Meet The Teachers

Tyler Henderson lives a busy life.  Tyler plays professionally in the area and currently tours with Tracy Byrd. He has endorsments from several well-known musical equipment manufacturers, including 7drums and Sledgepad. Check out Tyler's welcome on 7drums.

At Lamar University, Tyler studied Music Education and played in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Pep Band, and Percussion Ensemble.  He has played with many churches in the area, including Cathedral in the Pines, Westgate Baptist, Calvary, Church on the Rock, and is currently playing at Christian Fellowship Worship Center.  In addition to teaching drum, guitar, and keyboard at Tonalta, Tyler has taught percussion at a number of area high schools and middle schools.    Tyler also enjoys spending time writing his own music.

In high school, Tyler made the All-Region Jazz Band three years in a row, and went on to area each year. His junior year, he placed 7th in the state of Texas.  Tyler enjoys playing blues, pop, rock, funk, and jazz styles of music, and, in addition to the drum kit, plays a number of other instruments, including keyboard and guitar.  Tyler's favorite artist is John Mayer and his favorite drummer is Steve Jordan.

Chase Cobb teaches all instruments at Tonalta, as well as directing some of our Tonalta bands. In addition, he serves as Director of Contemporary Worship and Production at Wesley Methodist church  in Beaumont. Chase has also served on the communications committee for the Texas Annual Conference for the United Methodist Church . He also has been featured in several bands in the area such as A Southbound Romance, Take This to Heart, and Alex Westbrook. Chase has a Bachelors degree from Lamar University in General Business with an emphasis in marketing and management. Chase also spends his free time doing photography and spending time with his wife Lillian 

Blake started his musical journey as a  student at Tonalta.  He studied drums, guitar, piano, and played in Tonalta bands along the way.   He also was a leader  in the drum section at Bridge City High School.  Blake is now continuing his education at Lamar University.  Blake plays in area church praise bands and other bands in the area. 

His students love his easy style and his quick humor.

Denise was born in New York, grew up in the Midwest, discovered her love of music at age 5, and has been playing piano since that time. Denise graduated cum laude from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Music focusing on classical guitar/piano performance, music theory, composition, and music business. After moving back to New York she earned her degree in audio recording and midi technology from the Audio Recording Technology Institute where she studied audio engineering and production. 

Over the years Denise has combined her talents, skills, and experience to compose, arrange, produce, and record two original studio albums which I promote online and through live performances. 

Denise has 20 years of experience as a piano instructor, providing guidance to students of all ages, styles, and abilities. Her teaching philosophy is to create an enthusiastic environment where students can progress while still having fun. 

Denise tailors her lesson plans to help students deal with frustration, patiently guiding them toward effective learning patterns that achieve progressive goals and bring feelings of accomplishment, joy, and a love for music!

Damian Lunny took the first step in his musical career by joining his middle school band at the age of 11. Twelve years later he successfully completed his Bachelor of Arts in percussion performance at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, under the direction of Dr. Francis Kumor. As an active percussion performer, Damian has participated in multiple Day of Percussion events, and performed at the McCormick Marimba Festival at the University of South Florida. He has also performed volunteer work at PASIC. Damian is recently completed a Master of Arts in percussion performance at Northwestern State University of Louisiana under the guidance of Dr. Oliver Molina. As a student and graduate teaching assistant at NSU, he assisted in the education of the university drum line, applied percussion lessons, and the steel drum ensemble. Damian hopes to continue learning about percussion through the many opportunities available around the world. Networking, performing, teaching, and creating are all different aspects of the same passion he will continue to foster for years to come.

