Creative Ej

Select the Creative Ej staff member using the arrow keys.

Click on their picture to read their biography.

Karl Gunther

Karl is an extraordinary musician and performer. And we are not the only ones that think so - The Ohio State University awarded Karl a full scholarship in Music Performance. He has been classically trained, plays most instruments, and teaches bass guitar, guitar, drums, and keyboards at Creative Ej.

For the last two years, Karl has been playing jazz, seven nights a week at Jasmine’s, a five star Supper Club in Myrtle Beach., and now tours the East Coast with a rock band called “Joystick.” He has developed a style of guitar playing that incorporates two guitars at once, and has won the “Central Ohio’s Best Guitarist” contest.

In addition to teaching private lessons, Karl is in charge of Creative Ej's student band program.

Brian Burton

Brian is an honored graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA with a degree in Professional Music emphasizing Performance, Workshop Teaching, and Music Synthesis. At Berklee, he studied with many acclaimed percussionists including Kenwood Dennard, Dave DiCenso, and Rod Morgenstein. He has also studied with noted educators Rupert Kettle, Vuk Kulenovich, and Bob Moses. Brian has been a full time drum set performer and recording artist for the past decade. Highlights include work with Cast Iron Filter, the American Repertory Theatre, the Jon Finn Group, Brooke Starr, Rick Spreitzer, Jah Kings, and Billy Jones. Currently he performs regionally with Hipshack. Brian began his teaching career at RIT Music in his hometown of Grand Rapids, MI where served as head of percussion instruction. He also was an adjunct music professor at Grace Bible College. He uses Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, and Aquarian Drum Heads.

Reggie Graves

Reggie Graves has professionally played guitar for 25 years and has a solid background in electric and acoustic guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and drum programming. Reggie is a well respected studio musician and tours nationally with some of the best gospel groups around, including Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers. He has spent several years as the lead guitarist for University Park Baptist Church, one of the largest churches in the nation. Reggie teaches private lessons in guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, theory, and songwriting at Creative Ej. In addition, he coaches praise & worship, pop, and country style student bands.

Carrie Marshall

Carrie Marshall earned both her Bachelor's degree from Liberty University and her Masters from University of Massachusetts for Music. She is a vocal/piano/songwriter instructor and performer, who has recently joined Creative Ej from Nashville. She currently has written a theme song for an Independent Film produced by Passion Entertainment, had another song that made the 2008 semi-finals in the UK beating out over 6,000 entries, and has yet another song playing on 30 radio stations nationwide. She is well versed in many musical styles, and specializes in country, pop, and praise & worship music. In addition to offering private lessons, Carrie will be teaching group Songwriting classes beginning in January.

Ray Tyson

Ray started playing professionally at age 17 in his hometown of Dallas, Texas. He was greatly influenced by Texas Blues artists such as Freddie King and the Vaughan Brothers, as well as rock guitarists Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana. During his 34 year career, Ray has divided his time between playing and writing original music and performing in cover bands.

He has shared the stage with artists such as Joe Walsh, Delbert McClinton, and Mother's Finest. He has studied with guitarist/songwriter Chet Catello of Spyro Gyra. Ray is well versed in rock, blues, R&B, funk, and roots music, and welcomes students of all levels. Watch Ray on our video page.

Charles Morrow

Charles Morrow is a 2004 graduate from the Lenoir Rhyne College School of Fine Arts. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and a Minor in Sacred Music. Although Charles uses his voice as his main instrument he also enjoys the piano and trumpet. While in college, Charles had the opportunity to study with known vocal coaches as; Michael Clawson from Virginia and Judith Burbank from the Cincinnatti Conservatory of Music. After graduation, Charles had the opportunity to study with choral directors from Florida State, St. Olaf and Luther College.

Charles enjoys a wide range of music and has helped students from all areas of music. Some of Mr. Morrow's private students have obtained full music scholarships to schools such as; Southeastern, Appalachian State, Alabama and Covenant College.

Charles has enjoyed touring musically through out the United States and Europe. He has also been with Grammy Award winner Steve Green during his 2003 Christmas tour in North Carolina.

Brian Phelps

Brian Phelps has been playing violin, piano, and guitar for nearly 20 years. He attended the prestigious Berklee School of Music for guitar and audio engineering. Brian teaches private lessons for guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards for Creative Ej.

