Tutors & Staff

Our team of instructors want to help you get to the next level. We’re very selective about our instructors when we hire them – we look for expertise, teaching ability and a passion for music and our students. They are all active as performing musicians (unless they are teaching music business or marketing etc).

Jon Anderson of ‘Yes’ fame is shown below at MMA.

In our Professional Music programs MMA Founder Darren Clarke is lead instructor, with a team guest lecturers & coaches throughout the year such at Jon Anderson (‘Yes’), George Nauf, Terry Lawless (Keyboard & Programming for U2) Inga Swearingen, Tommy Aldrige (Ozzy Osbourne, White Snake, Randy Rhoads), Kenny Lee Lewis (Steve Miller Band), BJ (New Rock DJ), Mark Davison (Managing & Marketing) & Daniel Whittington (Social Networking & Song Craft) and more…

Darren Clarke
Darren Clarke founded Modern Music Academy in 2003 after years of professional music and touring. He started performing as young as age 13 in clubs in his native country, Great Britain and is known for his exceptional guitar playing, arrangements and musicality.

Highlights of his career so far include recording in Nashville’s Sound Kitchen and opening for Aerosmith with his previous band ‘Rhodes’. Darren is a published songwriter and has developed many of the programs at MMA and still teaches a lot of them. His talent for teaching and passion to see others succeed has been a staple at Modern Music Academy. He is always busy producing records for Indie bands and artists as well as music for film / web / corporate businesses.

George Naufel

George Nauful’s extensive and multi-faceted music business background encompasses senior positions at independent and major labels, as well as with leading distribution companies. This experience gives him his invaluable “big picture” perspective on the industry today, its evolution and, most importantly, its future.

Nauful’s career began when he ventured west to California in a station wagon with just a guitar, his two best friends and his dog in the early ’70s. He quickly became a Los Angeles studio musician/session player, writer and producer and was signed to Mercury Records. He appeared on stage with a number of well known artists of the day including, Dave Mason, Stevie Nicks, John Stewart, Charlie Daniels, Jerry Riopelle and the Doobie Brothers. Read more about George and his label.

Billy Imperial
Billy is an accomplished guitarist & bassist with years of international touring experience.

At home in the studio, on stage (and evidently in the class room) with styles ranging from Jazz to Pop & everything in between.

Billy helps teach our Professional Music Foundation (Guitar).

Nick Bilich
Nick graduated as an English major at Cal Poly.

We hunted Nick down after hearing him perform with local band STILL TIME who were recently voted best band in SLO.

He specializes in Lead Guitar and modern contemporary styles and when he’s not on the road, Nick teaches some of our foundational programs.

Jessie Clarke
Jessie co-founded Modern Music Academy with husband Darren Clarke in 2003.

Jessie is behind the scenes as Business & Marketing manager, but also plays an active role in the Professional Music Programs as Student Advisor & Performance / Vocal coach.

Jessie has a background in singing backing vocals and songwriting.

Her guitar playing is embarrassingly bad so we don’t talk about that.