Musicians Institute: Notable Alumni and Their Impact on the Music Industry

The Musicians Institute (MI), founded in 1977 as the Guitar Institute of Technology, has been a launching pad for numerous influential musicians and music industry professionals. This article explores the accomplishments and diverse career paths of some of MI's notable alumni, highlighting their contributions to various genres and aspects of the music world.

A Hub for Aspiring Musicians

Musicians Institute is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and - with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College - Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor of Music Degrees in either Performance or Composition.

MI began in second floor rooms above Hollywood Wax Museum on Hollywood Boulevard. When MI celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007, its facilities included over 75,000 square feet of studios, performance venues, classrooms, and practice rooms across several blocks in central Hollywood.

Guitar Institute of Technology

Since its founding in 1977, the Guitar Institute of Technology has undoubtedly trained and launched the careers of some of the most influential guitarists in the music industry. MI Guitar program alumni have reached every corner of the music industry, from being in-demand session players, touring musicians, Grammy-winning artists to social media stars and beyond.

Alumni Success Stories

MI alumni have made significant contributions to various facets of the music industry. Here are some notable examples:

Appu Krishnan: Originally from Kerala, India, Appu Krishnan (also known as “The Professor”) found his love for music at a very young age. Appu moved to the Los Angeles in 2005 and enrolled in the Audio Engineering program at Musicians Institute. He graduated with the Outstanding Academic Achievement award and continued to the Keyboard Technology program, and eventually ended his studies with a Bachelor’s in Keyboard performance. Some of Appu’s notable gigs post graduation include arranging synth strings and piano alongside songwriters Tracklacers on Christina Aguilera’s album, Lotus, for the song “Army of Me.” He was also composer/songwriter for the Jordin Sparks’ song “Christmas Time To Me” from the Best Man Holiday soundtrack. He helped write the song “It’s Me” for South Korean boyband, Wanna One, which served as theme song for hit reality show, Produce 101 Season 2. Other notable collaborations of his include The Jacksons, Billy Ray Cyrus, Eastwest Studios, Laura Bell Bundy, INNA, Eleni Foureira (EMI Greece), Claude Schnel (Dio), Shea Taylor (Roc Nation), Renato Neto (Prince), just to name a few. Along with his prolific music career, Appu started teaching in MI’s Keyboard and Independent Artist programs in 2009 and stayed on staff until 2015. “To this day I work with my Musician, Engineer, A&R and Publisher friends who all shared MI classes with me.

Kevin: After Kevin finished his Associate of Arts degree in Keyboard Technology and Audio Engineering, he went on to work with big named artists like Big Sean, Kanye West, Ne-Yo, John Legend, Ty Dolla $ign, J.Cole and more. He said a most valuable lesson he learned at MI was, “I learned…to network, network, network.

Gabbs: After coming to MI to study Guitar and Audio Engineering Sound Production, Gabbs established herself in the music industry by touring with singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham and the Grammy-winning band la Santa Cecilia.

Larry: During his time with us at MI, Larry started as an intern at Fever Recording Studios in North Hollywood.

Reuben Cohen: After attending MI in 2006, Reuben was hired in the same year at Lurssen Mastering, a mastering studio owned by Gavin Lurssen. In November 2010, Reuben won a Latin Grammy for his contributions to Diego Torres’ album “Distinto.” Shortly after that in 2014, he received a TEC Award for his work on, “Happy,” by Pharrell Williams.

Read also: Broad Stem Cell Research Center

Troy Laureta: Troy graduated from MI in 2008 and went straight into the music business, working as a keyboardist for Stevie Wonder and India Arie during Stevie’s House Full Of Toys Benefit Concert.

Lucas: Chances are, you’ve probably heard at least one of Lucas’ catchy jingles. After attending both the Guitar and Audio Engineering programs at MI, Lucus was able to work for several commercial clients like Coca-Cola, HSBC, and Volvo by writing original music for corporate clients and television.

