet at the age of ten in school band, and later shifted his focus to jazz saxophone in high school where he discovered the music of Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, and John Coltrane. While attending Long Beach Polytechnic High School, Gabe performed as part of the SCSBOA ambassador band, performed as a guest with the Tom Kubis Big Band, and gigged around L.A. at venues including the Red Leprechaun and the Industry Café with his own jazz quartet. After high school, Gabe continued his studies at the University of North Texas where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in jazz studies. At UNT, Gabe studied with legendary saxophonist and educator Brad Leali, and played in the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band where he collaborated with artists such as Chris Potter, Miguel Zenon, and Allison Miller. Gabe can be heard playing alto saxophone and clarinet on their most recent album, Lab 2023.  After graduating, Gabe moved back to Los Angeles where he currently teaches at various middle schools and works as a freelance woodwind artist. Gabe is passionate about practice, as well as about teaching and performing. He teaches beginning to advanced saxophone, clarinet and flute.





**We are always looking for talented and experienced music teachers to join our awesome staff.  If you are interested in teaching at Music On Main or would like to be considered for our substitute teacher roster, please submit your resume for consideration via email (no phone calls or walk-ins, please).    





























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