The Mike Finnigan School of Music

Thad Beach is a musician, performer, songwriter and teaching artist. He presents programs in the schools and performs at festivals, libraries, summer camps. Local school kids may know him as “ Mr. Beach ” from his Salina Arts Infusion Program presentations. His harmonica playing earned him first place honors at the Union Grove Old Time Fiddlers Convention in North Carolina and at the Kansas State Fiddling and Picking Contest in Lawrence. He’s conducted harmonica workshops in cities across Kansas including the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield , Topeka Rail Fest, and as far away as the Broadstairs International Folk Festival in England. Thad also wrote an instructional column “Traditional Wind” for the American Harmonica News Magazine.

Harmonica is one of his favorite instruments along with a variety of string and unusal homemade instruments .

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For years, Paul has been stealing the limelight with his exceptional Hammond Organ skills and captivating stage presence. He earned the nickname "The Wildman" due to his boundless energy and vibrant spirit.

Paul Draper, a talented Hammond B3 artist, has dedicated his life to being a supporting musician on numerous recordings and tours. His journey began in 1964 when he signed with a Chicago-based label during his junior year of high school, playing with the band the Impacts. In the early 70s, he stood out as member of the Shampells, a funk/show band inspired by Parliament-style music. In 1976, Paul resided in North Brookfield, Mass., where the newly established Long View Farms studio was located. Interestingly, this studio was later utilized by the Rolling Stones as a rehearsal space.

Throughout the early 1980s, Paul showcased his talent as a pianist, Hammond B3 player, and Rhodes musician in Midnight Flyer. The band experienced regional success and was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2020. In 2001, Paul embarked on a new musical journey as the organist for internationally renowned blues artist Jimmie Bratcher. Together, they collaborated on five albums, embarked on multiple US tours, and achieved chart success in Contemporary Blues international Radio on multiple occasions.

Today, Paul continues to share his musical expertise alongside his son Brandon in the Draper Family Band. Additionally, he holds the prestigious position of being one of the inaugural teachers of Hammond B3 at the Mike Finnigan School of Music in Salina KS.

Parker Freeland has played piano for 23 years. Beginning at a young age, she continued lessons through high school and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in music with an emphasis in piano performance from Baker University. Following her education, Parker became a high school choir accompanist and private piano teacher for 6 years before earning a Master's degree in a criminology related field. She is now teaching piano once more and is passionate about sharing piano with students again.

Dariyn Garman has been playing guitar for 4 years and has been helping others learn for over a year as a teaching intern. She is currently a sophomore attending Salina High School South and is very excited to begin teaching guitar.

Matt Gerry has been a music teacher and guitar instructor at Salina South Middle School for 19 years. Through various grants from organizations like the Salina Education Foundation, the Greater Salina Community Foundation, Donorschoose.org, the Give a Note Foundation, and the Country Music Association he has built a guitar program in the Salina public school system from the ground up. At Salina South Middle School where he currently teaches, over 200 students enroll in his guitar classes every year. He is a Salina South High School graduate who obtained his Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Wichita State University, and a Master degree in Teacher Leadership from Kansas State University. His training also includes instruction from the GAMA Teaching Guitar Workshops and the National Science Foundation’s STEM Guitar Building Project. Mr. Gerry’s work has been featured in various publications including InTune magazine, Music Inc. magazine, and his middle school guitar program was featured as the Kansas representative in NAMEs - Guitar Class in 50 States. His students have gained national attention by winning the “Making Wishes with Weezer” contest in 2010, appearing on a commercial aired on the Disney Channel, and were also highlighted on the Radio Disney Music Awards. His teaching accolades include Salina Teacher of the Year in 2011, the Music Teacher of Excellence Award from the Country Music Association Foundation in 2017, and was a “Hero for Change” recipient from Radio Disney that same year. Gerry is a member of the board of directors at the Stiefel Theatre. Matt is married to his wife, Stephanie who are both proud parents to Adele (16) and Lydia (14) who attend Salina South schools. He enjoys singing and playing guitar at First Covenant Church, and the hobby of collecting vinyl records.

Ann Zimmerman has sung across the Great Plains and beyond—in New York, Seattle, Boston, Texas, Minnesota, Alaska – turning each audience into her backup choir.  She sings songs old and new and has written her own award-winning songs. She has four independent recordings. Ann sings annually at the Land Institute’s Prairie Festival near Salina and in recent years has been performing at the Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, Kansas. She entertains nationally at festivals, farmers markets, fancy theaters, conferences and backyards. Pre-pandemic, she played about a hundred dates a year. Ann sings for thousands of students each year in Salina Public Schools through the Salina Arts & Humanities “Arts Infusion” program. “Meadowlark,” the title song from her album of children’s music, was chosen as a finalist in the folk / Americana category of The Great American Song contest.  Ann was voted the "People's Choice" winner in the Wildflower! Festival song contest near Dallas with songs from her “Blue Wild Indigo” album. She is a long-standing member of the juried “Kansas Arts on Tour” and Mid-America Arts Alliance rosters. She was nominated for a “grass-roots Grammy” in the Just Plain Folks national song contest. Ann is from Salina, an attorney and mediator with degrees from K-State and Harvard, and is an elected member of the Salina school board.