Meet Our Instructors
Jorge Maldonado
Jorge has been playing guitar for 26 years and teaching for 24, 18 in the Spring and Tomball communities. While he began his training in a classical conservatory, he continued his studies in other areas of guitar; notably, under Ecuadorian rock guitar legend Hittar Cuesta and Texas jazz luminary Gerald Blakeman.
Jorge performing and teaching experience go hand in hand. He began performing after two years of study, at age 16 in a number of South American rock acts, a Texas country act in the US, as well as collaborating with singer-songwriters in the Houston local music scene. While the guitar is Jorge's primary instrument, he has also studied and performed with the bass guitar, the banjo, the mandolin and ukulele. Jorge's teaching style is as diverse as his musical taste and he takes pride in his ability to customize his teaching programs to the needs and goals to each individual student. He believes anyone can learn to play and it's an instructors duty to find the precise, most effective way for each student to succeed. Despite having been playing for almost three decades, Jorge is as passionate about music as ever. He continues to study music to stay current in the latest teaching methodologies and for his
own enjoyment and development.
David Wesley has been playing guitar and performing in bands for over three decades, and has been teaching guitar for the past
fifteen years in the Spring community. His playing is versatile and ranges from shred to blues and any style in between. In addition
to guitar, David also teaches bass and ukulele. Currently recording his fourth album with his band Life and Times, David is passionate
about music in all its forms and this helps to motivate and inspire his students. Above all his philosophy is that learning guitar should
be a joyful experience and having fun is a priority in his teaching style.
David Wesley
Eva is a natural musician if we ever saw one. She plays multiple instruments with a level of musicianship that takes others many more years to achieve. Under Jorge Maldonado's tutelage, she has developed into a guitar teacher with an individual style reaching leaning towards the low-fi neo soul sounds that seem to permeate the current music scene. Eva is an incredible drummer, actively performing with local bands. She's brilliantly taken the instruction of local drum set virtuoso Denny Hair from Thunder and is carrying on his legacy of teaching excellence to the current generation of musicians. Eva loves bands like Durand Jones & The Indications, Rush, COIN, Tame Impala, Mayday Parade and The Cure. Not only is Eva a fantastic musician but she also has a knack for comedy,
she brings that same level of fun, creativity and playfulness to her classroom.
Eva Rodriguez
Debbie Maddox has been playing piano and singing since she was a young girl. Advancing through the Piano Guild with Superior ratings on all of her cards, she achieved her teaching certificate by age 16. Mrs. Maddox studied music in College and loves sharing all she knows. After her children excelled in the Suzuki method of piano training, Mrs. Maddox decided to incorporate Suzuki in her piano teaching style.
She loves teaching, whether it is theater, voice, history, english, or piano. Mrs Maddox is also the Fine Arts Director for her church and uses her knowledge of music to tell stories through human videos. She remains active in several theater groups.
Debbie Maddox
Lon Kostelac is the in-house luthier, guitar tech, and general go-to ‘fix-it’ guy at Firehouse Music. He has worked on guitars for 20 years and owns his own guitar building business, Stone and Feather Lutherie. Lon is also a classically trained musician having studied operatic vocal performance and recording technologies at the University of Texas in Austin. Lon has also toured with various acts over the years playing lead/rhythm guitar, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, bass guitar, drums, slide guitar and didgeridoo. When he’s not building or fixing instruments, you’ll most likely find him writing poetry, studying nutrition and exercise, practicing martial arts, walking with his beautiful wife or playing with his Great Dane, Loki.
Lon Kostelac
Ryan James was born with a passion for music. Playing the trumpet was the beginning of several events that led him to the piano. Ryan quickly excelled in his Class Piano course at Tomball college, completing his first class piano book in about six weeks (meant to last two semesters). Dr. Vivian Li, DMA recognized his developing skills for rhythm and transposition, and at the end of the 2nd semester, she introduced him to the private piano instructor, Linda Herring. He performed the last pieced in the second adult piano book (intended for Class Piano III & IV), and Mrs. Herring recommended private lessons with her. In Fall of 2006, Ryan completed his first Beethoven Sonata. He continued to study the masters, like Shubert, Chopin, Debussy & Shostakovich. Over the summer of 2007, he was privileged to study with Dr. Choong Ha Nam, DMA, who helped him on a Debussy prelude and taught him how to "free up" his wrists to sound more musical. He also studied jazz under Mr. Hultén, and later, Mr. Malcolm Harris. In January of 2008 Ryan joined the teaching team at Firehouse Music and has proven himself to be a tremendous asset to the studios. He looks forward to sharing his knowledge with anyone who is willing to apply him/herself to the study of the piano.