ST. PAUL GUITAR LESSONS

RICK STACK- Owner of ST. PAUL SCHOOL OF MUSIC.

ROCK, BLUES AND FUSION INSTRUCTOR

Available: 4:00-8:00 PM Mondays and Tuesdays

Rick Stack is a guitarist, educator, author, and the owner and founder of St. Paul School of Music. With over four decades of teaching experience and more than 90,000 lessons taught, Rick has helped students of all ages and levels build strong musical foundations while staying connected to what excites them about the guitar.

Rick teaches using a 12-level lesson system, beginning with the absolute beginner and progressing through advanced techniques and concepts. While the structure provides clarity and direction, lessons are always customized to each student’s interests and goals. He especially enjoys teaching rock, blues, classic rock, and fusion improvisation, helping students develop confidence, creativity, and a personal voice on the instrument.

Rick began playing guitar at age 11 and was performing and teaching professionally by 16. A graduate of Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, he has spent nearly 40 years immersed in music—on stage, in the studio, and in the lesson room. He has performed hundreds of gigs across the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Cuba, for audiences ranging from small clubs to crowds of over 10,000 people.

As a recording artist, Rick’s original music blends rock, funk, and jazz, infused with global influences from Indian, Middle Eastern, and Latin traditions. In 2010, he released Reconstruction, a full-length album that showcases his genre-crossing guitar work and compositional style. Rick is currently writing music for his second solo album, with plans to record in 2026.

Rick is also the author of four books: Secrets of the Electric Guitarist, Teach Guitar, Follow Your Excitement, and the surreal novella The Half-Sized Santa Maria. His writing spans music education, creativity, and imaginative fiction, and is available in both e-book and paperback formats on Amazon and Google Books. He is currently writing a new book that will be his first novel.

DREW HURST- ROCK, METAL, CLASSICAL AND JAZZ/FUSION INSTRUCTOR

Available: 5:30 - 8:00 Monday and Tuesday

Drew is a guitarist, educator, and composer based out of the Twin Cities who holds both a B.M. and M.M. in Guitar Performance from McNally Smith College of Music.  His studies focused largely on contemporary performing and teaching styles/techniques with additional studies in classical and jazz guitar.  With 20+ years of proven success with students across all ages and skill levels, he has developed a teaching style rooted in practical application and adaptation to students’ individual needs and goals.  In addition to guitar, Drew teaches and performs on mandolin, bass guitar, and ukulele.  Students can expect to go well beyond repertoire and playing techniques and into the realms theory, composition, improvisation, proper use of guitar/recording equipment, and live performance techniques.  Drew is most at home with rock, metal, country/folk, and pop music but has teaching and performing experience across most genres.

Drew has worked extensively as a guitarist-for-hire on stage and in the studio across most genres of music.  Previous guitar-for-hire work includes JenniferOrdalen (original country artist), The Mike Fugazzi Band (blues/rock cover band), Big Toe and the Jam (pop cover band), Mudshark/Rock Sirenz (rock/pop tribute band), Nick Riley (original blues/rock artist), and many more. Original projects have included Arrhythmogen (instrumental rock/fusion) and Peace to Death (progressive death metal). More recently, Drew has composed and performed in DiAmorte alongside members of Symphony X and Ne Obliviscaris.  He is currently the band leader and guitarist in the theater production “Power Balladz”.

Dustin Korth - Rock, Metal, Blues, Jazz, and Classical Guitar Instructor

Available: 3:00-8:00 Tuesday and Wednesday

Dustin Korth is a guitar instructor, performer, and composer based in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. He’s a multifaceted teacher, demonstrating a wide variety of genres such as rock, blues, jazz, and classical. Dustin has been teaching since he moved to the cities in 2009. Since then, he has developed a reputation as an enthusiastic, patient, experienced instructor who’s students progress very quickly. He teaches all ages from beginner to advanced. 

Dustin graduated McNally Smith in 2013 with a B.M. in Guitar Performance. When he’s not teaching, he is performing with his progressive metal band By the Thousands. He and his band have been together since 2012 recently signing to Modern Empire Records. The band has toured the United States several times over opening for acts such as After the Burial, Periphery, In Flames, and many others. He is currently composing an instrumental solo record.

J.J. Sivak -Rock, Metal, Blues, Pop, Funk, Folk, Jazz and Classical Guitar Instructor

Available: 3:00-8:00 PM Thursdays

J.J. earned a Bachelor's of Music Degree in Jazz Studies and Philosophy from Loyola University New Orleans where he studied Jazz and Classical guitar under the tutelage of Don Vappie and Kerry Alt. Professionally, he spent years on the open water working in the cruise industry for Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruises touring internationally as a showband orchestra musician and Music Director/Manager. He has performed as the lead guitarist in various cover bands such as the Rolling Stone Rock Lounge, the BB King's All Stars and Post Modern Jukebox on Deck. 

In the Twin Cities, J.J. has also worked as a live sound technician, wedding/club DJ and Music Educator at various schools, most recently this past year as the Music Director for the School of Rock in Plymouth, MN. He is comfortable teaching electric and acoustic guitar, bass, or ukulele in any style/genre for any skill level. He is currently performing and collaborating with various local bands, artists, and projects, most notably with the rising viral singer, Tori Holub. He now also works as Director of Music Instruction and Sales for Prince Music Company.

J.J. is also an active member of the electronic music community, having studied audio production at Slam Academy and now working at the Skyway Theatre. He is passionate about composing, arranging, recording, sound design, producing, mixing, and mastering music. 

At his core, J.J. believes in the healing power of music and making a positive impact on the community through mentoring and encouraging students to find a safe place to express their creativity, follow their dreams, accomplish their own goals, and learn and grow as musicians.

J.J. is committed to sharing his enthusiasm for music of all kinds to learners of all ages and is so excited to be starting this new musical journey at the St. Paul School of Music!

Shawn Foster- Huot- Rock, Metal, and Jazz/Fusion instructor

Available: 4:00-8:00 Thursdays

Shawn began playing guitar at age 11 and teaching students at age 16. He enjoys teaching students of all ages and levels and looks forward to watching each student grow creatively while developing their technique and theory knowledge. He views learning music as a valuable life skill and continues to be a student himself as he believes one never stops learning.

He graduated from McNally Smith (then Music Tech) in 1995 with an Audio Engineering diploma and began working in various recording studios and post production facilities in Minneapolis and for a short time in Los Angeles. In his spare time, he performs in several heavy metal tribute bands, and in his original rock group, The Last to Know. He also continues to work on film scores locally with his first full length film score released in 2023.

While Shawn’s main style is rock, progressive rock and metal, he has an affection for classical, jazz and fusion.