Guitar Instruction
Jonathan Thorne
Jonathan is a guitarist originally from Charleston, West Virginia. He earned his BA in Music Education at Marshall University in 2014 and his MA in Guitar Performance from Marshall University in 2017. In his time studying in the studio of Dr. Julio Ribeiro Alves at Marshall, Jonathan earned the opportunities to participate in many masterclasses and perform publicly in the local area, as well as abroad in Brazil and Costa Rica. In his senior year, Jonathan was chosen to study abroad for a semester at the Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC) in Florianopolis, Brazil. During this time, he studied guitar with Profs. Luiz Mantovani and Bruno Madeira as well as other aspects of music with several other professors at the school. During graduate studies, Jonathan was selected as a finalist for the Belle and Lynum Jackson Music Competition at Marshall University.
Jonathan is currently a music educator, choir director, and guitar teacher at Andrew Jackson Middle School in Cross Lanes, WV. He also maintains a private teaching studio that covers a wide variety of genres
Mark Hopkins
Mark began playing guitar in the 7th grade in a lunchtime guitar club. This led to studying classical and folk style fingerpicking privately at DeVincents Music Store in Morgantown. In high school, he began playing in the jazz band and studied blues and jazz guitar with Charlie Berwinkle, a renowned Chet Atkins fingerstyle picker from the Parkersburg area. He enjoyed many performing opportunities during his high school and college years.
He became a high school music teacher after earning his Music Education degree at WVU and developed guitar classes at both Martinsburg and Buffalo High Schools. Mark estimates he has taught beginning and intermediate guitar to around 1,200 students during his 41 years of teaching. Many of his students became outstanding performers and many others developed a lifelong hobby that helped them cope with the stress of daily life.
Mark has also been a recording engineer and producer for seven high school albums, a gospel Christmas Album, and produced “The Esquires” live New Years Millennium Party at the Charleston Civic Center while enjoying fifteen years as the Charleston bands sound man. He enjoys helping students and adults learn how to use mixing boards and digital recording techniques and is looking forward to providing that service through Atkins Music Studios.
His recognitions include Putnam County Teacher of the Year, WV Representative on the ACDA National Committee for Vocal Jazz and Show Choirs, one of 50 teachers selected to experience Japanese Schools with the Toyota International Teacher Program, Featured Music Technology Educator in the School Band and Orchestra (SBO) magazine.