About Us

Rivendell Music Academy

is the place for fun and engaging music lessons in the greater Santa Cruz area. With years of experience, we have developed a unique teaching style that caters to each student in order to get the most out of every lesson. We currently offer all classes online, and they are just as enjoyable and focused as ever.

We specialize in Piano, Guitar, Vocals, and Recording Arts in addition to developing a comprehensive musical foundation that will have your child engaging with music everyday, at home, school, at the store. Your child will love to play music for the rest of your life with the right teacher. More than anyone else, we know how to have fun! Simply put, we create musical minds.

And the best part?

We LOVE to teach.

Dylan Sheehan

From the moment I picked up a guitar I fell in love and I still am in love with learning! I am a multi-instrumentalist who specializes in guitar, piano, vocals, drums and digital music production. After playing in bands for a decade, touring the world, making records, and graduating from University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in Music – Ethnomusicology, I started teaching children from ages 3+.

I fell in love with teaching and never looked back. I now have over 10 years of teaching experience, and nearly 20 years of performance experience. I have experience working with all ages, all experience levels, people with social, emotional, and learning differences, and we ALWAYS have fun!

My mission is to make learning fun so music becomes a lifelong hobby and not a chore!

“It is all about having fun and learning along the way”

Ryan Pate

Ryan Pate is a music educator, guitarist and composer. In 2008 he graduated from Manhattan School of Music with a Masters degree in Jazz Guitar. As a performer, he has collaborated with and led his own groups in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, City, and Europe. His Most recent tour in 2019 saw him performing his original compositions in NYC, Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin, and Lausanne. His beginnings in music were with a hand me down guitar, learning Jimi Hendrix and Beatles songs by ear. These early musical explorations soon led him to Blues and Jazz music, where he discovered a lifelong passion for music. 

As an educator, Ryan’ s teaching practice has been informed by the diverse musical styles Ryan has been exposed to. He values finding and teaching musical styles that resonate with his students, while emphasizing the fundamentals of technique and theory. A music educator since 2004, his experience includes private and group guitar instruction for all ages and levels, beginning piano lessons, music theory and musicianship classes, and digital music classes. He currently maintains a studio of private guitar and piano students and is Adjunct Faculty at Las Positas College. In his spare time Ryan is a big fan of literature, deep listening, and long bike rides.

Bodie Shargel

Bodie has been teaching with Rivendell for over a year now. He’s a music major at UC Santa Cruz with a focus on contemporary practices. Bodie primarily teaches lessons in guitar, piano and music production.

326 Toll House Gulch Road Felton, CA 95018

6116 Highway 9, Suite 4B, Felton, CA 95018