Private Teaching Artists

Voice & Piano

Alex is the co-founder of Spindrift School of Performing Arts (SSPA) and is an accomplished musician and educator dedicated to advancing piano and voice instruction. With a B.A. in Piano Performance and an M.A. in Musicology from the University of California, he trained under esteemed teacher Dusi Mura.

In 1994, Alex and his late wife Martha founded SSPA, a community pillar for artistic education. Beyond SSPA, Alex leads the jazz quartet Nucleus, showcasing his musical versatility.

Believing in the transformative power of music, Alex sees the arts as integral to personal growth. Through teaching, he empowers students to discover their authentic voices. With decades of experience, Alex Bootzin inspires aspiring musicians of all ages to embark on transformative journeys of growth and success.

Voice & Piano

Valeria is a professional singer, pianist, and teacher from Lima, Peru currently living in San Francisco. Valeria has a bachelors of music performance and Pedagogy from Florida Gulf coast university and a Masters degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of music in voice perfromance. She has won multiple singing competitions and worked with Opera Naples, the Florida Southwest Symphony Orchestra, Pocket Opera and multiple other organizations. She has experience working with students of all ages, but has a soft spot for kids and teenagers. Valeria has experience in a wide range of genres but specializes in musical theatre, classical, and pop. She likes to swim, read, and colect colorful stickers! As a voice and piano teacher, she is commited to fostering a healthy and welcoming learning environment, where creativity is encouraged and students can find their love for music.

Guitar

Ava is a classical guitarist based out of San Francisco. She has her Bachelor’s of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from San Francisco State University. While she was there, she studied with Lawrence Ferrara and Jon Mendle. Some of her favorite repertoire includes selections from the Castles of Spain, Capricho Arabe and J.S. Bach. She teaches privately at Spindrift School of Performing Arts in Pacifica. She hopes to continue teaching, performing and someday pursue her Master’s of Music.

Voice and Piano

Tony is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a dedicated pianist, composer, and music director. Originally from Seattle, he grew up performing at Seattle Children’s Theater and later trained as a music director through the 5th Avenue Theatre’s Rising Star Project, where he co-led West Side Story and composed a series of original five-minute musicals. While at the Conservatory, Tony premiered several original works and recently music directed On a Clear Day You Can See Forever for Seattle’s Ballyhoo Theater. He’s thrilled to bring his energy and creativity to the Spindrift team.

Piano

Hans has studied piano and voice at the Spindrift School of Performing Arts for the past five years with founder Alex Bootzin. His teaching emphasizes solid technical foundations, musicality, and expressive playing, and he enjoys helping students develop effective and thoughtful practice habits. He teaches beginner and intermediate piano students.

In addition to his musical studies, Hans studied math in school and works full-time as a machine learning engineer and engineering manager, specializing in high-performance systems and large-scale algorithms. He enjoys bringing the same curiosity, discipline, and attention to detail from his technical work into his approach to music and teaching.

Piano

Manu completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance at San Francisco State University in 2016 under the tutelage of Dr. R. Woodward, and his Masters degree in the fall of 2021 under Dmitry Rachmanov. He began playing piano at the age of 6, and throughout his childhood and into early adulthood, was exposed to a great body of choral work through his Dad, who received his Bachelors from San Francisco State University before him.

He is very, very fond of the music of Bach and Mozart, and by extension, much of the music—both for piano and other instrumental ensembles—of the 17th and 18th Centuries. If given the opportunity, he would very much like to engage in a thorough study of the early Mozart Piano Sonatas.

Voice & Piano

Shauna trained in piano and voice at the University of Southern California’s School of Music and attended summer intensives at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. She teaches a daily practice methodology developed by her mentor, Lisa Spector (Juilliard; International Chopin Competition), helping pianists of all levels overcome challenges and experience joy in their music sooner. Shauna’s musical journey spans western classical traditions, the folk music of the Celtic isles where she directs the Peninsula Scottish Fiddlers, and performing live piano accompaniment for silent films. She has directed choirs across Northern and Southern California, performs in chamber ensembles, and is also an active composer and arranger. She is delighted to share her passion and expertise with the Spindrift community. .

Voice 

With almost twenty years of experience as a performing artist, Kate has done it all: from Chamber

Choir to Musical Theatre, from Ballet to Shakespeare, from Jazz to Opera. Kate has a Bachelor of

Music Degree in Vocal Performance and is currently pursuing her Master’s. She trained in acting

at The Meisner Technique Studio in San Francisco, and has performed with Opera San Luis

Obispo, Arete Singers, WePlayers, and more! Kate specializes in Bel Canto style singing, as well as

Musical Theatre and Acting. Utilizing the culmination of her training in all areas of performance,

Kate has developed a unique and highly effective method of Vocal and Performance Training,

helping her students to be confident and successful, both in the rehearsal room and on the stage.