David's guitar Loft Staff Page

David has been a teacher of guitar and bass for 20+ years. He has been performing in rock, jazz and blues bands since the fall of 1986. He received his degree in computer information systems (CIS) with a minor in music theory from Southwest Missouri State University in 1991. David has a true passion for guiding people through their musical journey and loves sharing the enjoyment of music.

Joel Crews: Instructor, Director of Music Instruction

Joel has been teaching guitar for 13 years and has a Masters degree from Webster University in Jazz Studies. Joel is a faculty member at Forest Park Community College in the music department. He plays in several bands around St. Louis, including Webster-based "The Committed". Joel has an incredible command of theory as it relates to the fingerboard. He has an exceptional knack for teaching all ages and all levels.

John has been teaching guitar and bass for 21 years. John studied music in the jazz guitar and
electric bass program at SIU Edwardsville. John is an extremely gifted musician with an ability to
play and teach all styles of guitar and bass. John also teaches fretless bass. John also teaches
classical guitar and has a deep interest in Spanish and South American music. John enjoys teaching students of all ages and levels. John's influences include Christopher Parkening, Carlos Santana,
Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt, amoung many others. John is currently working on his
Rush tribute band.

Sean Canan : Instructor, Band Leader

After touring the country throughout the 2000's and being a fixture in the live music scene in St. Louis, we welcome Sean Canan to our teaching staff. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a minor in Jazz Studies and has been teaching lessons for nearly 10 years. Fluid in many genres including Bluegrass, Celtic, Folk, Rock, Funk, Soul and R&B, Sean brings his unique energy and approach to bring out the inner musician in our students.

Although teacher by day, you can still find Sean singing and picking most nights of the week at a number of local establishments including John D. McGurk's in Soulard every Sunday. Currently Sean performs with Bockman('s Euphio), The Hatrick and St. Louis songwritier extraordinaire, Joe Stickley.

In 2007, Greg completed a Bachelor of Arts in Music Degree at Washington University where he studied music theory and jazz guitar. Greg first developed an interest in the guitar after seeing Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly rock out on “Johnny B. Goode” in the film Back to the Future. At age 10, he bought his first guitar and began to rock out on his own and now he enjoys an eclectic array of music from all over the globe but his favorites include the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Caetano Veloso, Talking Heads and Miles Davis. You can see him performing on You Tube by searching “greg turner guitar”.


 Ben Roig has been playing guitar for more than 15 years.  Initially self-taught, Ben got interested
 in jazz during his teenage years and decided to go to Webster University to study jazz. 
 He graduated in 2008 with his bachelors degree in Jazz performance/Music Technology. 
Currently, Ben is playing guitar in the band Fresh Heir, a band that he joined in 2006 with fellow
 Webster University students.  Fresh Heir is a pop group that encompasses almost all genres including
 funk, jazz, soul, and rock.  Ben's musical influences include Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, Kurt Rosenwinkel, 
Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, and Miles Davis.  Ben is also an accomplished bass player. 
 
   
   
   Nick Palleta
  
   (Bio coming)
   
   David Ferrar (info and pic coming)
   Alan Carr  (info and pic coming)