Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good
Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!
Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good
Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!
Welcome to Creative Arts and Music for Orange County!
Special thanks to LYNN FREER, our generous program donor.
We are so glad you’re here. We offer free music classes, private instrument lessons, summer camps for music, and art, and more. Take a minute to explore our page. When enrolling, keep in mind the location you choose.
Locations
ARS: Anaheim Red Shield
1515 W. North St.
Anaheim, CA 92801
TR: Tustin Ranch
10200 Pioneer Rd.
Tustin, CA 92782
Our Mission
Making quality music lessons accessible to every student in Orange County.
Our Vision
Improving students’ lives by awakening their ability and giving them the knowledge to make music.
We offer FREE group music classes on Wednesdays, as well as private one-on-one instrument lessons at different locations around Orange County. We also offer summer camps for music and art in a variety of mediums. Read on to find out how we can help bring the arts to you and your family.
The creative arts and music program also strives to provide music and art classes for our after-school program at the Henley Youth Center in Tustin and for survivors residing at our anti-trafficking facilities around the county.
Individual Music Lessons
Private, one-on-one lessons are offered at our 2 locations in Anaheim and Tustin Ranch. Lessons are 30 minutes long (45 minutes for violin) and include piano, voice, all guitars, drums, bass, violin, ukulele, and mandolin.
Scholarships are available for students who need them. Send us a message to inquire.
Cost
$105 per month (around $25 per lesson) covers both 4- and 5-week months and accounts for holidays and weeks the office is closed. Payments are due at the first lesson of each month. We accept personal checks and cash.
Locations
ARS: Anaheim Red Shield
1515 W. North St.
Anaheim, CA 92807
TR: Tustin Ranch
10200 Pioneer Rd.
Tustin, CA 92782
FREE Group Classes
Our spring session group classes are currently closed until the summer session, which is scheduled from June 26-August 7. Registration for the summer session open May 13. Classes will be listed below with a link to register. We hope to see your student there!
The Freer Forte Music School offers FREE group music classes on Wednesdays at 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00 at Anaheim Red Shield, 1515 W. North St, Anaheim, CA 92807.
Group Instrument Classes include Keyboard, Guitar, Singing, Drums, & Ukulele
Classes include up to 8-10 students per teacher (singing group can include up to 25) and utilize peer encouragement to learn and play simultaneously. Students learn theory in a fun and engaging way, while technique and performance play a large role. Group classes allow students to feel less pressure because the teacher isn’t scrutinizing their every move but are free to focus on the joy and fun of playing music.
Students ages 8 to 14 can choose up to 1 class: Drums, Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboard, Voice, or Ukulele.
Each class is 45 minutes long. We provide instruments, music, and materials needed.
We exist to make quality music classes accessible to students in our community with a desire to learn.
Meet Our Teachers
Alisa Hopper – Director
Alisa Hopper joined the Salvation Army OC staff in January 2023 as the Director of Creative Arts and Music. She has been teaching, preaching, and leading worship in churches, schools, and organizations for over 30 years and hopes to always be teaching in some capacity. Her first instruments are piano and voice. Alisa deeply believes in music as the universal language and that it brings people closer to God, closer to each other, and makes us better humans overall. Her desire with the creative arts and music program is to see lives changed and improved because of making music in the name of Jesus Christ.
Alex Buster – Drums
Alex discovered his passion for drumming at the young age of 12 after seeing his first rock show. Born and raised in Orange County, Alex attended Mater Dei High School where he played snare on their championship-winning drum line and began playing drums in his first rock band. That was when he knew he wanted to dedicate himself to pursuing a career in music. Throughout his college years, Alex continued to develop his musical talents performing countless shows as well as recording and releasing multiple records with his band Bristol to Memory. After graduating from CSUF in 2011, Alex toured nationally and internationally, playing festivals, and his band’s music was featured on national television and radio programs, MTV, VH1, KLOS, and most recently, released musical collaborations with the Anaheim Angels and Ducks. Alex’s love and passion for music have led him to pursue teaching, sharing his knowledge and expertise with the next generation of drummers. His individualized approach to teaching focuses on each student's unique needs, engaging each student’s creativity, and teaching the music YOU want to learn in a way that’s fun and exciting.
