Teachers

Jennifer Gillmer has been teaching voice for 12 years and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). She taught at the Sterling Academy of Music, as well as privately, where her students ranged in age from 5 to 65, and studied and performed all types of music, from classical to contemporary.
Jennifer has a Bachelor’s Degree in Voice Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Master’s degree in Voice Performance from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Tommy Toy is the Co-Founder / Academic Director of WOW! Music Studios, and one of the only Accredited Simply Music Instructors in Marin County and San Francisco.
A classically trained multi-instrumentalist with over 30 years of music performance and teaching experience, Tommy has played both professionally and recreationally in a wide variety of ensembles ranging from symphonic orchestra to jazz big band, R&B / Motown cover band to power-trio rock group.

Her performance experience ranges from Opera to Oratorio, musical theater to contemporary. She has performed a number of roles including Fiordilidgi in “Cosi Fan Tutte”, Countess in “The Marriage of Figaro”, Donna Anna in “Don Giovanni”, Susan B. Anthony in “The Mother of us All”, the Sandman in “Hansel & Gretel” and Minerva in “ The Return of Ulysses”. She also performed the title role of Rita in Donizetti’s one act opera “Rita” at the University of Maryland.
Outside of teaching, Jennifer enjoys taking her two young children to shows—musicals, opera, ballet and movies. She also loves the outdoors and traveling with her family.

A Bay Area native, Erik is a multi-instrumentalist who earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies & Performance at Sonoma State University. From there, Erik moved to New York to study with jazz guitar greats, Vic Juris and John Abercrombie.
Erik returned to the Bay Area to share his musical knowledge and experience with children, teenagers and adults. His music experience runs the gamut: Jazz, blues, rock, and classical.
Besides teaching for WOW! Music Studios, Erik is currently a music instructor in the Dixie Elementary School District in San Rafael. He has also spent time helping novice

musicians to form their own bands and play gigs.
When he’s not teaching, Erik can be found performing around the Bay Area. He has played at the Berkeley Jazz Festival, Cotati Jazz Festival, Sonoma Jazz Festival and the Fillmore Jazz Festival, and received high accolades for his guitar work from both audiences and his peers.
Erik has had the pleasure to play with some of the most well-respected musicians in the business, including Bruce Forman, Paul McCandless, Dave Douglas, Eric Alexander, John Stowell and many more.

Sonya Rangel, daughter of celebrated jazz drummer Paul Distel and bassist Carolyn Distel, was raised in the Northern California music scene, and by age five she had already begun studying classical piano, performing in musical theater, and singing with her parents’ band.
Sonya holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music with an emphasis on Jazz and Pop from San Francisco State University, and has taught piano and voice for the past 10 years. Sonya is also a music instructor for the Novato, Dixie and Petaluma City School districts.

A professional singer and songwriter, Sonya “gigs” on the weekends with one of San Francisco’s top cover bands, The Cheeseballs, as well as making guest appearances with The Realistic Orchestra, and with salsa band, Orquesta America, when she has a free night!
Sonya has also worked as a backup vocalist for Grammy winner, Shelby Lynne, and recorded and collaborated with Santana’s percussionist, Grammy winner, Karl Perazzo. She has also worked as a session singer, and was a featured vocalist on the soundtrack for the motion picture, “Rent”.