MockingBird Music employs 25 teachers - more bios will be added soon!

Neal McNanna, Clarinet, Sax, Flute, Trumpet & Trombone Instructor • Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, University of Massachusetts, Lowell • Teaches music at Bridgewater Elementary School. Has taught at the Institute of Performing Arts in Mallorca, Spain • Has shared the stage with Marvin Hamlisch and performed for audiences that included Donald Trump, Vic Damone and Mikal Gorbachev. • Has played baritone saxophone for 30 years and also plays flute, clarinet, bass and guitar. Neal’s earliest musical recollection goes back to when he was 5 years old. At a big family gathering, while his brothers and cousins were out playing in the backyard of his grandmother’s home, he was inside trying to get at the guitar that hung on the living room wall. Since then Neal’s interest and talent in music has led him all over the world as a performer on Carnival Cruise Lines and performing with Russian acrobats and the Spanish ballet. He has appeared with Martha Reeves and the Vandella’s, the Drifters, the Bobby Watson Band, Darlene Love, Kathy Lee Gifford and Regis Philbin. For five years he called Mallorca Spain home where he gigged regularly in the house orchestra of a popular 1500 seat dinner theatre. While Neal has appreciated the opportunities music has given him to travel, these days he enjoys teaching both private lessons and public school because of the kick he gets when his students say “Oh yeah!” when the light goes on. Does he encourage music as a career? He tells his students to… “get out there and do it! Enjoy it! Music makes the world a better place.”

Ken Freeman, Clarinet, Sax, Flute, Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium and Guitar Instructor • Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Berklee College of Music • Playing saxophone for 15 years • Also plays guitar, bass, trumpet, trombone, flute, clarinet and various percussion instruments. • Formerly the Co-Director of the Milton High School Jazz Band. Currently the Director of the Fine Arts Department at Foxborough Regional Charter School. Ken Freeman would rather be in Ireland. County Clare to be exact. But right now can’t afford it. Lucky for us. We put his talent to work right here in Mansfield. You can hear it all come through on his saxophone. And trumpet. And guitar. And all of the other instruments he plays. It comes through his songwriting and instrumental compositions which have been played in New York City at the Village Vanguard and Kenny’s Castaways; Boston’s Berklee Performance Center and Providence’s Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, Strand Theater and AS 220. As a result of all of his musical experiences Ken has found an outlet for his drive, ambition, and self-confidence. Music, he says, has also provided him with a keen sense of independence and freedom. “What I’d really like to do is become rich and famous by spreading the gift of music education throughout the world,” says Ken. “But for now, I get great satisfaction from watching my students grow and change based on what I’ve taught them.” Ken advocates to his students to “…practice a lot, never give up and always be yourself.” Ken’s favorite artists are among the legends of music history: Miles Davis, Stan Getz, and Pink Floyd among others. More contemporary bands are also a great influence: Phish, Counting Crows, Ryan Adams, David Grey and Neil McCarthy (a local singer/songwriter from the Cape). Additionally, Ken believes we are on the verge of a new music revolution. When asked for details he only says, “…it’s coming soon.”

Julia Roche, Clarinet, Sax, Flute, Voice & Piano Instructor • Has been studying and playing flute since 1997, has been studying and singing formally since 1997, has been studying and playing piano since 1999 years. • Bachelor of Arts Candidate, Music Major, Rhode Island College • Favorite artists: Mozart, Kenney Chesney, Bach, Justin Timberlake and Rascal Flats To say that Julia has lived a life in music is an understatement. At age four she dreamed of playing the French Horn. Since then she has studied not only that instrument, but also the clarinet, oboe, trombone, bassoon and drums. Her area of expertise, however, lies in the flute, piano and voice! From elementary school through high school she has been a member of the band, orchestra, wind ensemble, jazz band, drum corps and chorus. By the time she graduated she had taught music as a substitute teacher and was Assistant Choir Director in the Bellingham elementary, middle and high schools. Now in her third year at Rhode Island College she is studying flute under Maryellen Guzzio-Kregler, piano under Lila Kane and Modern Voice under Eric Whittaker. She is a member of the Rhode Island College Women’s Choir. “Music is a never ending learning process”, states the multi-instrumentalist. “Everyday I gain a greater appreciation for it. My favorite part of teaching is passing on the knowledge I have gained and seeing students apply it and love it.”