Since its founding in 1977, the Guitar Institute of Technology has undoubtedly trained and launched the careers of some of the most influential guitarists in the music industry. Even when GIT eventually added more instrument programs and became the Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music, its roots in guitar excellence remained.
MI Guitar program alumni have reached every corner of the music industry, from being in-demand session players, touring musicians, Grammy-winning artists to social media stars and beyond. Here, we highlight 20 influential guitarists who got their start at Musicians Institute.
Scott Henderson
World-renowned fusion guitarist Scott Henderson studied arranging and composition at Florida Atlantic University. After graduating from Musicians Institute, he toured and recorded with Bassist Jeff Berlin, Jean-Luc Ponty, Chick Corea, and Weather Report’s Joe Zawinul. In 1985, Scott joined up with Bassist Gary Willis and together they have released eight albums with the critically acclaimed instrumental group Tribal Tech.
Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale, exploded on the L.A. scene in the ‘80s after attending MI. Gambale has since won a Grammy Award and has been nominated 3 times. Gambale is an undisputed genius who originated the “Gambale Sweep Picking Technique”, and elevated it to a precise art form now standard in the guitar lexicon. As a songwriter, he’s published over 300 songs on 20+ albums, with touches of rock, funk and jazz to R&B and some Latin and Brazillian influences.
Allen Hinds
Allen Hinds attended Berklee School of Music in 1978 and Musicians Institute in 1985, where he was the winner of the Larry Carlton Scholarship. Allen has recorded many TV and radio jingles as well as tracked and/or toured with Natalie Cole, the Crusaders, Roberta Flack, Eric Marienthal, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Hiroshima, Randy Crawford, Boney James, and many more. At MI, he currently teaches Jazz Improvisational Techniques.
Jimmy Herring
From his work with the Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic, and Aquarium Rescue Unit to his stints with the Dead, Billy Cobham, and Oteil Burbridge, MI guitar alum Jimmy Herring has enjoyed a spectacular career since he was a student. “GIT was huge for me,” Jimmy Herring told MI. “I desperately needed to meet more musicians—people like me, who wanted to play all the time. I found that and more at GIT…”
Jennifer Batten
Jennifer Batten enrolled at MI (Guitar Institute of Technology) in 1979. After graduation, she started her career by teaching at G.I.T. and playing in a variety of local bands. Jennifer Batten’s biggest career break came in 1987, when she auditioned for Michael Jackson’s upcoming tour in support of his album, Bad. Jennifer Batten became one of Jacksons’ star guitarists and traveled the world with him on tours for many years thereafter. Jennifer Batten also toured with guitar legend Jeff Beck and released three studio albums of her own.
Norman Brown
After graduating from Musicians Institute, Norman Brown would teach at MI until he landed his first deal, where he became the flagship artist on Motown’s Mo Jazz label. In 1992, he released his debut album, Just Between Us. Collaborators included Boyz II Men, Stevie Wonder, and Kenneth H. Williams.
In 2017, Brown signed with Shanachie Records and has since released 4 albums, with 2022’s Let’s Get Away to be released.
Paul Gilbert
Paul is best known for his work with MR. BIG and RACER X. Gilbert’s moved to Los Angeles in 1984 to attend the GIT (Guitar Institute of Technology). Even at the young age of 17, Gilbert quickly became a local legend due to his advanced and extremely fast alternate picking technique, his young age, and his massive repertoire of cover material. In 1985, he became an MI guitar instructor, while also recording Racer X’s debut album, Street Lethal.
Jeff Buckley
In 1994, Jeff Buckley spent some time at Musicians Institute, where he later spoke about the importance of learning theory. He said,“If you have the interest…go to a private teacher, go someplace, some college, and learn theory. That was something I really enjoyed…Theory meaning the meaning of the musical nomenclature. I was attracted to really interesting harmonies, stuff that I would hear in Ravel, Ellington, Bartok.”
Synyster Gates
Synyster Gates, is an American guitarist best known for his work with the band Avenged Sevenfold. Synyster Gates was raised in a musical family and grew up influenced by various genres of music, including metal, jazz, classical, gypsy jazz, and more. He came to Los Angeles to enroll at MI, which was then called the Guitar Institute of Technology.
Pete Thorn
After graduating from MI, Pete Thorn joined the LA-based band Surreal McCoys who signed with Sony Music Japan and his connection with Frank Simes, the lead singer, allowed him to be introduced to many other working musicians. The following years saw him in and out of bands, and his credits soon included touring and recording with Grammy-winning artist Robi Draco Rosa, Jewel and Courtney Love of Hole. In 2006, Thorn started working with Linda Perry and played on tracks from a diverse range of artists, such as James Blunt, Daniel Powter, Alicia Keys, Pink, and many others
Justin Derrico
Upon graduating, Justin became one a member of Pink’s touring band, and he would continue to work with her for many years. Along with working with Pink, Derrico has worked with Beyonce and Robin Thicke and maintained a steady spot as a guitarist for the band, The Calling, which he got through a connection with Barry Squire. Currently, Justin still tours with Pink and is a member of the backing band on NBC’s The Voice.
