Teacher Biographies

Jimmy Lawrence, M.M.
Piano, Guitar, Drum Set
Logic Pro X

Teaching music since 2001, he opened High Desert Music in 2008 to support a small community in Oregon with music products, lessons, and repair services. In 2011, he moved to Nampa, Idaho and opened Exodus Music LLC while pursuing a triple bachelor's degree in music education, theory/composition, and applied piano at Northwest Nazarene University, graduating with honors. He recently earned his master's degree in music composition from Azusa Pacific University - the culminating project was a recital of original compositions for various ensembles, including: percussion ensemble, string quartet, jazz piano trio, big band, and NNU's Jazz Revival. Mr. Pérez-Lawrence organized, scouted, rehearsed, and directed the ensembles, produced a visual presentation including musical score timed to a recorded performance, and also performed in the jazz trio and big band as the pianist. More recently, he was the Graduate Jazz Teaching Assistant at Boise State University, helping to organize and operate the Gene Harris Jazz Festival, and has now completed his second master's degree in music education. He has experience teaching concert and jazz band, classical and jazz piano, drum set, percussion, guitar (electric, acoustic, and classical), violin, banjo, composition, music theory, and has provided collegiate music lecturing. He was the band and orchestra director at South Middle School in Nampa, Idaho beginning Fall 2019, and is now teaching bands at Idaho Arts Charter, while running the Gem State Jazz Camp for middle and high school students along with jazz musicians and educators David Gluck, Jared Sene, and Alex Lardie.

He has performed in many various ensembles in different genres, and is an active performer-composer and arranger. Currently he is performing with two jazz trios weekly at Chandler's Steakhouse in Boise, as well as with the Southern Idaho Jazz Club and the Canyon County Jazz Connection. His ensemble experience includes: Piano in the APU Graduate Jazz Ensemble; Guitar and composition for progressive-metal band 3rd Party Pandemic; Trumpet in the University of Oregon Top Campus Band; piano for NNU Jazz Revival; Marimba for NNU's percussion ensemble; Co-host for Nampa jam-sessions; Various jazz ensembles in the Treasure Valley, including the Dave Gluck Band and Treasure Valley Jazz Club; Solo classical and jazz piano and percussion recitals; Percussion for Man of La Mancha; and many others. He also won the Joyce A. Chaffer Trust competitive piano scholarship for two consecutive years.

Married and parent of three, he enjoys playing video games with his kids, creating strategic exercises and resources for aspiring musicians, and of course, performing, composing, and teaching! He is also interested in the accordion, video game music, and keeping up with trends in music technology.

Dave Gluck, M.F.A.
Percussion, Drum Set, Composition

David currently teaches percussion and composition at the Idaho Arts Charter School in Nampa, Idaho. Previously, he was the Music Specialist at Lake Ridge and Ronald Reagan Elementary Schools in Nampa during the 2013-14 school year. Currently, David also serves as adjunct faculty at Northwest Nazarene University, The College of Idaho, and College of Western Idaho. From 2000-13 he was a full-time Professor of Studio Composition at the State University of New York at Purchase College.

As a founding member and percussionist of the internationally renowned Rhythm & Brass, The Dallas Brass and Madera Vox, he has been critically acclaimed by such publications as the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and Downbeat Magazine. His music has been featured on the BET Network, NPR and in Jazz Player Magazine. He has 10 recordings on the Koch, Summit, d’note, Bear Claw and Skinny-Tie labels. He is published by Hal Leonard and Universal Editions and has recently co-authored the book “Rhythms of the Game: The Link Between Musical and Athletic Performance” with former New York Yankee, Bernie Williams.The book’s foreword is written by Paul Simon.

David is sponsored by the Yamaha, Zildjian, and Innovative Percussion Corporations, and has been a featured performer and clinician throughout the States, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Italy, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada. He has had works premiered at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and the Salvador Dali Museum, with a recent commission from the United States Air-Force Band.

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Jared Sene, B.A.
Upright & Electric Bass, Brass

​Jared Sene is the director of bands and orchestras at Lone Star Middle School in Nampa, Idaho as well as a private instructor for trombone and double bass students. Sene holds a B.A. in Music Education at NNU, with a focus on trombone and double bass. While at Northwest Nazarene University, he performed in various ensembles, notably NNU’s top jazz ensemble, Jazz Revival. He now regularly performs on the double bass and trombone in ensembles including the David Gluck Band, the Moody Jews, the Jack Hale Band, the Treasure Valley Swing Band, the Jenna Rose Trio, and others. Jared and his wife Adriana live in Nampa. He enjoys golfing and researching useless information about cars.

Dominic Furiani, M.A.
Guitar, Composition

Dominic Furiani is a recent transplant to Idaho from the greater Los Angeles area of Southern California. He has been teaching music since 2010 in classroom and private settings. He began his teaching career at his alma mater, San Dimas High School, in the jazz program. While he was on faculty at SDHS he expanded the jazz program offerings from a single big band to two big bands and four levels of jazz combos. After completing his undergraduate studies in music education Dominic moved to Long Beach to pursue further study in music through the masters program at California State University Long Beach. 

As a guitarist Dominic has been playing professionally since he was 17 years old, first with his own group of high school jazz cronies and later in more professional contexts. During his undergraduate years he cut his teeth playing a lot of jazz casuals as well as solo jazz guitar gigs all throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Dominic was the primary guitarist in La Playa Larga All Stars, a salsa band formed by two of his friends and colleagues Tony Escoto and Anibal Sminario. He also held the guitar chair in the San Dimas Jazz Workshop community big band for years during this time. 

In his mid twenties Dominic was afforded the wonderful opportunity to build a new middle school music program with his colleague and dear friend Daniel Ambrosini. Furiani and Ambrosini were able to collaborate with ease and take a non-existent program at a small charter school in Pomona California to an award winning program in three years. Their program at The School of Arts and Enterprise is still going strong after spending five years together developing curriculum and vertical alignment between the middle and high school course offerings. While at The SAE, Dominic was able to focus on teaching in the musical areas that he is most passionate about; Jazz, Composition and Commercial Music. 

The most recent project that Dominic is involved with is his jazz fusion trio Slight Panache. They just released a live album in November on Spotify and all of the other streaming platforms. They plan to release another album late Spring of 2023. Dominic is happy to join the Exodus music team and be able to establish a new network of friends and colleagues while helping students with their growth as people and musicians. 

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