Gia Watson

Ms. Gia Watson is a graduate of Friends University with classical training, a jazzy flow, and gospel roots. She has a niche for program development and teaching students of all ages and abilities.

Ms. Gia has been directing instrumental, vocal, and theater ensembles since 2004. She comes to Air House as a piano and voice instructor, but in the last decade has also taught guitar, percussion, violin, trumpet, french horn, saxophone, flute, theory, composition, and songwriting. In addition to instrumental instruction, Ms. Gia has developed theatre programming throughout Kansas and Oklahoma. She loves to perform and has played venues across the country from Miami to California, including the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. Gia has also had the opportunity to tour internationally with college choral ensembles and is a former member of the South Kansas Symphony.

Since her directorial debuts in 2008, Ms. Gia has directed children’s choirs, youth instrumental ensembles, performance clinics and countless musicals. Her a background in Speech Pathology, allow for a clinical approach to voice lessons, focusing on vocal maintenance, agility, and preservation.

Ms. Gia has served as an Autism Consultant and Education Advocate for schools and communities in Butler, Cowley, and Sedgwick counties since 2015. Her background in special education allows for a client specific approach in teaching students of all abilities. Known for her inclusive programming, Gia continues to advocate for learners in all levels, with a range to teach students ages 3 to 93.

Joy Lenau

Joy Lenau is a pianist and instructor originally from Virginia who has called Wichita home since 2015. When not playing piano, she loves exploring new places, sipping coffee, and befriending every dog she meets.

Joy holds a B.A. in Music from the University of Mary Washington and an M.M. in Piano Pedagogy from Wichita State University. She started teaching piano lessons in 2009 and has taught piano and music classes in universities since 2017. With over 16 years of experience, Joy has worked with students at every level from complete beginners to college music majors. Because she firmly believes in doing what you teach, she regularly performs with choirs in the Wichita area and plays musical theater gigs.

Joy is passionate about teaching and views lessons as a collaboration between instructor and student. Her lessons emphasize strong musical foundations while focusing on each student’s unique interests and intentions. Her students play a wide range of musical genres, depending on what type of music they enjoy. She believes music lessons, while often hard work, should ultimately be fun, rewarding, and inspiring.

Jace Wilbert

Greetings! I'm Jace Wilbert, a seasoned guitarist based in Wichita, KS. With over 25 years of professional experience, I’ve spent much of my life immersed in music—as both a performer and an instructor. While guitar is my main instrument, I also enjoy teaching and playing electric bass and ukulele.

I’ve been teaching guitar privately since 1999, working with students of all ages and skill levels in both Wichita, KS, and Dallas, TX. My teaching spans a broad range of genres, but I specialize in Rock, Pop, Funk, Blues, and Soul. I’ve had the privilege of studying privately with renowned blues and jazz artists David Keller and Jerry Hahn, and I also studied at Wichita State University under Craig Owens.

I picked up the guitar at age 13 and never looked back. By 16, I had formed my first alt-rock band, Shaft, taking on the role of lead guitarist. We went on to perform locally, regionally, and nationally for over a decade. Since then, I’ve remained deeply involved in the Wichita music scene, playing and leading in groups such as Riverside 65, The Yale St. Players, Lucky People Band, Infinite Layers, Groove 42, and Prodigals. I’ve also collaborated with hip-hop artists Tech N9NE and XV. These days, you can find me on stage with Moodswingz, a rock and reggae cover band.

I’ve been teaching at Air House Music Academy since 2021 and feel fortunate to be part of such a vibrant and supportive music community. In addition to one-on-one lessons, I offer group classes for guitar and ukulele, including youth and adult formats. One of my favorite projects was directing the Air House Ukestra—a group ukulele course for ages 8–17 focused on learning rock and pop songs and performing at local venues. It was a blast, and I look forward to bringing it back soon.

My Approach:
Music instruction is more than just a weekly lesson—it's about showing up consistently as a mentor and guide for those looking to tap into their creative energy and unlock their musical potential.

Learning an instrument (or deepening your skills) can be both challenging and incredibly rewarding. I approach every session with positivity and a beginner’s mindset. I aim to make the learning experience light, fun, and tailored to each student’s unique interests, while keeping a strong foundation in the fundamentals.

Whether you're just getting started or looking to grow as a musician, I’m here to help you enjoy the process, build confidence, and make meaningful progress—one step at a time.

William Bloomquist

William Bloomquist is a songwriter, performer, and educator, among other non-musical passions such as art and games. He graduated in 2013 from Friends University where he studied guitar, voice, and music theory. Since then he’s been a versatile creative contributor to the Wichita scene teaching lessons, playing in various local projects (The Hollows, The Radio Soul, Tommy Newport), and writing/recording solo work. He performs and releases music under the moniker Dot Bella Quist.

As a teacher, William is focused on helping students find a relationship to their instrument that feels authentic, exciting, expansive and sustainable. He is especially passionate about helping people accompany themselves and write their own music.