Emil Ernebro
In 2007, Emil was awarded the title of “Outstanding Player” at MI for his graduating class. After graduating from MI, Emil continued to play with and study with many amazing guitarists in the Los Angeles area. Emil also taught private lessons at this time and was invited to teach the “Acoustic Intensive” class at the “National Guitar Workshop” in Los Angeles in 2008.
Kenny Echizen
Kenny Echizen is a session/touring guitarist, educator, and clinician based in Los Angeles, originally from Torrance, CA. He studied at Musicians Institute (04~06), winning “Outstanding Stylist” in 2005 then become a faculty member at the right after graduating. Kenny has performed/recorded with: Taylor Dayne, U-KISS, Baek Ji Young, The One, Kamran & Hooman, Dash Mihok, The Rigs (Extreme Music), Eddie Kramer, David Newman, Michael “Smidi” Smith, Jenniffer Holiday,Jack & Jack, Billy Porter and Lillias White.
Fredrik Halland
The Norwegian-born guitar prodigy performed over 150 shows throughout Europe and the U.S. in his early teens, and was later inspired to fulfill his music dreams at MI in L.A. After his graduation, Fredrik worked as Colbie Caillat’s touring guitarist and backup singer. With Colbie, he has performed legendary gigs from the Hollywood Bowl to Good Morning America to performing the national anthem with her at the NBA Finals in 2014. He’s since worked with Justin Bieber, Gavin Degraw, Jesse McCartney, Babyface,and Becky G, among others.
Mateus Asato
Musician’s Institute where he graduated with the title of “2014 Outstanding Guitar Player of Musician’s Institute. These days, Asato is travelling the world giving clinics to budding guitarists while regularly uploading demonstrations of his prowess on his social media feed. Asato’s video demonstrations on social media are as popular as they are impressive, many of them soaring through the YouTube stratosphere with over 100k views. Aside from being part of American singer-songwriter Tori Kelly’s touring band since 2015, Asato has played with acts such as Mammoth, Israel Houghton, Tiago Suguihara, Esteban, and Jabin Chavez.
Jared James Nichols
Jared James Nichols is best known for his high-energy performances and ‘pick-less’ electric guitar playing technique. Nichols attended MI in 2010 and he quickly gained momentum by winning the prestigious Gibson Les Paul Tribute Contest as well as the Musicians Institute Most Outstanding Player Award.
Rob Gueringer
Multi-instrumentalist Rob Gueringer launched a successful career beginning with an MI audition that scored him a gig with singer Tommy Ward, who is managed by the legendary Quincy Jones. That led to Rob getting hired as a guitarist by artists including Stephanie Mills, Lil Wayne and Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar. He performed with Kendrick on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as well as the rapper’s explosive 2016 Grammy performance.
Rob is currently back on the road with Lil Wayne, in addition to handling songwriting and studio production with a variety of other artists, including Usher, Cardi B, and Kanye Wests’ “Sunday Service” performances. He’s filmed an interview on campus, in which he speaks about how MI prepared him for these high-profile gigs:
Luis Kalil
Luis Kalil relocated to Los Angeles to attend MI and expand his skills and networks in the world of guitar. The rock and metal guitarist first came to L.A. as a 15-year-old for MI’s Summer Shot program, and he later decided to return to the school once he finished high school in Brazil. His career began as a young teen when his talent was recognized by ESP Guitars, EMG Pickups, and Laney Amplification.
Artur Menezes
Although he had already began to establish himself as a professional musician, Artur enrolled at MI in 2016 to sharpen his playing and vocal skills, while benefiting from the extensive network in the business that MI provides. Most recently, Artur was invited by guitar legend Joe Satriani to perform on stage with him in front of thousands of fans. Throughout 2016, Artur headlined numerous blues festivals around Brazil and he later won the Santa Clarita Valley Blues Society Challenge, where he performed at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, among over 250 bands from all over the world.
Ruben Wan
MI Guitar program graduate Ruben Wan is a guitarist, songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles, CA, who has amassed a large social media following across all platforms. Originally from Panama, Ruben enrolled at MI and graduated in 2016. He first started his career as a session musician, and eventually saw the benefits of posting his guitar playing online. Read more about his career with our graduate spotlight on the blog here.
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