Justin is a freelance trombone player and teacher in the Philadelphia area. In addition to a busy performing schedule, Justin is a trombone teaching artist and also a faculty member at Temple University’s Community Music Scholars Program. Previously, Justin was second trombone of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra in Lafayette, Louisiana. He has also performed with other orchestras such as the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Great Hall Chamber Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Sinfonietta, and Brevard Music Center Orchestra.  Outside of the orchestral realm, Justin enjoys performing in a variety of situations. Justin has been a part of numerous jazz ensembles and big bands on both tenor and bass trombone and has performed at many notable venues including the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Blues Alley in Washington, D.C.  Additionally, Justin has performed with many theater orchestras at the professional, collegiate, and community levels around Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and more.

I started playing piano as a young child in a small beach town in Southwestern Michigan.  I was always involved in church choir, bell choir and school choirs.  From the time I was 15, I knew that I wanted to use music to help people.  I began pursuing a degree in Music Therapy at Western Michigan University, where I studied piano with Lori Sims.  Upon graduating with a degree in music therapy, I began working as a music therapist on an inpatient psychiatric unit where I worked for 9 years with adults. Simultaneously, I taught piano lessons, Kindermusik classes, and provided music therapy to children at a local music school in Michigan.  I also have experience in providing group music education and movement classes to homeschool students.  I pursued a Masters of Public Administration in Healthcare degree and moved to the Philadelphia area to pursue a new career in that field.  Still with a passion for music, I plan on teaching piano lessons and music education for many years in the future.

In-demand NY session musician, teacher, and musical director Pete O has studied with many of the world’s top bass players. In addition to his independent studies at Berklee Music school, Pete has had the pleasure of studying with industry legends such as Victor Wooten, Chuck Rainey, Anthony Wellington, Adam Nitti, and Matt Garrison. Pete’s highlights include opening the Gathering of the Vibes festival in upstate New York, featuring James Brown, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Gov’t Mule, and the Allman Brothers. After his recent appearance on Fox Television's "Huckabee," Gov. Mike Huckabee, a bass player himself, remarked "You did such a great job. You should give me some lessons on the bass!"

I am a passionate teacher that finds ways to motivate students while sharing my love for music. I have been teacher as long as I have been playing, and I am still finding new ways to talk about and teach music. I graduated from Temple University with my masters degree in clarinet performance in 2011 and have been continuing to pursue my love of performing and teaching since. Luckily I have had the opportunity of performing at many different concert halls in the Northeast, such as Carnegie Hall in New York City and Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, and also in various halls in Italy and China.

Although most of my playing experience has been with rock bands, big bands and weddings, I have a B.A. in classical performance/music education from William Paterson University. Most of my private study has been with Dave Larson of the New Jersey Symphony and Dave Rogers, a William Paterson jazz adjunct. My classroom career began at the Passaic County Elks' Cerebral Palsy Center in Clifton, NJ, and in 2001 I moved to my present position as Elementary Music Teacher in Middlesex, NJ.  I love to play blues on my trumpet, but my latest passion is learning finger-picking on guitar.