Steve Hatfield

Making his home in Wichita, Kansas, Steve Hatfield is one of the most in demand musicians in the Midwest. For over 25 years, he has performed in almost every musical setting imaginable. Everything from various Rock and Jazz groups to the Wichita Symphony and Music Theatre of Wichita. Steve has logged countless hours in recording studios performing on numerous albums and commercial jingles. Recently, he released his first album as a leader, “Just Be Wally” on Digital Boy Records.

Strongly dedicated to education, Steve serves on the faculty of Wichita State University and Butler County Community College and maintains private studios at Midwest Drum & Percussion and Air House Music Academy. As an endorser for Yamaha Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, and Aquarian Drumheads, he has performed clinics and master classes throughout the Midwest as well as Canada and Mexico City.

Robert White

Robert is native-born Wichitan. Robert has been teaching since 1989, working with students of all ages and skill levels. As a freelance guitarist he has played and performed with many bands, theater productions and provides guitar/vocals for special occasions around the area. Currently (since 2018) he is the guitarist in the House Band at Mosley Street Melodramas performing on a weekly basis covering a wide range of musical styles from Frank Sinatra to Ozzy Osbourne, From Zac Brown Band to Elton John as well as selections from standard Musical Theater repertoire.

As an instructor he delights in getting students started as well as encouraging them to explore and develop their own musicianship and artistry. An individual approach is taken for each student, with lesson plans designed to put the fun in fundamentals. For more information GuitarRW.com

Mary-Michael Rodriguez

Mary-Michael Rodriguez has been a diligent student of voice for around a decade.

Mary-Michael studied vocal performance and musical theatre at Wichita State University. And the summer of 2019, she traveled overseas to Italy where she studied Italian opera through the Canta In Italia program alongside her voice professor Dr. Pina Mozzani, whom she studied under for four years in college. Mary-Michael has participated in a handful of professional theatre productions, and you may have seen her as Heather Chandler Heathers The Musical at Roxy’s Downtown.

Mary-Michael has a wide array of musical inspiration from pop to classic rock to classical. She is fascinated with the future of music, and encourages others to step outside the box when it comes to genre and style.

Mary-Michael believes that a strong foundation of classical voice training will take a singer anywhere they wish to go, and broaden their artistic horizons greatly in the process. Through the mindful use of posture, breath-work and technique, Mary-Michael hopes to help students approach safe, proper singing in a joyful, creative way. She would like to emphasize that above all else, the making of music should always be an act of celebration, and that joy shall never be lost!

Mary Beth Sampson

Mary Beth is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. She has a passion for teaching and has been equipping artists of all ages for since 2014. She has had the opportunity to perform at a variety of different types of venues and share the stage with many stars in jazz.

After graduating at Friends University, Mary Beth went on the World Race, a missions venture that allowed her to volunteer in 11 countries over 11 months. She has been able to teach and perform for people of several languages, backgrounds, cultures, and musical genres.

In 2020, Mrs. Sampson released “Discovering Home”, an original full-length album that depicts the stories and highlights of her travels under the pseudo name “Izzy Byers.”

Her desire is to enrich the lives of others and build confidence and character by taking a holistic approach to vocal coaching. She addresses technique simultaneously with the body, mind, and spirit of each individual.

Madi Laughlin

Madi Laughlin is a Wichita native, born & raised, who specializes in musical theatre performance, vocal accuracy and power, and songwriting. She graduated from WSU in 2021, and has lived in a few different places performing and writing music including Rome, Italy in 2019, Eastern United States in 2021, and writing music for her first album at Mission: Wolf sanctuary in Colorado, 2021.

Madi has also been part of a few solo and collaborative music projects around Wichita including Keo & Them and Yogi Bogi. Since returning home, they have been recording an album, playing local shows, and performing at Roxy’s downtown theatre; you may have seen her as Veronica Sawyer in “Heather’s: The Musical” and Chris Hargensen in “Carrie: The Musical.” Madi specializes in helping students to conquer stage fright and performance anxieties while also expanding their range, finding healthy vocal placements, and developing character voice when needed.

Madi also plays piano and ukulele, and is always in the process of learning new instruments, currently including guitar and bass. Ideally, lessons are a collaborative space with student and mentor, and are relationally, musically, and creatively beneficial for the student. She would be honored to help you find your voice and to encourage you in your artistic endeavors!

Luc Brust

Born and raised in Wichita, KS, Lucas Brust holds two Bachelor’s Degrees from Wichita State University (B.M. – Percussion Performance, B.M. – Jazz Studies), a Master’s Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi (M.M. – Music Performance, Minor – Music Theory), and a Doctorate (D.M.A) from the University of Nevada: Las Vegas. Lucas’s varied education from across the United States has provided experience in virtually all areas of the music business ranging from operas, symphonies, and musicals to jazz, salsa, Brazilian, and Caribbean ensembles. Notable international performances include The Fringe Festival in Adelaide, South Australia, the Festival des Anches d’Azur in La Croix Valmer, France, and the Tabasco International Marimba Festival in Villahermosa, Mexico. Lucas is currently working as a freelance percussionist in the Wichita area while serving as an adjunct professor at Wichita State University.