From a young age, Jairy has been captivated by the world of music, but it was during her college years that her passion truly took flight. She pursued her dream at Lamar State College Port Arthur, where she earned an Associates Degree in Music in May 2024. During her time at LSCPA, Jairy was an active member of the Seahawk Singers and had the privilege of being one of the lead singers for the touring band “Coastline at LSCPA,” performing across various venues across the SETX area and connecting with audiences.
In addition to her college achievements, Jairy has been an integral part of the Trinity United Methodist Church choir for the past two years, serving as an alto sectional and contributing to the choir’s rich sound. Currently, she is continuing her education at Lamar University, where she is pursuing a degree in Music Education. As a teacher at Tonalta, Jairy aspires to share her love of music with others, and shape the future of aspiring musicians.

Atlanta grew up in a family of talented musicians, where her passion for music took root and blossomed. From an early age, she began to master musical instruments and grow her musical skills. At the age of 5, Atlanta's discovered her love of singing, and at 8, she began piano lessons. During her years at Nederland Middle- and High School, Atlanta found her rhythm as a percussionist in the school band. Her musical journey continued at Lamar State College, where she studied music performance, songwriting, and music theory, ultimately earning her degree in Commercial Music Performance. Notably, Atlanta contributed her vocal and keyboard talents to the Lamar State College touring band, Section 51. On most Sunday mornings, you can now find Atlanta's voice resonating within the walls of Beaumont's Trinity United Methodist Church, where she sings in the church choir. Atlanta also enriches her students' learning by drawing from her prior experience a music teacher within the local community. At the age of 13, Atlanta began performing with her uncle, and you can find her currently performing with him as vocalist and pianist in the band Mixtape.

Blake began his musical journey in middle school band, learning the trumpet and piano. After six years of playing in marching and concert bands, as well as competing in solo and ensemble competitions,  Blake began studying the flute to expand his skills and compete in more competitions . By the time he graduated, he had received a top score for a piano solo  and a top score for a high difficulty flute solo,  allowing him to continue on to state.   Blake then studied music at  Stephen F Austin State University, including flute, voice, and piano.   Now, as a teacher at Tonalta, Blake continues to study, practice, and learn to grow as a musician and teacher, to provide students with the best possible learning experience. 

Keith is a pianist and singer from Detroit, MI, and holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance and a Graduate Certification in Vocology, an emerging field in the study of the performing voice, from Lamar University. A devoted educator, Keith has taught middle, and high school choir and is currently the Community Music Director at Faith United Methodist Church in Fannett where he directs the choir and the Youth Arts Program. He believes that a student's musical success is about meeting them wherever they are and then taking them in the direction they want to go. Keith teaches piano, voice, bands, and guitar at Tonalta and hopes to pass on his passion for performing and learning to his students.

Mikaela Bartlett attended Tonalta School of Music as a student for years, and now she’s back as a drum teacher!   She’s taken piano, drums, vocals, and has performed in multiple bands. She was also a part of the percussion section in her middle and high school bands. After graduating in 2023, she’s been studying English at Lamar University, where she also works in the English Department. Tonalta has been Mikaela’s second home for years, and she’s so excited to help new students find their connection to music :D 

Mary Catherine is an artist and animator from Beaumont, TX. She received her BFA in Fine Art - Drawing from Lamar University in Beaumont, TX, where she founded the Animation and Entertainment Design Club to encourage students to pursue careers in animation. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Animation at California State University Long Beach, and is slated to graduate December 2024. Mary Catherine has taught art classes at Art Museum of Southeast Texas, advanced painting classes at CSULB, and regularly provides individual tutoring in Fine Art subjects such as drawing and painting. She is a lover of all things related to comics, animation, and games. Her primary educational focus is guiding students towards career-readiness in the arts by providing them with a strong artistic foundation, a resilient mindset, and accurate industry information to help them pursue their dreams successfully.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon 

Coming soon!

Jim served as the Music Director at Wesley United Methodist Church in Nederland, and as a keyboardist and a vocalist with the Wesley Celebration Band. He was a member of the ISX All-American High School band (on trombone), and was selected to All-Region bands, All-Region, and Area choirs, as well as the Tri-State honor band. Jim has both a bachelors and masters degree and over  30 years of classroom teaching experience at the college level. He enjoys songwriting, recording, and arranging.