Deryl Williams

Deryl Williams is a senior level piano instructor and producer who graduated from the prestigious Berklee School of Music. Prior to joining Creative Ej, Deryl was an instructor at the Community School of the Arts in Charlotte, and the Youth Music Director at St. Luke's MLB church. Deryl's well versed in all styles of music, and loves playing classical and jazz, along with songwriting and producing.

Charity Helms

Charity Helms, a Liberty University graduate, is a vocal, piano, and songwriting coach at Creative Ej, who performs throughout the United States on weekends. She has even performed in Europe. Charity coaches our advanced singing/dancing group, Starz, and specializes in vocal harmony and blending. Charity loves singing praise and worship music most, but is well versed at teaching pop, rock, country, as well as classical styles, too.

Leeah Cavanaugh

Born and raised in Locust North Carolina, Leeah began to show off her love for entertaining early in life. With the encouragement and support of her family, she took to the stage at age seven and began honing her talents attending drama workshops, competitions and talent shows.

Starting at her community theatre program, Leeah gained eleven years of experience in singing, dancing, acting, and overall stage performance. Although she loved each of these crafts, her true passion was singing. Her influences include a broad spectrum of performers spanning various genres of music, including Olivia Newton-John, Whitney Houston, Barbara Streisand, Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride. These artists and many more have helped Leeah shape her own unique style into one that her fans enjoy and love.

Christian and gospel music have also been a significant part of Leeah's life. She has performed Southern Gospel with "The Singing Towers" for nine years. She also served as musical director of the Loves Grove UMC Praise Band for 4 years.

Leeah's talent has not gone unnoticed in the community. She has been invited to perform the National Anthem for community events and at sporting events including the Charlotte Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, and Charlotte Sting (WNBA) as well as at concert venues for Keith Urban and Chris Cagle.

Leeah performs at multiple Charlotte venues with an acoustic duo as well as being a guest vocalist with local bands. She also frequently performs at various charity fundraisers, weddings, funerals, nursing homes and other local events.

Jeremy Holtzclaw

Jeremy Holtzclaw has over 20 years experience teaching and playing the guitar and bass guitar, specializing in classic rock and metal genres. He is also a studio musician, songwriter, audio engineer and producer. Jeremy has played professionally with Polaire, Alien FM, and Shallow. Jeremy offers private instruction, coaches student bands, and conducts audio engineering workshops at Creative Ej.

Sandi Rosen

Sandi has been studying the violin for fifteen years under the instruction previously and currently under very well know and renowned instructors such as Peter Swic and Dr. Lynda M. Pickney. She has played in various orchestras and orchestral groups over the years, including the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra, Junior Youth Orchestra, NC State Honors Orchestra, NC Western Regional’s- All-State Orchestra, and the UNCC Youth and College Orchestra.

She is currently a sophomore at UNCC as a Music Education major. She plans to continue her education after receiving her BA in Music Education by receiving a Masters in Orchestra Instrumental conducting, as well as her PHD in Music Philosophy and Performance. Her main goal is to conduct Broadway and symphony orchestras. She has been teaching privately for five years and continues to teach for many years to come.

Lacey Kline

Lacey Kline is an avid dancer who studied at Dance Davidson, and the prestigious school of North Carolina Dance Theatre for several years, under Patricia McBride (former principle dancer of NYC Ballet). For more than fifteen years, Lacey has danced and performed leading roles in ballets such as: Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Copellia, Pinocchio, and the Nutcracker, as well as the musicals of Fame, and West Side Story.

She attended University Park Creative Arts Elementary School in Charlotte, where she was a member of the troubadours, and the dance company for three years. In the fourth grade she was in Opera Carolina’s production of Tosca, and in the fifth grade sang with Celine Dion in the song, “Let’s Talk about Love,” during her tour in Charlotte. That same year she was awarded, Outstanding Performing Artist of 1999, by the Carolina's Concert Association, and had her artwork displayed as the program cover for the 1998 Charlotte Mecklenburg School’s Cultural Education Festival.

