About
It all started approximately in 1994... Geoff Dietrich, a respected educator and professional double-bassist, created four periods of guitar elective to serve the student community. In 1998, he left Bellaire and handed these guitar classes and the orchestra to a new orchestra director. Two professional classical guitarists were called in to teach the four classes of “Guitar Elective” left without an instructor. Over the next several years, these two educators, Mr. Mark Moore and Mr. Edward Grigassy, turned those mere elective classes into a full-fledged, rigorous, curriculum-based guitar program. As student interest swelled over the years, the Guitar Program was honored to have dedicated educator Mr. Sean Stone-Ashe join the faculty. These are the instructors who have committed themselves to the Bellaire school community and have patiently guided and coached thousands of young musicians over the past several years:
Faculty
Mr. Mark Moore
Guitar instructor Mark Moore has enjoyed teaching at Bellaire High School since 1998. He has also taught at Houston Baptist University, San Jacinto College and College of the Mainland. His students regularly win medals at the regional and state UIL Solo and Ensemble contests.
He frequently performs with the Houston Grand Opera, playing guitar and mandolin on such masterpieces as Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”, Verdi’s “Otello” and “Falstaff”, Donizetti’s “Don Pascuale” and many more. On-stage roles include Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” and Berlioz’s “Beatrice and Benedict”.
In 2014 he performed with the HGO at the Lincoln Center Festival in NYC. His work with the Houston Symphony includes performances of “Lord of the Rings”, Monty Python’s “Not the Messiah”, “Music of Pixar”, Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand”, “A Hundred Years of Broadway” and others. In addition to his orchestral work he performs around town for weddings, dinner parties and various corporate events.
Mark earned his Master of Music degree from UT Austin in 1995, and his Bachelor of Music degree from Texas State University in 1992.
Mr. Edward Grigassy
Originally from Austin, Texas, Mr. Grigassy earned his Master of Music degree in Guitar from New England Conservatory (1998). After getting this degree in Boston, at the invitation of Mr. Moore, he began teaching hourly at Bellaire. Over the next several years, Mr. Grigassy thoughtfully encouraged the program to expand from the original 4 class hours to 14 per day (as of 2013). A professional local musician with a love for performance and teaching, Mr. Grigassy tries to inspire students, by teaching, coaching and organizing school concerts and district-wide events. Mr. Grigassy currently teaches five guitar classes per day and directs the Summer Guitar Conservatory, an HISD sponsored summer camp for guitar students.
Mr. Sean Stone-Ashe is a classical guitarist from Houston, Texas. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Southwestern University and his Master's degree from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette.
Mr. Stone-Ashe has held an active teaching career, holding positions at various music schools and teaching his own private students in both Louisiana and Texas. He has also been a part of the Salvation Army’s Texas Music and Arts Conservatory summer camp, where he has led their guitar classes and their most advanced music theory courses.
As a performer, Mr. Stone-Ashe has played guitar professionally throughout Texas and Louisiana, performing for many different occasions including weddings, banquets and other gatherings. He is a recipient of top prizes in competitions in both Texas and Louisiana.
Facilities
Due to occasional public funding and generous parent support, the Guitar Program has been able to provide basic instruments for all enrolled students during class. Currently the Program has 2 reserved music classrooms, more than 90 nylon-string classical guitars, hand percussion instruments and P.A. equipment for sponsored concerts and events.
Most concerts and guest artist appearances take place in the Bellaire High School Auditorium on the Bellaire High School campus, which was built