Meet Our Instructors
From the most basic ABC’s of music theory to some of the most complex chords, scales, and rhythms, the instructors at Ovation Music & Studios can help you bridge the gap between today’s challenges and tomorrow’s success with lesson plans that are customized to fit your interest and learning curve.
Brandon Blackburn
Brandon Blackburn started playing guitar at the age of twelve learning traditional country songs in hopes of being able to play in his father’s band. At the age of sixteen, Brandon started playing out in various live music venues in southern Ohio with the band Drifters and became the fill in house drummer for the Paint Valley Jamboree.
It was at the age of twenty when he decided to take his next step in music and attended McNally Smith College of music. There, he played in various ensembles including Blues, Country and Jazz. Brandon acquired a bachelor degree of arts in music performance, for guitar, with a minor in music business. He has studied music under the tutelage of some of the giants of the music industry such as Greg Koch, Bobby Stanton, and Bill Kirchen.
Brandon is an accomplished guitar player in many situations such as session work, live performances, composing, arranging, and teaching the instrument. Brandon toured as the lead guitarist, music director and bandleader for, Indie Music Channel, Hall of Fame Member, Ryan Daniel, for 6 years. Brandon now tours full time with Country artist Krista Lynn Meadow, performing 150+ dates a year. Brandon also finds himself playing on many recording sessions in Nashville.
Easton Christopher
Easton Christopher started playing drums at the age of four, and since then, he has spent his entire life perfecting the art of drumming. Easton played percussion in band starting in middle school and he became the drum captain in band in highschool. After highschool, he went on to play drums in the rhythm section in the Lee University Symphonic Band for five years. Easton has traveled across the Eastern Coast of the United States playing in various bands and sharpening his drum skills. Some of his musical influences include: Snarky Puppy, Michael Jackson, Polyphia, and Phil Wickam. He has extensive knowledge of drumline and writing in drum notation, and has been teaching drums since 2019.
Jared Corder
Jared received his Bachelor’s degree from Herberger School of Music at Arizona State University specializing in classical guitar and piano. He and his wife have toured across the country with their band *repeat repeat, having played events such as Live on the Green, Bonnaroo, and opening for The Black Keys at Bridgestone Arena. Proficient with guitar, drums, bass, piano, ukulele music theory, music composition, ear training, and vocals. Online lessons through Zoom available. (Link to Jared’s band) https://www.repeatrepeatmusic.com/
Ryan Drinnen
Graduated from Berklee College of Music.Ten years of experience in studying and performing music as a guitarist, and has been serving as the guitarist and vocalist for the band Revenchrist. Teaches guitar, bass, uke, and vocals, music theory.
Elena Gentleman
Elena Gentleman is a Board-Certified Music Therapist based in Nashville, TN. Gentleman
graduated with her B.M. in Music Therapy with a Voice principal from Belmont University.
Gentleman has worked within Metro Nashville, providing music therapy groups for students all over Nashville. Gentleman is currently working on her M.A. in School Psychology from MTSU. Outside of music therapy, Gentleman is passionate about songwriting and performance, plant care, and spending time with friends and family.
Valentina Gozzini
Valentina Gozzini is a Singer/Songwriter of Italian and Polish origins that started her adventure with music back in Europe, joining a children’s Christian band that gave her the opportunity to familiarize with the stage for the first time. Later, during her teenage years she started to professionally study music and develop her voice in Natural Voice Perfection Institute in Poland. At the same time, she was learning how to play piano, so the combination of those two led her to composition and songwriting.
In Fall 2018, for the first time, she took a plane to the United States, where she started her studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She graduated with a Bachelor of Songwriting and Performance.
Valentina had the great opportunity to learn from the most talented educators and professors like Linda Balliro, Simon Shaheen, Lihi Haruvi, Cheryl Porter, and many others who contributed to her musicianship of becoming the songwriter and music educator that she is today.
In 2023, she established herself in Nashville, Tennessee, where she teaches voice and piano and composes and records music. Today, Valentina is a music educator and, most importantly, a mother who wants to pour her unconditional love and passion for music into her little son.
Julia Johnson
Julia Johnson is a professionally trained classical and contemporary violinist. Studying violin performance at Berklee College of Music and being a long-time working session musician, band member, and performer, Julia is an experienced violinist in many genres of music. Through her education at Berklee she’s had the opportunity to study under prestigious violin instructors that have shown her how to yield the best results of performance with her instrument. Julia has a deep passion for violin performance and education, as well as songwriting and music production. Her students will have the opportunity to play in any genre they choose, such as classical, jazz, folk, and pop/rock.
Logan Lowery
Hailing from Birmingham, AL, Logan Lowery is a film composer, music producer, and singer-songwriter with a degree in vocal performance from Birmingham-Southern College. As a teacher, he emphasizes what makes music work as much as how to play the instrument – he teaches voice, piano, and guitar. Each of us have our own “why” to music and Logan believes that lessons should be a space where we can explore just that very thing. You’ll find that Logan only has two rules in the music studio: never apologize for “messing something up” – we’re here to learn, and if you have a question(s) always ask – if he doesn’t know then he’ll find out for you.
Benjamin Pranger
An ex-athlete (Southeast Missouri State University basketball) with a screenwriting degree from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, Ben picked up the guitar in middle school and never put it down. He took an active interest in songwriting from an early age, with many band and solo projects branching into many more musical occupations, from songwriter and singer on independent labels to producer, videographer, touring guitarist and Nashville session musician on guitar, keys and mandolin.
Along the way he’s worked with Nashville-centric artists including Lucinda Williams, Brandi Carlile, The Wood Brothers, Aaron Lee Tasjan and Mercy Bell while touring some incredible venues like The Kennedy Center, The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and The Beacon Theater in New York City.
From the self-taught school until dobro lessons with the great Opry dobroist/Flatt & Scruggs protégé Don Earl, Ben has given introductory-to-Professional lessons on guitar, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, dobro, dulcimer, bass and piano/keyboard for fifteen years and focuses new students on picking apart their favorite songs and learning to play along, the BEST (and most fun) way to learn any new instrument!
Ovation Music School
Students
Classes Taught
Concerts
Phone
OVMSGallatin@gmail.com
Follow Us
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri: 11 AM – 6 PM
Sat-Sun: By Appointment
Address
107 East Main St.
Gallatin, TN 37066