Faiza Alam
Guitar

Faiza Alam is a Co-founder, COO and guitar instructor for Create More Music Studios.  She has a Bachelor's of Music Degree with a Concentration in Guitar Performance and a Master’s of Business Administration from George Mason.  Faiza has been teaching guitar, group music lessons, and band coaching for 7 years.  She has worked with students of all ages and specializes in young child development.  Faiza enjoys teaching and performing classical music, folk, rock and pop. 

Faiza began playing guitar at the age of eleven.  She studied classical guitar under Hart Wells and Larry Snitzler, student of Andres Segovia. She has learned from world renowned guitarists such as Roland Dyens, Eleftheria Kotzia and Piotr Zeilinski.  Upon receiving her B.M., she taught for numerous teaching schools and performed throughout the NOVA area.  In 2013, Faiza decided to pursue a graduate degree in business with the belief that she could spread her love for music.

Raymund de la Pena
Guitar

Raymund de la Pena has been playing music professionally for the past 29 years and was introduced to music at an early age. He started playing the piano at age 8 and shifted to the guitar a year later when he heard "Yesterday" by the Beatles.  The reason for the move to a different instrument was inevitable as he states "I heard some nuances and sonic ideas that the instrument wasn't giving to me and pretty much i heard that on the guitar from the get go". And so, with his fascination for music he went to get his college degree in music performance.  After graduation he performed all over the world. In 2000, he was given the opportunity to be the musical director of the Broadway musical "RENT" in Singapore where it got rave reviews. In 2003, Ray served as Music Director for a European cruise ship, where he traveled and performed throughout 20 countries.  In 2011 he released his debut record "The Long Road Taken" independently with his group (composed of session musicians) the "RDP Project," which featured his original composition.

He has performed with renown drummer, Victor Jones and top Jazz artists, such as Eliane Amherd, Elin Megarejo, Doug Little, Mel Davis.  Ray's playing and improvisational style is described as modern -which blends the relaxed and ductile articulation which is akin to horn players,but yet deeply grounded in the jazz tradition of swing, melody and the blues.  Ray has been teaching throughout his musical career where he has worked with students of all ages and skills levels.  His goal is to spark an interest in music within his students while teaching them to develop their ears, learn good technique and the foundations of music theory. 

Tim Carolla
Guitar, Electric Bass, Piano

Tim Carolla is a guitarist based in the Washington, D.C. area. Tim holds a Master’s of Music in Modern American Music (Jazz and Improvisation) and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He also holds a Bachelor’s of Music with a Concentration in Classical Guitar performance and a Minor and Jazz Studies from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Tim maintains an active schedule teaching, performing, and composing/arranging. He has experience performing most styles in the Jazz world (swing, bop, free music/free jazz), as well as with pit orchestras and rock bands. As of late, Tim has been studying and transcribing the music of Thelonious Monk, and searching for ways to play his music on the guitar.  He also enjoys playing and performing on the electric bass.

Tim has performed with numerous chamber groups and ensembles based in and around both Boston and the Washington, D.C. area. Tim has played in masterclasses with numerous classical guitarists including Roland Dyens, Margarita Escarpa and Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and present his own arrangements for the guitar to Carlos Perez and R. Dyens.  Tim has studied with Joe Morris for the last four years in Boston.  As a teacher, Tim enjoys teaching guitar, bass, and piano as well as composition/arranging, theory and improvisation for any instrument or ability. 

Mike Crawford
Guitar, Ukulele

Mike Crawford is a Senior Classical Guitar Performance Major at George Mason University. Originally a jazz student under the tutelage of Rick Whitehead, Mike eventually had an opportunity to study with Larry Snitzler, former student of Andres Segovia, during which time he became inspired to pursue classical guitar. 

Mike has worked and played with musicians of all genres and styles, including jazz, classical, rock, alternative, indie and folk music, and currently plays in two local rock bands.  Mike has performed with the American Festival Pops Orchestra and The Kensington Arts Community Theatre among other groups.  In addition to performing, Mike enjoys teaching guitar, ukelele, and music theory.  Mike has worked with students of all ages and skill levels for the past 4 years.  His aim is to not only help his students advance but also to inspire his students as his former guitar instructors have inspired him to love and pursue music. 

Nick Lee
Guitar, Mandolin, Electric Bass, Ukulele

Nick Lee is a string instrument extraordinaire who teaches guitar, mandolin,electric bass and ukulele. He is currently in his senior year, pursuing a bachelors of music with a concentration in classical guitar performance at George Mason University where he studied with Larry Snitzler. Before attending George Mason, Nick was part of the music scene in Richmond, Virginia, where he played with a variety of local bands. He has performed at a variety of venues from solo recitals to restaurants and even music festivals. Despite a focus in classical guitar, he enjoys many genres including jazz, bluegrass, folk punk and rock.

For the past 3 years Nick has enjoyed teaching music in the Northern Virginia area. Although studying performance at school, he takes great pleasure in working with students to help them attain their personalized musical goals. As a student himself, he understands the importance of a good teacher and has developed a fun, demanding and malleable teaching style that caters to all kinds of students.

Sam Allen
Guitar, Voice, Piano

Samuel T. Allen is a recent graduate of the James Madison University School of Music (Dec ’16) where he received a B.M in Voice Performance. Studying under baritone Kevin McMillan he has learned and performed a number of operatic and oratorio roles including Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, Sam Kaplan in Street Scene, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, and Rodolfo in La Bohème. In addition to his operatic work, Samuel has been a live audition finalist for the world-renowned choirs, Cantus and Chanticleer. Samuel has studied music theory, piano, improvisation, and advanced sight reading. While Classical voice is his specialty, he is extremely well versed in other styles including Jazz, Musical Theater, and Contemporary. He is very eager to pass on his love for singing to students of all ages.

Feel free to listen to some of his classical and contemporary singing at:
www.youtube.com/thebrothersallen.

Ali Rezaeipour
Guitar

Ali Rezaeipour is an Iranian-American musician based in Northern Virginia.  Although his main instrument is the guitar, Ali also plays the piano, the violin, as well as traditional Persian instruments tar and setar.  Ali is currently enrolled at George Mason University where he is pursuing a double major with a Bachelor’s of Music with a Concentration in Jazz Guitar and a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology.  As an educator, he strives to spread his love for music with his students, while helping them grow as artists and individuals.  He believes that each student is unique, and develops lesson plans and teaching approaches based on each individual student’s needs and interests.  In addition to teaching, Ali performs with a number of ensembles and musicians.  He is also the front man for Afarinesh, a progressive rock band with Persian-influenced melodies, lyrics and harmonies. Featuring him on lead guitar and vocals, Afarinesh plays regularly at venues all around the Washington D.C. area.