Steve Hatfield

Teachers

Read the bios of the wonderful Air House instructors.

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Why Take Lessons?

Music lessons are good for you! Learn more about the benefits of music education.

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Guitar

Guitar lessons are available in all genres including: rock, jazz, classical, acoustic, folk, worship, country, pop, funk, blues and more. Lessons are available children through adults. Some teachers specialize in working with beginners and children while other teachers specialize in working with advanced students and adults. Lessons are customized to fit the interests of the students.

Types of skills that can be learned include:

  • Playing songs that the student wants to learn
  • Reading chords
  • Fundamentals of proper technique
  • Music reading
  • Tablature reading
  • Learn strategies to play by ear
  • Music theory
  • Rhythmic concepts
  • Jazz chords and harmony
  • Jazz improvisation
  • Jazz chord melodies
  • Classical guitar technique
  • Fingerstyle
  • Rock improvisation
  • Blues improvisation
  • Scales and modes
  • Arpeggios
  • Fretboard knowledge
  • Alternate tunings
  • Sweep picking
  • Songwriting and many more

Interested in taking Guitar Lessons?

Fill out the form below to request information.

You can also email info@airhousemusic.com or call 316-613-3378 for Guitar lesson information.

News

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Our Vision

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Why Air House

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Our Approach

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Lessons

Lessons

Private music lessons in Wichita, KS. Air House has the top teachers in the area, offering piano, guitar, voice, drum, bass, saxophone lessons and more.

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Ensemble

Performance

Our House of Rock program gives students the opportunity to play in a band with their peers, express their creativity and perform at live music venues.

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Studio

Studio

Air House Studio is a hybrid analog/digital recording studio located in Wichita, KS, offering services in recording and mixing. From a demo to a full length album, Air House can help you achieve your sonic goals!

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109 S. Ridge Rd.
Wichita, KS 67209
316-613-3378

info@airhousemusic.com

 

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Alex Nordine Guitar

Alex Nordine graduated from Friends University in 2007 with Bachelor’s degrees in Music Performance and Spanish. He has spent many years performing in the Wichita area as a guitarist and bassist in a variety of genres, including: Rock, Blues, Jazz, Classical, Christian, Bluegrass, R&B, and Reggae. From 2003-2009 he taught approximately 40 weekly guitar & bass lessons, before moving to Puerto Rico in 2009 to pursue a Master’s degree in Translation. As a group leader, his Maple Street Trio performed all over the Wichita area. He has also performed with The Calyptones, The Project H, Matt Maholland, Lisa Hittle, David Lord, and Lisa Blake, among others. Teaching has long been an inspiration for Alex. He prides himself on being able to relate to students and adapt to all styles of music.

Blaine Martin Bass, Guitar, Piano

Born and raised in Wichita, KS, Blaine fell in love with music at a young age after begging his parents for piano lessons. His musical roots began with years of orchestra, youth jazz bands and learning from many seasoned players at late night blues jams.

After finding a specific passion for Jazz, Classical, as well as songwriting during his highschool years, Blaine decided to pursue music in College, graduating with a B.A. in Music from Friends University where he studied Jazz Piano, Jazz Bass, Classical Piano, and Classical Bass, and performed in Jazz Combos, Big Bands, and Orchestras. Since then he has become a multi-disciplinary musician playing Piano, Electric and Upright Bass, Guitar and Ukulele.

While studying in music school Blaine began to become active in the Wichita music scene, performing with local groups, notably recording and touring as a bassist with local Indie-rock band Old News. He has also done work with a variety of local artists both live and as a studio musician in a variety of genres: Rap, Jazz, R&B, Folk, Rock.

Blaine continues studying music of all styles, focusing in the songwriting and Jazz realms. He performs with other artists as well as playing solo sets around the city. He continues to write, record and explore his own music, currently working on his first album.

Blaine approaches the teaching of music with his ears first; focusing on universal musicianship and joy, allowing the student’s curiosites, goals and interests to be the main drivers, supporting them with a strong base of technical and theoretical knowledge to facilitate well rounded musicianship.

