Mike Middleton - Guitar, Banjo Instructor
Mike teaches students off all ages and levels. Mike has taken many experienced guitarists to a whole new level with their playing. He teaches theory, concepts and skills of guitar, song writing, music construction and lead improvisation. His expertise is 60s rock, 70s classic rock, 80s metal, 90s alternative, folk, country, beginning classical and contemporary worship.
Mike has an estimated 15,000 hours of teaching experience.
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Mike began guitar in 1980 at the Bandstand music store in Wabash, Indiana. He later learned from a great team of instructors at Thompson's Music which was located in Indianapolis. Mike worked for experienced music instructor, musician and music store owner Terry LeMaster for 10 years where he gained an invaluable amount of musical knowledge.
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Mike had a home teaching business during the 90s where he balanced lessons with earning a degree. Later Mike taught at The Noisemaker music store in Wabash, Indiana for 10 years and has also taught for Sam Ash Music in Castleton. Mike has been operating The Mike Middleton Guitar Academy in south Indianapolis since April of 2015 and opened Music Lessons of Indianapolis in October of 2017.
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Mike has performed thousands of live shows and has played with many groups during his professional career which began in 1987. One of the most successful groups was Groove Monkey who toured regionally in the 90s and opened for many national acts including Dokken, Quiet Riot and Jackyl.
From 2010 until 2014 Mike played in a gospel group called God's Country that performed at churches, events and fairs. From 2015 until 2016 Mike played for the worship band at St. Alphonsus Liguori Roman Catholic Church in Zionsville , He is currently the guitarist for They Call Me Crazy an Indianapolis rock band who plays private events and 3 shows a week at Slammin Sammies Bar & Grill in Indianapolis.
Scott Middleton - Percussion, Drum Instructor
Scott is a world class drummer and percussionist. He began playing the snare drum at the age of 8 in the Wabash Marching & Baton Core. He became involved in school music programs in the 5th grade, took lessons from a private teacher and played throughout middle school and high school in marching band and orchestra.
After graduating high school Scott attended the Jordan college of fine arts at Butler University. Scott later earned a bachelors degree in music from Indiana University where he studied with world renowned artists including: composer Donald Erb, Gerald Carless & Kenny Aronoff.
Scott began playing professionally in 1981, he has played with jazz, blues and rock bands who have traveled across the United States, throughout Latin American, Western Europe, The Caribbean and the Middle East. He has also spent several years in Nashville, TN playing the local Nashville circuit. Scott also played in the United States 38th Infantry Division Army Band where served as a Sgt in the United States Army.
Scott has experience teaching in the Indianapolis public school system and was also a private drum instructor at Thomson Music in Indianapolis.
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Today Scott plays with The Saving Grace band at St. Alphonsus Liguori Roman Catholic Church in Zionsville and with a local Indianapolis band called The Cornfield Mafia, he also records and produces music and plays a variety of instruments and styles with The Universal Joint which is a recording project he and Mike Middleton created in 2016.
Mark brings many years of guitar teaching and playing expertise to the Mike Middleton Guitar Academy. He is a versatile guitarist who teaches many styles. He's taught beginners, intermediate and seasoned players who wish to improve their skills whether it be learning covers or learning and improving improvisational skills. Mark began guitar as a young child and was self taught for his first several years. At the age of 12 Mark began lessons with local guitar instructor Guy Winger and later took lessons from Kevin Franklin who now owns and operates The Guitar Works music store in Greenwood. Mark played electric and stand up bass in his high school jazz band. He also teaches ukulele and mandolin.
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Mark began teaching professionally in 1994. He spent 6 years teaching at the Carmel Music Center, has taught at the Greenfield Music Center and privately from his home.
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Mark's been playing professionally since the 1980s. In the 90s his band Danger Will Robinson was under the same agency as The Why Store and Duke Tomato. They toured nationally and headlined in many large venues including the Vogue Theater in Broadripple. Mark has played on the same bill with a few national acts including Night Ranger and The Foo Fighters. They also did a weekly acoustic act in Indianapolis's Circle Center Mall. Danger Will Robinson's music has been featured on several local radio stations such at WTTS 92.3 and X-103.3.
Mark Diers - Guitar, Bass, Ukulele & Mandolin Instructor
From Knoxville, Tennessee, Alayna has been a musician for many years. She started piano lessons at the age of four and quickly realized music was her passion. She continued studying piano privately until she reached middle school and picked up the clarinet. Alayna went on to privately study clarinet joining honor bands and participating in music contests across Tennessee.
In 2016 Alayna graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelors in Music Education. While at MTSU she participated in many ensembles including Women’s Chorale, Clarinet Choir, Symphony Orchestra, and Steel Pan Ensemble. She also won many awards including the “Excellence in Music Education” award.
Alayna was an inaugural member of the WGI Winds ensemble Rhythm X in 2015. She performed on clarinet for two years earning a gold and silver medal, and she has since been teaching woodwinds and dance at Rhythm X.
In Indianapolis, Alayna has taught music in IPS for two years and private lessons on clarinet, piano, violin, and guitar. Alayna has also performed with the Indiana Wind Symphony since the Fall of 2017. In her free time, Alayna likes to spend time with her friends, family, and cats.
Alayna Cate - Piano, Woodwinds & Brass Instructor
Casey’s first instrument was the piano, having studied at the Jordan School of Music at Butler University at the age of 14. After watching Karen Carpenter play drums and percussion on television, Casey gave up piano to pursue drum lessons but was told that “girls don’t play drums.” However, her dreams of playing drums never left her, and she finally pursued that dream later in life.
Today, Casey is an advocate for female drummers. She is co-founder of Women on the Edge, a group of female drummers from around the world known for their YouTube drum covers of songs in different genres. Casey is also a member of Indiana-based WomenDrum!, a group specializing in African drumming. A self-professed sound junkie, Casey loves to explore new sounds from anything and everything. She believes anything can be a percussion instrument.
She especially enjoys teaching beginners from ages 5-11. While this is her first year teaching drums, she has several years of experience teaching Pre-K to Middle School children as a volunteer and as a substitute teacher at a local school.
Casey currently plays drums and percussion in a worship group at a west side church. She has also played with local bands such as the Naptown Ramblers and Hank Haggard and the Nashville Swingers. In addition to drums and piano, Casey also plays the ukulele and guitar.
Casey Ruble - Drum Instructor, Preschool Class Instructor
Lindsay is from a musical family and has been involved with music for the majority of her life. She began taking piano lessons at age four. She participated in various choirs throughout elementary school including Circle the State with Song and the Indianapolis Children's Choir. She developed an interest in stringed instruments and began to study the violin in 6th grade. In 8th grade she taught herself cello and began formal lessons in high school, where she became a member of the Warren Central Symphony Orchestra.
Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Indiana State University and a Master of Music Technology from Duquesne University. She enjoys both playing and composing music and ultimately aspires to become involved in sound production and music composition for television and films. Lindsay has performed for numerous weddings and events and with several orchestras and bands throughout her career. She especially enjoys performing in pit orchestras as they combine both music and her interest in theater. In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys amusement parks, bowling, fishing, canoeing, working out, reading, and learning new ideas.
Lindsay Huddleston - Cello, Violin, PIano Instructor