Music & Technology

“I believe that singers who are confidant, well-rounded musicians are best able to function, communicate and flourish. I also believe that songwriting is a craft to be learned, and inspiration is most likely to spark when songwriters are encouraged to be themselves.”

Melody is a Montreal native that earned a Bachelor of Music with distinction in Jazz Vocal Performance from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Her learning has continued on the West Coast with an invaluable, fifteen-year-long education on the bandstand, in the recording studio, and in the practice room where she was influenced by mentors such as Sheila Jordan, New York, NY; Ranee Lee, Montreal, Quebec; Ernie Nelson, Montreal, Quebec; Spencer Welch, Vancouver, BC; Ilaria “Pilar” Patassini, Alghero, Italy.

I am a vocalist, songwriter, educator, recording artist, and JUNO nominee. In 2009 I was nominated for ‘Female Vocalist of the Year’ at Canada’s National Jazz Awards. I have released three critically-acclaimed albums, and appeared on award winning recordings of other artists. I am a favourite on CBC Radio and have made television appearances on BRAVO, COOL TV, Joy TV and The BET Network.

Melody Diachun was nominated for a JUNO and in 2009 for Canada’s National Jazz Awards as “Female Vocalist of the Year.”

She enjoyed a successful singing career in Vancouver for twelve years before joining the Music Program in the fall of 2012.

Her 2018 release Get Back to the Groove showcases her as a soulful, sassy, and playful artist who is at home in the jazz world as well as with blues and R&B.

“My love of music has provided me with a deeply satisfying career, one which continues to inspire and challenge me. I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm with fellow music lovers, and believe this enthusiasm, combined with my education, open mind, and professional experience, make me a valuable asset to the Music Program at Selkirk College School of the Arts.”

Instructor of Voice, Songwriting, Business of Music, Labs, Ensembles, Lead of the Songwriting major

Louis Bockner photo

“Through my teaching I find great joy as I witness my students’ discovery of their most authentic voice.”

Born in London, England and raised in Vancouver, BC, Laura received her formal education at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. She’s since taken part in numerous vocal workshops to further develop her skills as a performer and teacher. Laura has studied with Bobby McFerrin, Rhiannon, David Worm, Axel Thiemer (Voice Care Network), Dee Daniels, Kiran Ahluwalia, Joey Blake and many other inspiring teachers. She has been teaching music since 1985 and joined the Selkirk College Music Program in the fall of 2004.

Laura has been the featured soloist with the Universal Gospel Choir, the Spokane Jazz Orchestra and the Vancouver Ensemble for Jazz Improvisation (VEJI) with special guest, Cuban piano master Chucho Valdez. She has been blessed to play with many talented jazz musicians including, Hugh Fraser, Donnie Clark, Chris Brubeck, and her very talented father, Ian McDougall.

Laura has performing her unique blend of jazz, blues and gospel music throughout North America for over 20 years and in addition to having a rich performance life, she is also an experienced session singer. Laura lives in Nelson with her husband Paul and their six daughters.

Although Laura been described as “a remarkably fresh and unpretentious singer,” by the Spokesman Review, she feels perhaps Paul Grant of CBC Radio’s Hot Air put it best when he stated, “with so many singers trying to sound like someone else, it’s a treat to hear Laura Landsberg’s fresh and original voice. She’s a natural.”

Instructor: Voice, Ensembles

“My varied musical background includes experience as a performer, conductor, educator, and composer.”

Don studied violin and saxophone at the University of Victoria. He has performed on saxophone alongside artists such as Dee Daniels and Mike Stern, and on violin for a wide range of performing ensembles as well as soundtracks and studio recordings.

Don’s been fortunate to study with some of the finest contemporary style violinists in the world including Mark O’Conner, Billy Contreras and Christian Howes. His vocal background includes being a founding member of “Musica Intima” and “Chor Leoni,” two of Canada’s premier vocal ensembles, freelance work with the Vancouver Chamber Choir, and solo work with a variety of ensembles including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Don’s conducting experience includes Assistant Conductor of the Vancouver Bach Choir, Musical Director of the Simon Fraser University Choir and studio conductor for film and TV sessions.

Don has scored music for films featured at all the major film festivals and his score for Cannes’ Film Festival winner “Shoes Off” was recognized as “one of the most compelling original scores attached to any Canadian film, ever……” (Vancouver Province). Don’s evocative scores continue to gain special awards in the industry including five Leo nominations and two Genie nominations. Don scored the cult classic zombie movie “Fido,” starring Carrie Anne Moss (The Matrix) distributed by Lions Gate. The score was recorded in Prague with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a composer of choral music and currently has five titles published by Cypress Publishing.

Instructor: Violin, Composition, Film scoring, Improvisation, Ear Training, Computer Application

“When people ask me what my job is I say, “Job? What job?” I get to hang out with 100 other musicians all eager to learn, play, share and talk about music all day!”

Mahe received his Bachelors’ of Music and Education from UBC in Vancouver and has studied classical guitar, composition, and Chinese music. He’s travelled extensively across Western Canada performing in rock clubs and has opened for acts such as Trooper, Prism, Haywire, Kickaxe and Great White.