David Lord Guitar

David is the owner and manager of Air House Music Academy. He has been teaching guitar for the last 20+ years. David has his B.A. in Music Performance from Friends University. From 2008-2011, David was the guitar professor at Friends University, teaching guitar lessons, directing guitar ensembles, directing jazz combos and teaching guitar class.

David has been working for the past 15+ years on developing a unique polychordal vocabulary and approach to composition and jazz guitar. After releasing 16 albums under the moniker Francis Moss and with Solagget, The Wonder Revolution and Elemental Trio, in 2018 David released his debut album under his name, “Forest Standards Vol. 1”, which features acclaimed drummer Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground, Pharaoh Sanders) and bassist Devin Hoff (Nels Cline, Mary Halvorson). The album was recorded and produced by Chris Schlarb at his BIG EGO Studios in Long Beach, CA and released on BIG EGO Records.  Forest Standards was featured in the Feb. 2018 issue of “Downbeat” and has received positive reviews from publications and critics including “Dusted Magazine” and legendary music writer Bill Milkowski (Jaco Pastorius biographer).

In 2020, David released “Forest Standards, Vol. 2” which features guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise, Brian Blade), bassist Billy Mohler (Dolly Parton, Macy Gray) and drummer Chad Taylor. The album was featured in Downbeat Magazine, Pop Matters, A Closer Listen and All About Jazz and was included in several “Best Jazz of 2020” lists.

In addition to playing and teaching, David is the owner and engineer of Air House Studios where he records and produces a variety of bands and musicians.

 

Jace Wilbert Guitar, Bass, Ukulele

Jace Wilbert began his musical journey as a guitarist at age 13 and hasn’t looked back since. At 16,  Jace formed and played lead guitar in an alt-rock band, “Shaft” that played hundreds of shows locally, regionally, and nationally for over a decade.

Since then, Jace has stayed busy over the years as a guitarist and recording artist with bands such as “Riverside 65”, “The Yale St. Players” and the “Lucky People Band”. He’s most recently been contributing and collaborating with hip hop artist, “XV” as a recording artist and member of his live band “the Squarian Brain Trust”.

Jace began teaching guitar, bass, and ukulele over 20 years ago and has instructed students of all ages and playing ability in Wichita, KS and Dallas, TX. He has extensive knowledge and experience playing and teaching almost all musical genres, specializing in Rock, Pop, Funk, Blues, and Soul. Jace has studied privately with blues and jazz greats such as David Keller, Jerry Hahn, and at Wichita State University with Craig Owens.

Jace’s philosophy on teaching:

“To me music instruction is more than just a weekly lesson. It is showing up consistently as a mentor and guide for those who seek to discover and cultivate their creative energy and to help unlock their musical potential.

Learning a new instrument or expanding one’s existing knowledge and ability can be a challenging, but greatly rewarding experience. I always approach each session as an instructor positively with a beginner’s mentality. I strive to keep the learning experience light and fun with the intent to nurture each student’s innate curiosity for the instrument while encouraging the self-motivation that it takes to improve by any increment.

My goal is to tailor each student’s learning experience to suit their personal interests and musical passions while staying grounded in the fundamentals of playing their instrument.” 

Joel Cachero Guitar, Piano

Joel studied Jazz guitar and received his B.M. M.M. from Wichita State University in 2012 and became certified to teach Pre-K – 12 music education at Black Traditional Magnet Elementary. He plays in a variety of styles including classical, jazz, rock and pop music. Joel specializes in teaching music theory, music technology; including production and and home recording. Joel has been teaching since 2006 and has experience working with students of all ages and development levels. He also specializes in teaching students with disabilities and has several students with exceptionalities. His passion for music and teaching inspire his students to develop into sensitive, inspired musicians.

Kurt Aiken Guitar, Banjo, Bass, Mandolin, Piano, Ukulele

Kurt teaches guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, ukulele, and piano lessons. Coming from a family of talented musicians, he grew up with a love for music and especially music performance. He wrote his first tune on the piano at eight years old and that sparked a creative drive that never left. Although piano was his first love, the guitar seemed to be calling him and he dedicated himself to the instrument. Practicing for hours each day in his dorm room as a Kansas University engineering student and track and field athlete, Kurt began learning all the styles of American music. Engineering wasn’t his future. He knew that his true calling was to be a musician, so he began playing gigs around Lawrence, Kansas. In those days he played mostly for little or no money, but the early gigs were the beginning of his career as a professional musician that has lasted over two decades and counting.

