Clifton Batchelor, Audio Recording & Production Instructor, owns and operates Talisman Recording, an audio/video recording and production company based in Tempe, AZ. His experience includes working as audio director for Educational Management Group where he was responsible for broadcasting live, interactive education television programs. He has also worked at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, CA and Record One in Sherman Oaks, CA. He is a graduate of the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences. Prior to attending the Conservatory he worked as an attorney for Lewis and Roca, a Phoenix law firm.

Kevin Becka, Associate Director of Education/Audio Recording and Production Instructor. Prior to joining the Conservatory in July of 2003, Becka served for three years as US editor for the British publication Audio Media. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of Pro Audio Review and currently is the technical editor for Mix Magazine, where he writes and edits product reviews and features. In 2002 he was an adjunct professor at Belmont University in Nashville, teaching Advanced Recording at the Mike Curb School of Music. A member of ASCAP, the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and a voting member of the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), Becka has engineered CDs from Kenny G, Michael Bolton, Aretha Franklin, Burt Bacharach, Quincy Jones, George Lynch and many others.

James Bender, Live Sound Reinforcement Instructor, is highly qualified in a number of areas, including audio, video and installation. He holds an Associate’s Degree in Electronics and has extensive real-world experience in many aspects of the entertainment industry. Bender has spent the majority of his live sound career as a monitor mixer for The Dixie Dregs, Dave Koz, and George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars among others. He spent 6 years away from music in project management and installation technology for a large audio/video systems firm. Currently, he directs his energies toward perfecting his skills and sharing information and passion for the music industry while operating a DAW-based studio in Arizona.

John Berry, Music Business Instructor, is a former Artist-in-Residence and Director of Jazz Studies at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. He is a major composer and arranger of jazz ensemble music, having published some 300 works with Hal Leonard, Kendor Music, and Jenson Publications. He spent ten years with the US Army’s Jazz Ambassadors as assistant director, chief arranger, and bass trombonist. His 160-page book, The Jazz Ensemble Director’s Handbook (published by Hal Leonard) has received excellent reviews by Down Beat and other prestigious magazines. Berry holds a Bachelor Degree of Science (BS) in Communications, a Masters Degree (MS) in Human Resources and has taught at Arizona State University, Indiana University, Mesa Community College, and Ottawa University in Phoenix, AZ.

Robert Brock, MIDI/Digital Audio/Electronic Music Instructor, is a consultant in designing electronic music systems for professional and home studios. In 1992 he and a partner established The Groove Factory recording studio. For over fifteen years, Brock, an accomplished keyboardist and violinist, has played all over the United States with guitarist Esteban. He engages in independent composition and production for corporate clients including the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Major League Baseball franchise. Brock has contributed to Pro Audio Review magazine and recently co-authored the Apple Pro Training Series: Logic 6 with Martin Sitter and is technical editor on the Apple Pro Training Series: Logic 7 Pro from Peachpit Press.

Brian Burrill, Audio Recording and Production instructor. Brian is a freelance theatrical sound designer and multi-instumentalist with over twenty years of experience as a consultant and educator. His contributions to area theater productions have garnered both local and regional praise. In addition to working as resident sound designer for the Phoenix-based Black Theatre Troupe for the past four seasons, Brian has toured internationally both as a sound engineer and performer. Currently, he operates Pawprint Studios, performs locally in a variety of settings and is developing software and method books for alternative music education.

Terry Bussoletti, Troubleshooting & Electronics Instructor, has spent the last 15 years in Phoenix working as a Pro Audio Repair Technician. He holds an Associates of Applied Sciences Degree (A.A.S.), in Electronic Engineering Technology from Mesa Community College and a Bachelors of Science in Education from Penn State University. Bussoletti is a member of the Pi Lambda Theta International Honor Society and Professional Association in Education. He is a repair technician certified by the most familiar manufacturers of pro audio equipment, such as Tascam, Fostex, Fender, Korg, Marshall, Yamaha, Mackie, Peavey, SLM and many others. He also plays music professionally with Desert Gumbo, a band that he co-founded.

Ghery Fimbres, Audio Recording & Production Instructor, is a freelance Engineer who has worked mainly at Track Record in Hollywood, CA, the Hit Factory , Sony Studio C in New York, NY, and La Fountaine in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has worked with producers Quincy Jones, Brendan O’Brien, Andy Wallace, Jimbo Barton, and Tony Peluso on numerous projects. As an engineer, he has Platinum records for work with Rage Against The Machine, Kiss, and Quincy Jones (Q’s Jook Joint). He has also worked in the studio with Aerosmith, Iggy Pop, Belinda Carlisle, Weezer, and Lauren Christy. As a songwriter (and as engineer) he had a number one hit single in Brazil with artist Juana Molina. As a musician, he has played bass on recordings for the Dogg Pound, Michelé, Death Row Records, and Skee-Lo. Fimbres is a Conservatory graduate.