Credentials: BMus, BEd (UBC)

Instructor: Guitar, History of Rock, Harmony

“Growing up I was very lucky to meet, study and work with bona fide living legends in the field of music. My two most important mentors were Les Paul and Frankie Dunlop and they are the main reasons why I still teach. These two gentlemen, who are internationally recognized as leaders in the fields of music and recording, were so generous with their time and their passions, I feel honored to be able to continue in their footsteps.”

Steven Parish started the Music Program with Darcy Hepner, Jeff Link and Paul Landsberg in 1989. Steven’s Computer Applications to Music class was the first Computer Music (MIDI) teaching lab and curriculum in Canada. His Recording Techniques class made Selkirk the first two -year college with a state-of-the-art recording studio and curriculum in Canada.

Steven earned his BA in Audio Engineering from the Berklee College of Music. In addition to studying Drum Set at Berklee, he also studied jazz drum set privately with Frankie Dunlop (Thelonious Monk, Lionel Hampton), Latin rhythms with Frank Malabe and attended master classes presented by the great Buddy Rich.

Parish expertise comes from 52 years of study and performance in drumming with world class mentors and teachers. He has 40 years of experience in the study and operation of industry standard equipment from analog to digital.

“I get to study and play drums EVERY DAY! Doesn’t everyone want to do that?”

Instructor: Drums, Labs, Recording Techniques, Ensembles

Credentials: Studio Co-ordinator, BMus (Berklee), Percussion/MIDI

“…simply one of the most exceptional jazz pianists of his generation that Canada can boast of…” (Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal)

David is an award-winning pianist and composer. Born in Lansing, Michigan, molded by the mountains and coasts of New England, and based primarily in Toronto, Canada since 1982, he has been a sought-after and influential figure in Canada’s jazz community since the late 1980s. And since 2018, David has taught at School of the Arts in the Music Program.

Well-known for his work with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, the Mike Murley Quintet, and legendary songwriter Marc Jordan, David has performed and recorded with such renowned artists as Dave Holland, Curtis Fuller, Mel Tormé, Kenny Wheeler, Jon Hendricks, and David Clayton-Thomas. A dedicated music educator for over 20 years, he currently serves on the music faculty at the University of Toronto. His own teachers have included Muhal Richard Abrams, Jim McNeely, and Kenny Werner.

Immersed in the arts from birth, a chance discovery of a Dizzy Gillespie recording at an early age led him to eventually focus on jazz and improvised music, though he derives inspiration from a wide range of musical and non-musical sources, including John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Joni Mitchell, Genesis, Hazrat Inayat Khan, Gustav Mahler, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Marc Chagall, and J.S. Bach.

Music Instructor: Piano, Keyboard Labs, Arranging, Recital Preparation

Credentials: MA, Composition (York University, Toronto, Ontario)

Mike Rud is a Juno award-winning jazz guitarist and songwriter. He is also a music instructor at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC.

As an instrumentalist, Mike has played alongside some of the greatest jazz musicians of the era like Peter Bernstein, Kenny Wheeler, Herb Ellis and Joey DeFrancesco. As a songwriter and arranger, Mike won the 2014 Juno Award for his album Notes on Montreal, a critically acclaimed musical portrait of the city. It was inspired by the great literature set in Montreal (Michel Tremblay, Gabrielle Roy etc.) and sung by Sienna Dahlen. Mike’s subsequent 2015 solo release, Miniatures, delighted audiences across Canada, creating the effect of a small group with only his voice and his guitar. He has a master’s degree from McGill, and studied privately in New York City with one of the fathers of modern jazz guitar, Jim Hall. in 2007 Mike spent a year studying how the brain processes music, in the laboratory of Dr. Daniel Levitin (author of New York Times bestseller This is Your Brain on Music).

Mike has taught at McGill, Western Washington and Carleton universities, and speaks frequently at other music schools. He is the proud father of two daughters, Kelly and Abby.

Mark’s professional career extends back 30 years, starting with a degree from the University of Miami.

First and foremost, he’s a bass player. His career has been divided equally between live performance, studio session and education.

As a member of “The Circle,” a Florida-based contemporary jazz group, he’s performed in a variety of large venues including doing opening concerts for Hall and Oates, Chicago, Rod Stewart and George Benson.

Other performance credits span a variety of styles including jazz dates with Frank Gambale, Dee Daniels and Jimmy Haslip, as well as pop/rock artists such as Ellen MacIlwaine, Shari Ulrich and Paul Janz. The list of studio session dates include jingle and live broadcast for CBC, plus numerous album productions in the role of player/producer. Currently, he arranges and writes for the 10 piece R&B group What It Is.

Instructor: Bass, Ensembles, Computer Music Courses, History of Jazz, Harmony

Credentials: Contemporary Music and Technology; BMus (Miami), Bass

Kate moved to the Kootenays in 2008, after growing up in the Yukon, and spending years in Vancouver and travelling abroad. She worked in various industries on three continents including fashion, hospitality, construction and research and engineering. Kate joins the School of the Arts after several years teaching math in Academic Upgrading and the School of Business. She believes strongly in the mission of Selkirk College and is passionate about the diverse learning opportunities available in the region. When Kate isn’t on campus, she enjoys team sports with her five children, gardening, hiking the local trails, and trying out new math puzzles.