Kurt had always known that his passion in music was to express himself through improvisation but mostly in the rock and blues tradition up to that point. Then one fateful day he walked into a little pizza joint in Lawrence, Kansas not expecting his life to change. The music playing on the sound system was unlike anything he’d ever heard. That was the very first time he heard John McLaughhelin, Al DiMeola, and Paco de Lucia. They were playing some sort of flamenco jazz guitar fusion and Kurt was mesmerized with the sound. The album was “A Friday Night in San Fransisco”, which he promptly purchased and set out to learn every note the three masters had played. This was the start of his love affair with jazz music. The complex harmonies and rhythms and the freedom to be creative were a perfect fit for his musical capabilities. Kurt went on to study jazz guitar performance at Wichita State University under the guidance of the great Craig Owens who would become his mentor and a major influence on Kurt’s music. To this day the two guitarists can be seen playing in Craig’s avant-garde jazz group, Bodo Ensemble, along with other heavy hitters in the jazz arena. Dale Black, one of the nation’s premier bass players, is the arguably the most famous band member, but there are so many others. Brian Mueller, Andrew Bishop, Jeff Stidham, and many other accomplished musicians trace their roots back to Bodo Ensemble. The band is a breeding ground for great jazz players. Kurt has also performed with funk legend Rudy Love, Steve McClure of Garth Brooks fame, and the well known actress/singer Cindy Summers to name a few. Showing his versatility, Kurt can also be heard playing some nice keyboard in the R&B, soul group Blue Eyed Soul, and regularly works as a session guitarist in Wichita Kansas.

Even though performing and recording music for a living is a dream come true for Kurt, he wouldn’t be complete without sharing the joy with others. He is experienced teaching piano, guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons. He seems to get more joy helping his students attain their musical goals than even working on his own, and it shows. Kurt has been at it so long that these days he is teaching many of his former student’s children, and he keeps himself busy teaching a studio of about 50 students per week. He is very excited about getting the students up in front of an audience, when they are ready, and he frequently organizes recitals for them to get their feet wet. In fact, many of Kurt’s students have gone on to become pro musicians themselves. A true musician’s musician, Kurt Aiken loves to share his talents with the world through both performance and education.

To schedule lessons with Kurt, contact us!

 

Seth Carrithers Bass, Guitar, Piano

Seth offers lessons in electric bass, double bass, guitar, ukulele, piano and music theory. He has been an active musician and music educator in Wichita, Kansas for over 20 years. As a double bassist working in various jazz ensembles, Seth has had the pleasure of playing with many notable musicians ranging from well-known locals such as Craig Owens and Sterling Grey, to internationally recognized recording artists such as Benny Golson and Jerry Hahn. Outside of the jazz world, Seth has worked in the studio with Grammy Award winning country music star Lynn Anderson.
While the double bass remains Seth’s primary instrument, he excels at the electric bass as well, and has utilized this skill as a staff musician at the Book of Acts Tabernacle of Praise Church for the past 15 years, and East Heights United Methodist church for the past 4 years. In addition to Seth’s various experiences both playing and teaching music, he holds a Master of Music Degree from Wichita State University.

Contact us to schedule lessons with Seth

 

 

William Bloomquist Guitar, Voice

William Bloomquist is a songwriter, performer, and educator, among other non-musical passions such as art and games. He graduated in 2013 from Friends University where he studied guitar, voice, and music theory. Since then he’s been a versatile creative contributor to the Wichita scene teaching lessons, playing in various local projects (The Hollows, The Radio Soul, Tommy Newport), and writing/recording solo work. He performs and releases music under the moniker Dot Bella Quist.

As a teacher, William is focused on helping students find a relationship to their instrument that feels authentic, exciting, expansive and sustainable. He is especially passionate about helping people accompany themselves and write their own music.

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