Arturo: After Arturo graduated from MI, he went off to work for Lola Recordings Studios, a private facility in Hollywood Hills run by Winton Morro of Avalon Designs, who’s one of the most respected studio equipment manufacturers in the business. The equipment Arturo trained on at MI provided him with tremendous value.

E. Scott Kelly: Set out with a goal to become a professional audio engineer, E.Scott Kelly secured a career at Westlake Recording Studios shortly after graduating from MI, providing him with exposure to artists like Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Nine Inch Nails & many others. The combination of his hard work, skills learned at MI, and networking hustle in the right place helped get him where he is today.

David Kim: After graduating with a certificate in audio engineering at the top of his class in 2010, David Kim set out to land an internship at Chalice Recording Studios.

Read also: Jewish Learning Institute

Derek Ali: Derek landed his first internship through MI at Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins’ Studio in Hidden Hills, CA. Which later led him to his first Grammy Nomination for Chromeo’s “Head Over Heels”. Derek shared that MI not only taught him the fundamentals of engineering but it taught him how to build connections and make use of the tools the school had to offer.

Jeff Buckley: In 1994, Jeff Buckley spent some time at Musicians Institute, where he later spoke about the importance of learning theory. He said,“If you have the interest…go to a private teacher, go someplace, some college, and learn theory. That was something I really enjoyed…Theory meaning the meaning of the musical nomenclature.

Synyster Gates: Synyster Gates, is an American guitarist best known for his work with the band Avenged Sevenfold. Synyster Gates was raised in a musical family and grew up influenced by various genres of music, including metal, jazz, classical, gypsy jazz, and more.

Pete Thorn: After graduating from MI, Pete Thorn joined the LA-based band Surreal McCoys who signed with Sony Music Japan and his connection with Frank Simes, the lead singer, allowed him to be introduced to many other working musicians. The following years saw him in and out of bands, and his credits soon included touring and recording with Grammy-winning artist Robi Draco Rosa, Jewel and Courtney Love of Hole.

Justin Derrico: Upon graduating, Justin became one a member of Pink’s touring band, and he would continue to work with her for many years. Along with working with Pink, Derrico has worked with Beyonce and Robin Thicke and maintained a steady spot as a guitarist for the band, The Calling, which he got through a connection with Barry Squire.

Emil Werstler: In 2007, Emil was awarded the title of “Outstanding Player” at MI for his graduating class. After graduating from MI, Emil continued to play with and study with many amazing guitarists in the Los Angeles area. Emil also taught private lessons at this time and was invited to teach the “Acoustic Intensive” class at the “National Guitar Workshop” in Los Angeles in 2008.

Kenny Echizen: Kenny Echizen is a session/touring guitarist, educator, and clinician based in Los Angeles, originally from Torrance, CA. He studied at Musicians Institute (04~06), winning “Outstanding Stylist” in 2005 then become a faculty member at the right after graduating.

Fredrik Bokelund: in his early teens, and was later inspired to fulfill his music dreams at MI in L.A. After his graduation, Fredrik worked as Colbie Caillat’s touring guitarist and backup singer. With Colbie, he has performed legendary gigs from the Hollywood Bowl to Good Morning America to performing the national anthem with her at the NBA Finals in 2014.

Ichika Nito: Musician’s Institute where he graduated with the title of “2014 Outstanding Guitar Player of Musician’s Institute. These days, Asato is travelling the world giving clinics to budding guitarists while regularly uploading demonstrations of his prowess on his social media feed. Asato’s video demonstrations on social media are as popular as they are impressive, many of them soaring through the YouTube stratosphere with over 100k views.

Jared James Nichols: Jared James Nichols is best known for his high-energy performances and ‘pick-less’ electric guitar playing technique.

