Founders

About the Founders:

Tom Frazee has been performing since he was 15, and has been full time faculty at Berklee College of Music and UNLV for a ten year period.  During his tenure at Berklee, Tom was instrumental in starting several top level programs.  Two stand out programs are below.  

The Berklee Songwriting Degree Tom and fellow faculty member Pat Pattison (lyrist and member of the Academics Department) took the single Songwriting class and developed a program into the 4 year degree it is today...attracting over 300 enrolled students a year from around the globe.  It created a unique "tool box"of songwriting options that gave the writer the ability to take their initial creative point and put it into many different forms and styles.  
 
The first year of development had the fledgling "department" launching the first ever Berklee Songwriters Competition.  During the winners concert that spring in the Berklee Performance Center, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC all attended and gave significant scholarships for the program. That concert was the first ever interdepartmental co-op production ever at Berklee.  It involve the songwriters, arrangers from the Commercial Writing Department, vocalists from the Vocal Department and Tom's other love, his legendary Tower of Power Ensemble as backup band.  It created a real-world working environment that a professional would find in the contemporary music industry.
 
The Berklee Tower of Power Ensemble:  Started as a funk / fusion / pop ensemble to teach horn players how to work in the small section world, this ensemble rapidly grew to be one of the top 3 most sought after ensembles in the school to be a member in.  Members were also encouraged to take Tom's Commercial Arranging / Small Ensemble course and contribute scores to the ensembles book.  From that one ensemble, there has been 1 Oscar and Grammy Winning Composer (Joel Goodman / Bass) for his scoring of "Being Elmo".  The rock-solid drummer Rick Beligni who is a top on-call drummer in Las Vegas (and who's son Max Acree is rapidly becoming a world reknown jazz trombonist) a 4 time Emmy winning arranger for Saturday Night Live (Dan Rosengard / Piano), 4-2 time Downbeat Jazz Award winners (John Caviani / Trombone, John Carlson / Trumpet, John "Scarpy" Scarpulla / Tenor, Eric Miyasiro / Trumpet) and Oscar nominated sound designer for his work on all "Hangover" movies...Darin Klein.  
 
Also singer Billy "Kidd" Kuttenkuler went on to tour 4 years with Barry Manilow and became the only "band member" to record a duet with the legendary singer / songwriter.  Other alumni from the ensemble went on to play with the broadway hit "The Jersey Boys" and one joined Shania Twain on guitar and pedal steel during her first three album tours.  Trumpeter Eric Miyashiro has become one of the most well-known lead players in the world, leading his own big band in Japan.

Most "interestingly notable" was John Scarpulla, who before joining the ensemble had never played "funk" or anything but straight ahead jazz.  He got hooked and became a natural.  4 years after leaving Berklee, he auditioned for the tenor book with the real TOP.  When he walked into the audition, he put the music stand behind him and played 6 songs with the band from memory...back from the days of the Berklee Ensemble.  Needless to say he got the gig and performs regularly with Diana Ross, Billy Joel and other top touring acts

Since leaving academia, Tom has pursued all areas of music technology, and has become a lecturer for several different software platforms.  During the late 80's after leaving Berklee, Tom was honored to work with arranger, manager, composer, Joe Zito.  Joe was Musical director for Nat King Cole and conducted the Ed Sullivan Orchestra.

For the last 20 years, he and his partner have run Admagination Studios, a northwest audio for broadcasting production facility. Tom has been working with technology in music since 1984.  He brings to this project and beyond his vision of a clear, fast track Educational Model that has been in beta development for over 4 years. 

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Nancy Roché has been a professional singer / songwriter / actress since the age of 15. As a vocalist, she has an extensive resume of live and recording projects that have taken her around the world. 

After moving to LA in the late 80's, she became a staff vocalist and "ghost" lyrist for Columbine Records.  This was a recording studio and publisher that specialized in making demos for songwriters.  It was her job to not only be vocally adaptive but to be able to tweak lyrics that didn't quite flow.  

Nancy is Creative Director at Admagination Studios, writing and performing on over 300 radio ads and station ID packages in over 48 markets nationwide. The music school will utilize her classical vocal foundations, contemporary vocal performing along with her vocal CV “Discover Your Voice” exclusively.

Here writing career includes her own album of self-penned originals, a unique facet of their business...commissioned songs and of course the hundreds of jingles.  It's important to know that Admaginations custom jingle production creates more than just a title and phone number.  Our full sing versions and sing outs require just as much creative writing as songs do.

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