Bobby Frasier, Digital Audio and Audio Recording and Production instructor, has worked in virtually every facet of professional audio. Frasier worked for five years in a commercial production studio with award winning producers, engineers and talent as a first and second engineer. Bobby also worked for EAR Professional Audio in Phoenix, Arizona which took him into the world of professional audio manufacturing. Following his work at EAR, he worked for Solid State Logic, Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems, Alesis Corporation and for Yamaha Pro Audio & Combo Division.

Christopher M. Gough, Digidesign Certified Pro Tools Instructor, is a composer and sound designer for many national television and radio advertising campaigns, includes Southwest Airlines and Trailways. He has served as a songwriter, musician, arranger, and producer of dozens of albums. Gough was bestowed the Best Song Award for his work on the WKDB compilation 375 "East of LA". He is a Gold Medal Award winner in film scoring at the International Film & TV Festival of New York, and is one of the first Avid/Digidesign Certified Tools Instructors in the world. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree (BS) in Music from Loyola University and played with Nils Lofgren, Pam Tillis, Alice Cooper, and Billy Bob Thorton.

Jeffrey Harris, Audio Recording & Production Instructor, brings 27 years of industry experience to the classroom. Harris’ industry involvement began at Record Plant Studios in New York. He then traveled to Los Angeles, and during a 17-year tenure at the Village Recorder, served as Supervisor of Electronic Studio Maintenance, Chief Recording Engineer, and General Manager. His album credits include Animation’s "Obsession", Supertramp’s "Breakfast in America", Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake, & Palmer), The Phoenix Symphony and Wayman Tisdale. In the realm of film, he has been involved with sound design for Disney’s "Tron", "The Seventh Sign" with Demi Moore, and Stephen King’s "Creepshow". His television post-production work includes many national commercials and the 1988 ABC Network Fall Campaign. Harris currently operates a studio design and consulting firm in Arizona and is in demand as an independent producer and engineer.

Beth Caldwell, Audio Recording & Production Instructor, is a freelance engineer whose credits include a wide variety of artists such as UFO/MSG guitarist Michael Schenker, Tempe-based indie rock band Transgojobot, jazz guitarist Bob McCarroll and the Glendale Community College Percussion Ensemble. Beth received a Bachelor's degree in Music from Central Missouri State University, where she concentrated mainly on concert and marching percussion, and has performed with many renowned groups and conductors. Caldwell is a contributing writer for Pro Audio Review magazine.

Michael S. Jones, Director of Education/Audio Recording and Production Instructor, has worked at several Phoenix and Los Angeles studios. His training includes operational seminars with Solid State Logic (SSL), Neve and he is one of the first Digidesign Certified ProTools Instructors in the world. Michael’s engineering/producing credits include: 20th Century Fox motion picture soundtrack for “Alien Resurrection,” MCA recording artist Kris Tyler, Wayman Tisdale, Kevin Gilbert, Jessie McGuire, The Phoenix Suns, McDonald’s, Miller Beer, Castrol, Toyota, Mel Brown, Arsenio Hall, former President George H. W. Bush, and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. His work has won Addie Awards and a Gold Medal from the International Film & TV Festival of New York. Jones has beta- tested products for Hafler Professional, Røde, and Fender, and has contributed to Pro Audio Review magazine. In addition to his work at the Conservatory, Jones is an independent studio owner who engineers and produces both music and commercial projects. Michael is a recipient of the Arizona Private School Association Outstanding Teacher Award (Trade and Technical).

David LaBounty, Audio Recording & Production Instructor, is an audio engineer with experience in many areas of audio and music. As a musician, he has played and engineered for Arizona and Great Atomic Power, Lik Shotz and Resistance. He is a trained luthier, a graduate from the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery and has utilized these skills touring as a bass guitar technician with jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale. He has served as the live sound engineer for the group THC and has assisted LA engineer Jeff Poe (Santana) with the Phunk Junkees. LaBounty has also studied at Glendale Community College.

Jason Losett, Audio Recording & Production and MIDI/Digital Recording. His engineering credits include such local bands as Eyetalk, Selfless, and Posture as well as many radio and video commercial production projects for corporate clients, including Circle K Stores. He is also an active musician and composer, and has written music for independent films. In 2003, Losett received a certificate as a STARS Certified Adult Educator and was given the Rising Star Award by the Arizona Private School Association. He is a Digidesign-certified Pro Tools instructor and a Conservatory graduate.

Keith Morris, Live Sound Reinforcement Instructor, spent the initial ten years of his career in a private venture, ESP Sound and Lighting, which supplied sound and lighting for Evening Star Productions. He also designed and implemented sound systems for famous local clubs including Gibson’s, The Roadhouse and various churches. Since 1995, Morris has served as front-of-house engineer, production manager, and tour manager for U.F.O., the Michael Schenker Group, and John Norum (guitarist formerly with the group "Europe") and also worked with Joe Satriani, and Pantera. Later, he was front-of-house engineer and production manager at the Cajun House in Scottsdale, AZ. Keith studied analog troubleshooting and AC/DC electronics at the DeVry Institute. He has written equipment reviews for Pro Audio Review and Pro Sound News.