Rob Gueringer: Multi-instrumentalist Rob Gueringer launched a successful career beginning with an MI audition that scored him a gig with singer Tommy Ward, who is managed by the legendary Quincy Jones. That led to Rob getting hired as a guitarist by artists including Stephanie Mills, Lil Wayne and Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar. Rob is currently back on the road with Lil Wayne, in addition to handling songwriting and studio production with a variety of other artists, including Usher, Cardi B, and Kanye Wests’ “Sunday Service” performances.

Luis Kalil: Luis Kalil relocated to Los Angeles to attend MI and expand his skills and networks in the world of guitar. The rock and metal guitarist first came to L.A. as a 15-year-old for MI’s Summer Shot program, and he later decided to return to the school once he finished high school in Brazil.

Artur Menezes: Although he had already began to establish himself as a professional musician, Artur enrolled at MI in 2016 to sharpen his playing and vocal skills, while benefiting from the extensive network in the business that MI provides. Most recently, Artur was invited by guitar legend Joe Satriani to perform on stage with him in front of thousands of fans. Throughout 2016, Artur headlined numerous blues festivals around Brazil and he later won the Santa Clarita Valley Blues Society Challenge, where he performed at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, among over 250 bands from all over the world.

Ruben Wan: MI Guitar program graduate Ruben Wan is a guitarist, songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles, CA, who has amassed a large social media following across all platforms. Originally from Panama, Ruben enrolled at MI and graduated in 2016. He first started his career as a session musician, and eventually saw the benefits of posting his guitar playing online.

Notable Alumni

Below is the list of notable alumni from Musicians Institute sorted by their wiki pages popularity.

Jeff Buckley: Occupations composer singer-songwriter guitarist singer
Shruti Haasan: Occupations composer model singer actor
Chad Smith: Occupations drummer musician
Kat Graham: Occupations film actor television actor dancer philanthropist executive producer
Steve Vai: Occupations record producer composer songwriter guitarist
Rivers Cuomo: Occupations composer singer guitarist
Q'orianka Kilcher: Occupations actor stunt performer film actor singer television actor
Synyster Gates: Occupations guitarist musician songwriter
Paul Gilbert: Occupations composer guitarist
Bishop Briggs: Occupations singer songwriter
Kenan Doğulu: Occupations composer singer songwriter
Ray Luzier: Occupations musician
Tanya Chua: Occupations singer record producer songwriter
JinJoo Lee: Occupations musician guitarist
Stefan Olsdal: Occupations guitarist bassist songwriter
Bibi Zhou: Occupations actor singer songwriter
Scott Shriner: Occupations bassist musician
Dave Kushner: Occupations musician guitarist
Jennifer Batten: Occupations musician guitarist
Takayoshi Ohmura: Occupations singer-songwriter guitarist
Frank Gambale: Occupations session musician jazz guitarist guitarist jazz musician
Meja: Occupations composer singer
John Shanks: Occupations record producer composer songwriter guitarist
Juan Alderete: Occupations bassist guitarist
Lex Lang: Occupations record producer screenwriter stage actor singer-songwriter voice actor
Paul Masvidal: Occupations composer singer guitarist
Alessandro Cortini: Occupations vocalist keyboardist record producer singer guitarist
Patiparn Patavekarn: Occupations singer actor television actor
Jimmy Herring: Occupations recording artist guitarist
Jeff Young: Occupations guitarist
Matt McJunkins: Occupations musician
Scott Henderson: Occupations recording artist jazz musician musician guitarist jazz guitarist
Russ Parrish: Occupations musician guitarist
Joacim Cans: Occupations singer songwriter
Elli Kokkinou: Occupations singer
Jeff Berlin: Occupations recording artist bassist jazz musician
Ehsaan Noorani: Occupations composer
Demir Demirkan: Occupations composer actor musician singer songwriter

Herb Alpert School of Music

Graduates of the Herb Alpert School of Music go on to influence and innovate in the world of music through their exceptional talents and creativity. Our alumni includes some of the most pioneering musicians, composers, and sound artists of our time.

