Folsom Lake College Jazz Rhythm Section Workshop

Barb Catlin is the Director of Jazz at Pomona College and the California Institute of Technology in the Los Angeles area.

Barb’s enthusiasm for playing, real-life approach to education, and expertise in the rhythm section have made her a popular clinician at the high school and college levels. Barb has directed the California All-State Junior High Jazz Band, the SCSBOA Honor Jazz Ensemble, the Arizona All-State High School Jazz Band, the Wisconsin All-State Honor Jazz Band, the Montana All-State Jazz Band, and many regional honor ensembles. Barb’s numerous accolades as a jazz pianist include being named a “Player to Catch“ by Downbeat Magazine.

Barb was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by Jazz in Arizona and was awarded the California Jazz Educator “Paul Shaghoian” Award from CMEA in 2021. Barb currently serves as Past-President of the California Alliance for Jazz.

Composer, educator, and guitarist Mike Dana is currently a faculty member of Jazz Education Abroad, and emeritus professor of music at Fresno City College. With JEA, Mike performs and teaches regularly in Lebanon, Cyprus, China, Hong Kong, and Thailand. From 1990 to 2018, he served as Director of Jazz Studies at Fresno City College in California.

Mike’s many published compositions and arrangements are performed all over the world. Recent commissions include music for the Jazz Education Network, Stanford Jazz Orchestra, Taipei Jazz Orchestra, Tokyo Big Band, Azusa Pacific University, and many high schools. He has presented clinics on jazz improvisation, theory, rehearsal techniques, and guitar master classes at the Jazz Education Network national conference, the California All-State Music Education Conference, and is an active adjudicator, honor group conductor, and artist-in-residence. Mike was a Grammy Foundation Music Educator of the Year semi-finalist, California Jazz Educator of the Year, and has been inducted into the California Alliance for Jazz Hall of Fame.

Mike holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in composition from CSU Fresno, with additional studies at the Berklee College of Music and doctoral work at Boston University. He also studied privately with jazz guitar legend Joe Pass. His guitar credits include performances with Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Bergeron, Gary Burton, Ingrid Jensen, Eric Marienthal, Bob Mintzer, Clark Terry, and may others. Additional highlights include serving as a US State Department Cultural Envoy to Thailand as a member of the Allison Miller Quartet, and performing with Robin Eubanks and Antonio Hart. His latest recording project with the Mike Dana Jazz Orchestra will be released by Origin Records in September 2026.

Dr. Molly Redfield is an Assistant Professor of Music at Folsom Lake College. At FLC, Dr. Redfield is the Director of Jazz Studies and teaches applied lessons, improvisation courses, conducts the FLC Jazz Band, coaches multiple combos, and instructs courses in jazz history. Additionally, she is the Lecturer of Bass at Sacramento State University where she teaches applied lessons in jazz bass, classical bass, and directs one of the combos. She has also served as an Assistant Professor of Jazz studies at LSU. Dr. Redfield holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in string bass performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a Master of Music in jazz studies from UNLV, and a Bachelor in Music Education, classical bass, and Bachelor in Jazz Studies from California State University, Sacramento.

Some of Dr. Redfield’s professional appearances include studio and live sessions with jazz and pop musicians Gerald Clayton, Ingrid Jensen, Carmen Staff, Allison Miller, Clint Holmes, Kenny Rampton, and was the bassist with the Grammy considered JOI Jazz Orchestra, Grammy-winning UNLV Wind Ensemble and UNLV Jazz Ensemble I. Her most recent recording with the Joi Jazz Orchestra, A JOIful NoiZZ, can be heard on all streaming services.

A few of the awards she has received for her playing and arranging include being a selected member of the 2022 JEN Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Combo, awarded the 2017 Outstanding Festival Soloist Award at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, the 2016 Outstanding Collegiate Rhythm Section Performer at the Reno International Jazz Festival, and a 2021 DownBeat Magazine, Student Music Award for her vocal arrangement of “Moonglow.”

Dr. Redfield has made significant contributions to the jazz education community through various leadership and teaching roles. She serves as the scholarship representative for the California Alliance for Jazz and has served as the President-elect for the Louisiana Association of Jazz Educators.

As an educator, Dr. Redfield has also been on faculty at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Camp and Jazz Camp West. She was the invited guest conductor for the 2026 NCBA All-Northern California Honor Jazz Ensemble, 2026 Montana Allstate Jazz Ensemble, 2024 Louisiana District VII Honor Jazz Band, and the 2023 Montana Allstate Jazz Ensemble. Additionally, she was the invited artist-in-residence for the 2024 First Honduras Double Bass Festival and invited faculty for the 2024 American-Costa Rican Bi-National Center Promising Young Artists. As a scholar, Dr. Redfield has presented her work at major conferences, including the LMEA In-Service, the JEN Conference, the Capitol Section CMEA In-Service, and the NAfME Northwest Division Conference.

Lauren Ellis is a drummer, composer, and educator from Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), Aotearoa (New Zealand). Lauren relocated to Los Angeles in 2019 to complete her Master's degree and teaching assistantship under Peter Erskine at USC's Thornton School of Music. Now permanently based in Los Angeles, Lauren is an active and busy member of the music community, performing regularly around the city as well as in-studio session work. She plays with groups such as the Bill Holman Band, LA Philharmonic, and Seth Macfarlane, including being a first-call sub for Peter Erskine. Aside from performing, Lauren is an accomplished composer, currently working on personal projects and film scores, while also frequently writing commissioned works for jazz ensembles in both the US and Aotearoa. In 2022 she received the APRA New Zealand award for best jazz composition for her work 'Papatūānuku'.

Prior to her move to the US, she stamped her mark on the Wellington scene, leading and playing for a number of well-known groups, including Richter City Rebels, The Presidents of Funk, and Gold Nugget Pawn Shop, including touring the US and Aotearoa with indie-rock group, Giantess, and Rodger Fox’s New Zealand Jazz Orchestra. During her tenure as the drummer for New Zealand’s premier jazz orchestra, she had the opportunity to perform with luminaries such as Joey DeFrancesco, Mike Stern, and James Carter.

Throughout Aotearoa, Lauren was extensively involved in music education. Including private students and itinerant teaching, she has spent time adjudicating, mentoring, and workshopping students and bands at various jazz festivals and high school competitions around the country. Lauren continues to be involved with music education and teaching in Los Angeles where from 2019 to 2021 she taught undergraduate drum proficiency at USC's Thornton School of Music, as well as assisted in teaching the history of Black American music alongside Professor Ron McCurdy. In addition to teaching privately from her home studio, she is also a mentor for drumset and piano students at South Pasadena's Arts and Music Academy.