Lacey was a cheerleader her freshman year at North Mecklenburg High and captain of the dance team at La Canada High School, in California. This past year she helped form Queens University's first dance club, where free Salsa, Swing, Ballet, and Hip-Hop workshops are taught to the students. Next year she plans to take on a project with the dance club, teaching dance to inner-city children through the big brothers and sisters foundation. Along with her love for the stage and the performing arts, Lacey is pursuing her dream of becoming an Elementary School teacher, due to her passion for helping children learn and grow.

Jeff Gastineau

Originally from Ohio, Jeff performed on guitars, keyboards, and vocals as a member of several extremely successful regional groups including Scram, Money, Glass Hammer, and The Press, with total independent record sales of over 50,000 units. These groups were attendance record-holders at the largest clubs in the area during their existence and opened for acts such as Toto, Joe Perry Project, John Waite, Robin Trower, Molly Hatchet, Night Ranger, and others.

Jeff had a long run of success in the Columbus Ohio music scene, and appeared on WLVQ (Columbus, Ohio) Q•FM•96 Hometown Album Projects 7, 8, and 9 with Durzo & Keen, Gastineau & Harriman, and The Press, respectively. As a product specialist and clinician, Jeff performed hundreds of synthesizer and guitar concerts and seminars across the country for Korg Keyboards, Marshall Amplifiers, BOSS, and Roland Musical Instruments. As a participant in the first wave of online internet music services, several of Jeff's songs charted in the Top 5 on the Classic Rock and Guitar Rock charts on MP3.com.

Jeff has been active in studios for over 25 years and has produced and engineered for various artists including Royal Crescent Mob, The Press, Gastineau & Harriman, Eurogression, JB Bruck, Money, Durzo & Keen, Def Dee, Tetrec, IPYPU, Razor Penguins, Susan Kay Johnson, The Point, The Bellows, LeDanse Classical, Five Mighty People, Miss America Troupe, War Minister, Spirit Song, Donald Scales, Peggy Lacey, and Final Flight, among others.

Dave Zeltner

Dave Zeltner is a producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who has studied privately with Ted Baker (keyboardist for Steely Dan), George Mesterhazy (pianist for world-renowned jazz artist Gary Burton) and Mr. James Amadie (pianist for Woody Herman and Mel Torme as well as Berklee College of Music Guest Lecturer).

Playing professionally at the age of 15, Dave performed in every major city of the United States as well as toured throughout Mexico and Puerto Rico. He also served as a musical director and keyboardist in Atlantic City performing with many well-known artists including Mel Carter, Danny Aiello, Danny Bonaduce and The Soul Survivors at Trumps Castle, Tropicana Hotel, and Bally's Casino and Hotel.

Performing as an artist, clinician and product specialist, Dave worked for Ensoniq, Korg USA and the Roland Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturers of synthesizer workstations, digital samplers and professional recording equipment. David has composed product demos, conducted clinics, published articles and appeared in instructional videos for a number of high tech product releases by these companies. While on board with Korg and Roland, Dave worked with Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, REO Speedwagon, Keith Emerson, Dennis DeYoung (Singer and Keyboardist for Styx) and Chuck Leavell (keyboards for the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and the Allman Brothers).

Dave’s keyboard and production work can be heard on hundreds of Karaoke versions of today's top selling artists distributed worldwide and has performed on the "Artists Song Series" of Celine Deion, Shania Twain, The Beach Boys, Christina Aguilera, Hall and Oates, Neil Diamond, Partridge Family, Chaka Kahn, Travis Tritt, The Bangles, Harry Chapin, Orleans, Bette Midler, Taylor Dayne, Ronnie Milsap, Kenny Rogers, Player, Mary Chapin Carpenter as well as many others.

Recently Dave released his first solo CD of original compositions entitles "Smooth Sailing" as well as a CD of contemporary Christmas arrangements. Dave can also be heard performing locally with Maxwell Smart and Zeltner and Montieth, as well as on the following CD's: David Caudle's "Night Passions", Christopher Cortez's "Territorial Imperative", Kathy Dulin's "The Truth", Andre Ferreri's "Family Album", Paul Kramer's "Seasons", Jim Benham's "Midwest Rain's and Weather Vanes", Tesser's "Walk a Different Line", Dr. Cecil Edward's "Faithful till The End Of Time" and Lisa Gianikos ' "Starting From Zero".

Tracy Maples