Composition

Arturo Márquez, composer
Carl Stone, composer, computer music artist
Catherine Lamb, composer
Derrick Skye, composer, conductor
Ellen Reid, composer - Pulitzer Prize in Music
Ingram Marshall, composer
John Luther Adams, composer - Pulitzer Prize in Music
Juan Pablo Contreras, composer
Julia Newman, composer, songwriter
Katie Porter, wireless media content developer, founder of LoudLouderLoudest
Kubilay Üner, film composer, instrument inventor
Lois V. Vierk, composer
Mark Coniglio, composer, digital artist, co-founder of Troika Ranch
Michael Byron, composer, editor of contemporary music anthologies
Peter Garland, composer, author
Raven Chacon, composer - Pulitzer Prize in music

Experimental Pop

Benjamin Wynn (Deru), Emmy Award winning American composer, sound designer, electronic music producer
Greg Kurstin, record producer, instrumentalist
Zachary Ilya Ezrin (Imperial Triumphant), guitarist
John Maus, composer, singer, songwriter
Julia Holter, singer-songwriter, record producer, composer, artist, academic
Kristin Erickson (Kevin Blechdom), electronic musician, performance artist
Roger Miller (Mission of Burma), singer, songwriter, guitarist, fiddler, drummer, Broadway composer

Instrumental Arts

Ashley Walters, cellist, conductor
Dane Little, cellist, LA Opera
Emma-Rose Bauman, flutist, woodwind multi-instrumentalist, experimentalist
Lucas Lipari-Mayer, trumpeter
Mona Tian, violinist
Ryan Bancroft, conductor
Stephanie Richards, trumpeter, composer
William Winant, percussionist

Jazz

Chris Williams, trumpet
James Brandon Lewis, sax
Tina Raymond, drums
Steph Richards, trumpet
Gene Coye, drums
John Daversa, trumpet
Adam Benjamin, piano
Beth Schenck, sax
Willie Jones III, drums
Nedra Wheeler, bass
Marcelo Zarvos, piano, film composer
Ralph Alessi, trumpet
Michael Cain, piano
Ravi Coltrane, sax
Scott Colley, bass

Music Technology

Curtis Roads, composer, author
Dimitri Diakopoulos, researcher, engineer, artist
Jim Murphy, artist, researcher
Jonathan Becker, designer, maker
Owen Vallis, machine learning software engineer
Matthew Hettich, electronic musician
Meason Wiley, mechatronic, multimedia artist
Mo Zareei, electronic musician, sound artist, and researcher

Performer-Composer

Sara Cubarsi, violinist
Sarah Belle Reid, performer, composer
Sam Wells, trumpeter, composer, technologist
Pedro Eustache, flutist, reed player, world woodwind player, composer, instrument maker and collector
Jodie Landau, percussionist, composer, member of wild Up
Marina Rosenfeld, composer, artist
Jeonghyeon Joo, haegeum performer/composer
Omar Torrez, guitarist
Nelle Anderson, soprano, composer, interdisciplinary-improviser
Rachel Epperly, musician, improviser, and performance artist
M A Harms, composer, performer, instrument builder

Voice Arts

Laura Bohn, soprano
Nina Eidsheim, musicologist, author
Stephanie Aston, soprano
Sharon Chohi, voice artist, performer, composer
Kathryn Schuman, soprano, performer, composer
Fahad Siadat, performer, composer, speaker
Adriana Manfredi, mezzo-soprano
Luc Kleiner, vocalist, composer, music educator
Ani Maldjian, soprano
Ebonie Thomas

World Music

L. Shankar, violinist

MI Connects

MI’s own proprietary Social Networking platform where students can find jobs, other musicians, gigs, and studio time. It also keeps students informed of clinics, master classes, and MI sponsored events. Continue the legacy of excellence you helped build as a student at Musicians Institute. Have you created your profile on MI Connects? MI Connects is the proprietary software only for the MI Community. Want to restock your wardrobe with MI merchandise? See all the changes since you attended!

tags: #musicians #institute #notable #alumni