David Nichols, Audio Recording & Production Instructor, has worked as an engineer/producer since 1988 and has a vast knowledge of Pro Tools, CD mastering, moving fader automation, and both digital and analog recording techniques. He is the owner of Living Head Audio Recording in Phoenix, AZ and has also worked as a freelance engineer in a broad range of settings. His pop music credits include mixing and mastering of the Meat Puppets (Rykodisk), Type-O-Negative (Warner/Relativity) and Sister Sledge. He has produced and recorded for Helicon Records, the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, Korea, the Northern Arizona University Wind Symphony, and over 100 performances of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and 60 performances of the Sun Cities Symphony Orchestra as well. David is a member of the Audio Engineering Society, and has attended more than seventy technical seminars on audio recording and conferences of NARAS and SPARS. Nichols has lectured extensively on audio recording, microphone design and application, and orchestral recording at various colleges in the Southwest.

Tony Nunes, Audio Recording & Production Instructor, is an audio engineer with experience in many audio genres. In New York City, Nunes worked at Classic Sound where he recorded orchestral and symphonic music, including sessions at the historic Carnegie Hall. He also worked on recordings for Ravi Shankar Live at Carnegie Hall, André Previn Live at the Jazz Standard, David Finch, Broadway musical writer William Finn, and The MET Chamber Ensemble conducted by James Levine. Nunes is a Conservatory graduate.

Glen O’Hara, Digital Audio/Multi-Channel (5.1) Surround Instructor, is the president of OCI Records which releases multi-channel music for DTS, Dolby Digital and new DVD formats. He started in the industry in 1971 with Soundmaster Recording, a state-of-the-art multi-track studio in Chicago. A US Naval Air veteran, O’Hara was an anti-submarine warfare specialist on the Lockheed P-3 aircraft, affording him a unique opportunity to study underwater acoustics and use military equipment in Fourier analysis and acoustic pattern recognition. He also spent many years in the manufacturing industry working with multi-user UNIX-based computer systems as well as real-time process controls. O’Hara has contributed to Pro Audio Review.

Alexander Otto, Pro Tools Instructor, is a freelance engineer and Pro Tools systems designer/consultant who specializes in integrating Pro Tools into existing studios. Otto has worked with such producers, engineers, and artists as Alice Cooper, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Jack Endino, Chuck Johnson and Richard Kaplan of Indigo Ranch Studios. His experience includes design, install and operation of sound reinforcement systems for various venues including the front-of-house position at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix, AZ. His students benefit from his insights on both sides of the glass, in that he has toured and recorded with The Readymen, The Detonators, and Los Mex Pistols, all successful bands from the Northwest.

Paul Richards, Audio Recording and Production Instructor & MIDI/ Digital Audio/ Electronic Music Instructor, has recorded over 100 concerts of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra capturing the performances of Yo-Yo Ma, Andre Watts, and Evelyn Glennie. He has also recorded the Symphony of the West Valley, St. Olaf’s College Symphony Orchestra, and Quintessence. Paul attended Michigan State University and is a Conservatory graduate.

Nancy Scharlau, Audio Recording & Production Instructor, brings nearly a decade of high-level experience to the Conservatory. She served as an engineer/digital editor at Different Fur Recording and freelanced at several other studios in San Francisco from 1990 to 1996, working with a diversity of artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Primus, Thomas Dolby, Tuck and Patti, Paula Cole, and Faith No More. She worked on George Winston’s Grammy Award-winning release "Forest", for which she received a Visionary Award from 3M. Since March 1993, Scharlau has owned and operated Joey Mobile Recording. She designed and assembled the remote recording system and has done extensive recording with it. She is proficient with Solid State Logic consoles and the Sonic Solutions nonlinear digital editing system, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music (major area of concentration-Engineering and Music Production) from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.

Robert Scovill, Guest Lecturer, is a five-time winner of Mix magazine’s prestigious Technical Excellence and Creativity (TEC) award for Best Sound Reinforcement Engineer, in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997. He is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading experts in live sound. His front-of-house touring credits include Rush, Def Leppard, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Match Box 20, Prince, Foreigner, Tesla, Toto, Alice Cooper, Dan Reed Network,
Air Supply, and Laurie Anderson. He has been profiled in numerous articles in publications such as Mix, EQ, Pro Sound News, and Live Sound! Scovill has also written many articles for these and other publications. Additionally, he has lectured for the Audio Engineering Society. Scovill owns and operates MusiCanvas Studio and Eldon’s Boy Records in Scottsdale, AZ. and is also a consultant to several manufacturers regarding algorithm design for signal processors.