MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Angela Moniz
Voice, Guitar, Piano & Songwriting
Angela Moniz is the Director at House of Jam, and has been teaching music on Cape Cod for over ten years. She first learned from her father, local music legend Reggie O'Keefe. She then studied at the Cape Cod Conservatory and the Musicians Development Institute. She continued her studies of music theory at Eastern Nazarene College and is currently enrolled at Liberty University pursuing a degree in Education. She was previously a vocal instructor at Mode-4 Music Lessons in Hyannis. Angela has been performing locally and regionally since 1999. She has experience singing and playing in multiple genres including the Broadway musical 'Tommy', and has opened for nation-wide acts such as R&B group 112 and hip-hop legends KRS One and the Pharcyde. She has gained the attention of the world music label Putumayo and has performed with many local bands including Mighty Ceej, Roots Down Below, Shango Axe and 57 Heavy. Angela is a classically trained vocalist who can also teach students how to perform today’s music. Her teaching style includes a well-balanced mix of classical and pop vocal techniques, anatomy of voice, music theory and music analysis. Her students have opened for national acts such as Brandon Heath, and have gone on to become instructors themselves. In addition to teaching and continuing education studies at Liberty University, Angela is a worship leader at Living Hope Family church. She is happily married to her husband Chris and has three children.
Adam Gomes
Guitar, Bass, Ukulele & Music Production
Adam is a guitarist and bassist, as well as a songwriter and educator. He is currently completing his studies at University of Massachusetts, with a double Bachelors in Music Education and Jazz Guitar. He has taught private lessons out of Umass, and is currently the bassist and back up vocalist of the band Immuter. He has experience performing in Boston and other popular areas around Massachusetts, and also collaborates with different artists, working on singles, mixing, recording, vocals, etc. Though Adam loves to play music, his passion lies in the teaching of it. His primary focus is jazz improvisation, which won him the ‘Outstanding Soloist’ award in 2013 at 17 years old. He also has a great amount of experience in playing classical, as a fourth generation Andre Segovia student. His goals for students involve building a strong bond and appreciation for the art of music, while giving them free artist’s reign over their music of choice to compose, play, and share with the world.
Bret Saylor
Piano & Composition
Bret is an accomplished composer, arranger, teacher, and pianist. He attended the Julius Hartt School of Music from age 10, starting with classical piano lessons and music theory classes. He went on to earn a B.A. in Music Composition and Theory and a P.B. Music Teacher's Certification from Westfield State College (now WSU). Bret has been performing solo piano and as keyboardist in rock bands here on Cape Cod since 1990 and is well versed in all musical styles. He has been passionately guiding piano students of all ages and varying interests in developing their skills, always bringing excitement, fun and discovery. Among Bret's many credits is his arrangement of "A Medley Of Gershwin Tunes", scored for full orchestra with jazz quartet, featured at Pops In The Park 1996, Orleans, MA. He composed the music for and co-directed with Joan Spilman the musical drama "Why?" at Brewster Baptist Church, Brewster, MA 2005. He has given concerts of original works for piano, string quartet, sarode, and backing tracks and has done extensive composing and production work with Dani Dalinian, Nandlal Nayak, and Eric Raynaud (Fraction) and has developed a larch archive of totalistic, world, and computer based music, utilizing his own tonal systems and other unique devises.
Samantha Higgins
Voice, Piano & Percussion
Sam Higgins has been a dedicated musician and talented performer since she was very young. For 16 of her 23 years, she’s studied drums, percussion, voice, and piano under private and big-band instructors, including multiple Berklee trained professional musicians. Her most trained genres include classical, theatrical, and jazz, and she’s studied rock, popular styles, and indie extensively. Her performance experience ranges from playing leading roles in musicals to performing with orchestral bands to singing and drumming in casual gigs. She has experience teaching fellow musicians of all ages from 7-70 in each genre, working hard to encourage a love of music and passion for learning and enrichment in each student.
Dan Sturgis
Guitar, Ukulele, Production, Theory
Dan Sturgis is a Cape Cod-born guitarist, songwriter, and educator with a lifelong devotion to music. Raised amid the salt air and seaside rhythms of Massachusetts’ iconic peninsula, he honed his craft before heading to Boston, where he graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Business and Management. Since 2006, he has taught guitar and Ukulele to a plethora of students of all ages and levels, blending Berklee-trained technique with real-world experience from years of live performance and studio work. Whether coaching beginners on their first chords or guiding advanced players through improvisation and theory, his patient, personalized approach has made him a trusted mentor across Cape Cod and beyond. When he’s not teaching, you’ll find him writing original music, gigging at local venues, or collaborating with fellow artists—always rooted in the coastal inspiration that started it all.