Music on Main
Teachers:
Below is all of our current teachers, what they teach, and resumes.
Blake Hillard:
Blake Hillard attended Berklee College of Music in Boston for music performance. While living in Boston and New York City he has played anything from a hole in the wall club to huge venues and stadiums.
Blake has performed all over the country with bands and artists such as Soulive, Lettuce, Wyclef Jean, Robert Randolph, Vernon Reed, Warren Haynes, Derrek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Questlove, Rahzel, The London Souls, Ivan Neville, Oteil Burbridge, Kofi Burbridge, Raul Midon, Talib Kweli, Paula Cole, DJ Logic, Brother Joscephus and the Love Revolution, Lin Biviano, Chapter 2, and many more great bands and artists.
He has performed the national anthem at Fenway Park in Boston for the Red Sox on many occasions with Yamaha artist Tiger Okoshi. Blake has also done recordings for Ritz crackers and other companies.
He also enjoys teaching people about music and how to perform. He teaches drums, guitar, electric bass, and all brass instruments.
Video is of Blake Hillard on trumpet.
Leon Hillard:
Leon Hillard is a graduate of Elizabethtown College and West Chester University in Music Education. Recently he retired from teaching instrumental music in the public schools. Currently Leon serves as adjunct trumpet professor at Elizabethtown College in addition to maintaining his teaching studios in the Gap and New Holland areas. Leon was an associate music instructor for the All American Youth Honors Band in the 1980's with performances through-out Europe, Hawaii, and Mexico. Since the 1960's he has performed in show bands up and down the east coast. He has recorded with Custers Last Band(CLB), The Del-Chords, The Magnificent Men on cds under the name of Class of Sixty Something.
He plays the jazz trumpet part with the New Holland Swing Band and is the leader of the New holland Combo Band which performs music from dixieland to show tunes. He has been band judge for the Ephrata Parade for the past 22 years as well as an adjudicator in Berks County for Jazz Band competitions. Leon has taught guitar and all the string instrument family through-out his career as well as directing orchestras, ensembles, jazz and concert bands. He has been on the faculty for the Lancaster County orchestra camp at Elizabethtown College for over 30 years. Leon is currently the Assistant Conductor , Personnel Manager,and Principal trumpet and soloist of the New Holland Band. He is also a member of the Dave Stahl Sacred Orchestra.
Adam Murse:
Adam Murse has done session and live work with artists up and down the coast ranging from Florida to Jersey. In 2008 he was hired for online and DVD instructional videos. He is able to play many instruments such as guitar, bass, drums, theremin, cello, and many more. Adam has played guitar and bass since 2005 and drums since 2012; these are the three main instruments he plays and teaches.
He has only worked with a few artists in PA the main one is Octavia from the Octavia blues band (former harpist for Etta James). Also he has worked with Regina Aamacha from Delaware many times; she now is based in Florida. Another well known local group in the Lancaster, PA region he also worked with is "The Flames". The Flames are a well known and established cover band dating back to the 1950's. Adam also did "session work" for Wright Entertainment Group recording artist, "Chrissy", who also was the new media specialist for the alt rock department @ WBR/Reprise Records underneath Jeff Watson (whose credits include Linkin Park, Green Day, etc).
The majority of his live work is sit in work for groups and artists, most of which was for charity. In groups he has always ran everything including, management, booking, promoting, producing, writing, legal ends, and scheduling.
Adam is very accomplished in the management of groups and in 2013 has started booking artists and bands that he does not play in. He has also given lessons since 2007 off an on for guitar and bass; and in 2014 he has started giving entry level drum lessons.
Styles played: Blues, Jazz, Fusion, Experimental, All Psychedelic Styles, Rock, Space metal, Latin Jazz, Funk, Groove, Reggae, Folk, Acoustic, Ambient, Acid Jazz, Acid Rock, Americana, Celtic, Reggae, Free Jazz, Free Improve, Jam Band, Lounge Music, Gospel, and World to name a few.
Suzanne (Weaver) Haddon:
Suzanne (Weaver) Haddon has a B.S. in Music Education from West Chester University and has done music graduate work at the University of the Arts at Villanova. She taught instrumental and general music for 5 years at three local christian schools and has substitute taught in the public schools. Suzanne has enjoyed teaching private instrumental music lessons (piano, clarinet, Saxophone, flute and guitar) for 25+ years! She has played in the pit at Dutch Apple, EPAC and for musicals in local schools. Suzanne plays clarinet at her church. She is a board member and plays clarinet with the New Holland Band. Suzanne is married to Chuck and homeschools two active teen sons.