Ronnie Ciago
Studied at Berklee College Of Music. Teaches drums, piano, guitar, percussion in class, clinic & private settings. Has taught thousands of students worldwide. Plays drum set, percussion, lead and background vocals. Ronnie is also a producer & songwriter. He has performed drum set/percussion live and or recorded with Bill Ward (Black Sabbath), Tito Puente, Robert Downey Jr. (Actor/Singer/Songwriter), Randy Stonehill (Christian Rock Legend), Rickie Lee Jones, Patrick Moraz (Yes, The Moody Blues), Brand X, Tony Kaye (Circa/Yes/Badfinger), Billy Sherwood (Circa/Yes/Producer), Michael Sambello, Hiram Bullock, Tony Newton TNT Xtreme (Funk Brothers/Tony Williams “Lifetime”), Mick Taylor (The Rolling Stones), Graham Bonnet, Jeff Berlin, Earl Slick (David Bowie), Circa, Leo Nocentelli & The Meters Experience, Riverdogs, Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie & Tin Machine), David Hentschel (Producer - Genesis, Elton John), Jack Douglas (Producer - John Lennon/Aerosmith, etc.), Brian Auger, Frank Stallone, Larry Blackmon, Ritchie Blackmore & Rainbow, Oskar Cartaya, Brandon Fields, Linda Perry (Producer - Pink, Christina Aguilera), Philippe Saisse, Marco Mendoza, Jaco Pastorius, John Pena (Bass), Kathleen Wilhoite, Mike Gibbs, Joe Vannelli (Gino Vannelli), Peaches & Herb, The Temprees, Al Jardine (The Beach Boys), The Persuaders, The Honeycone, Friends Of Distinction, Percy Sledge, Billy Paul, Blue Magic, Barbara Lynn, Sunny Ozuna, Sly, Slick & Wicked, Big Jay McNeely, Gene Chandler, The Floaters, Eddie Holman, The Moments, Paul Williams (Singer from Allan Holdsworth), Rob Lamothe, Mike Miller (Gino Vannelli, Airto), Lillix, Paul Rogers (Bad Company), Stix Hooper, David Kalish (Rickie Lee Jones), Tony Franklin (The Firm), Neil Larsen, Ndugu (Leon) Chancler, Malcom Cecil (Steve Wonder), Shani Sinnamon (Todd Rundgren), Ray Manzarek (The Doors), and many others. Ronnie Ciago has played on over 600 CD’s.
Rosiana Falzon – Voice, Ukulele
Born and raised in Huntington Beach, Rosiana (Rosy) has always had a love for all things music. Rosy graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, California, having majored in music with a focus in voice and music history, and minored in sociology. Her senior thesis, “Physical Gesture and Musical Rhetoric in Barbara Strozzi’s, ‘È Pazzo il mio Core’ (1664),” explored the ways in which physical gestures and musical figures interact with one another in Baroque Vocal music. Rosy also attended the Orange County School of the Arts for high school, where she studied classical voice for six years.
In college, Rosy sang with the Pomona College Choir and the Pomona College Glee Club, tutored music theory, was a music librarian, and was an Assistant Choral Manager to the choir. In addition to classical and choral singing, Rosy has always had a passion for popular and electronic music, and was awarded the McCord Grant by Pomona College to take an online course through the Berklee College of Music on Ableton Live, a digital software program for creating music. Since graduating, Rosy has been doing outreach for The Music Center’s “Spotlight” Program, a performing arts competition for high school students in Southern California. She also teaches piano and voice lessons at JL Music School, and works for IUSD as a library media technician.
In teaching the next generation of musicians, Rosy is passionate about imparting practical performance skills and fostering a deep understanding and appreciation of how music works through discussing principles of music theory, composition, and history. She strongly believes that this holistic approach to music education is the future of music making, and hopes to impact students with skills that they can apply to all areas of their futures.
James Grover – Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Ukulele
James Grover has been playing guitar since the age of seven. He has toured professionally with some of the greatest musicians in the genres of rock, jazz, and blues and has credits on five professional albums. James has also taught guitar and bass for over twenty-five years, and he is a great luthier and guitar technician. He believes in keeping lessons fun and exciting, and motivating his students through the music they want to play.
Ryan McLaughlin – Violin
Mr. Ryan McLaughlin works with violin students of all ages and helps each individual to play exceptional music as well as learn to laugh and enjoy the process of becoming a virtuosic violinist.
Miwha Choi – Piano
St. Luke Lutheran’s new church music director, organist, and pianist, MiWha Choi, was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. She started playing the piano at five years old. She holds a bachelor’s degree (2001) and a master’s degree (2004) in church music from the Chong Sin University. After graduation, MiWha began organ lessons and graduated with a master’s degree in Organ (2013) from the University of Houston. MiWha began her teaching career in 1996 with a diverse group of children and adults. As a graduate student in Korea, she taught group lessons for adults at the Gal Wol Welfare Center.
As a performer, MiWha has played in different churches around the world, especially in Japan and the United States. From 2002 to 2005 she was the pianist for the Lampas Ensemble with whom she recorded an album and became music director. She gained a full scholarship at the University of Iowa as well as a fellowship and the scholarship at the University of Texas for organ majors for a Doctorate of
Summer Camps
Interactive Summer Day Camps in music and art will include keyboard, guitar, voice, and drums, as well as an art class in art journals and mixed media. Camps are scheduled for June 24–28, Monday-Friday from 9:30am–12:00pm and will be packed with valuable lessons taught by our incredible music instructors and artists. On the last day of each camp, from 11:30am–12:00pm, parents will be invited to a concert or art exhibit to see what their students have been creating and practicing.
Registration opens May 1. Register here:
Registration opportunities
Free Class:
Private Drums:
Private Acoustic Guitar:
Private Piano:
Private Violin:
Private Voice:
Private Ukelele:
Private Bass:
Private Electric Guitar:
Private Mandolin:
Questions?
Interested in enriching music education for your child? Please feel free to submit the form with any questions you have, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.