Meet the Faculty

Colin MillsColin Mills, Coordinator/Professor

Colin Mills is currently Program Coordinator & Professor of Music Business in Algonquin College’s Music Industry Arts Diploma Program. Prior to joining Algonquin, Colin worked as Director of Operations for Hummingbird Music, overseeing the activities of its private music school, which served close to 800 students and managing Pebble Studios a full service recording studio under the Hummingbird umbrella. During his early career in the music industry, he was Vice President of Healey Music, Manager of Distortion Studios and also assisted with promotion and management for various artists. As a lifelong musician himself, Colin has also plied his guitar talents on stage and in the studio with a range of performers from the Ottawa area and beyond.

Jason JaknunasJason Jaknunas, Professor

Jason Jaknunas has been a prominent figure in the Ottawa music scene for over 20 years, with extensive experience in audio engineering and music production. Jason worked as Chief Engineer at Raven Street Studios from 1995 to 2002, and during this time worked with numerous artists from a variety of musical genres, including classical, blues, rock, electronica, and jazz. He has written published articles on recording technology, and enjoys building studio equipment and studio-grade furniture. Always ready to embrace current trends in recording technology, Jason feels comfortable working in both the digital and analogue domain. In 2005, he established Metropolitan Studios, which he currently owns and operates.

Steve Tevlin Steve Tevlin, Professor

Steve Tevlin is a recording engineer, instructor, author and musician. Steve is proud to have been the course designer and head instructor for The Audio Recording Academy (TARA). He is the author of the book Notes on Recording Technology, which explores a comprehensive collection of theoretical and technical issues for the modern engineer. He was a columnist for the nationally published Music Etc. magazine, where his columns focused on recording techniques for the studio. Steve has had the pleasure of working in a number of world-class facilities, including Parliament Productions (which he owned and operated), Ambience Recorders (as an independent), and for many years at Raven Street Studios where he acted as their head engineer. His engineering highlights include sessions with the Grammy Award winners Train, Juno Award winners Edwin (I Mother Earth) and Susan Aglukark, as well as work with the preeminent producer George Martin (The Beatles) – A project requiring that recordings be routinely submitted to and approved by Sir George. Steve has also recorded the music for internationally broadcast animation features and cartoon series, theater productions, and countless television and radio productions. His recordings have won numerous awards, including the Gold Award for Music at the New York Film Festival. Steve has also composed music for both artistic and corporate projects. Steve started his career as a session drummer. He was one of the founding members of “The Hammerheads” (Funk-reggae-drum ‘n bass), who’s albums have featured notable artists such as Vernon Reid (Living Color) and reggae legend Vern Maytone (the Maytones). In recent years, he has pursued his passion for electronics design and restoration, and is currently designing and building a 16-channel (all tube) recording console.

 

Peter Gilroy Peter Gilroy, Professor

Over two hundred records recorded and produced, studio ownership, band management, venue owner, and live sound engineer are just some of what Peter is known for. Through all of his dealings in the music business, he has made records for musicians who have become instant friends, thanks to his down-to-earth approach to making a record. Because of these philosophies, Peter has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Nick Blagona (Producer, Cat Stevens, Bee Gees), Ken Friesen (Engineer, Tragically Hip), Dale Penner (Producer, Nickelback), Colin Linden (Award-winning, platinum producer).His talents have found him making records from all genres, including rock, metal, blues, country, Christian, singer-songwriter, R&B and hip hop. He has been part of the Eagles live sound crew and been part of records that have been licensed over and over for use in MTV shows, including The Real World: Denver, Road Rules & The Gauntlet III. Peter has seen everything the industry has to offer, and has taken in the Juno and the Grammy awards, where is a member of the of the Producers/Engineer Wing. As a musician himself, Peter is able to draw the best performances out of the musicians he works with. Artists such as world-renowned blues guitarist Sue Foley, Circuit (discovered by Casey Kasem) and #1 Hit (UK) artist Cheryl Dunn all have come to Peter for his experience as producer and warmth as a human being.

Wayne Hawthorn Wayne Hawthorne, Professor

Wayne started his technical entertainment life as a house technician at the Heritage & The Lester B. Pearson Theatres in Brampton, Ontario. As these venues catered to a diverse array of content, the in-house technical staff had to be well versed in many technical roles, including stage management, stagecraft, lighting and audio. This adaptability became an asset in Wayne’s next role in the Entertainment Technical Services shop at Paramount Canada’s Wonderland. While there, Wayne worked within and also as lead role, from ride audio and background music and paging systems, to high-level touring concerts and in-park laser-light and fire spectaculars. During this time, Wayne completed his Electrical Engineering education, and later earned his designation as a Professional Engineer. Combining this engineering background with his prior experience in entertainment & audio became an asset as he participated in the design and implementation of acoustic DSP (Digital Signal Processing) sensor systems and audio/video recording systems for the defense market. Wayne’s passion for live entertainment never waned and the inception for Click Track Audio began. Click Track features one of Canada’s few professional mobile production studios, and, in his role as owner/operator, Wayne has been involved in live recordings and broadcasts for content producers such as Musi-Plus, Live Nation, VRAK TV, Rogers Television, CTV, Astral Radio, Sirius Radio, and PBS, and has had the pleasure to provide both 5.1 and Stereo audio mixes for national broadcasts such as the Canada Day festivities on Parliament Hill, Winterlude and Canada AM Live. His events have featured personalities such as France D’Amour, Billy Talent, The Sam Roberts Band, K-OS, Blue Rodeo, Michael Franti & Spearhead, the Gypsy Kings and Feist.

Mike Bond Mike Bond, Professor

Mike Bond has been an active member of the Ottawa music scene since the mid ’90s as a producer, recording engineer, live sound technician and musician. He has been recording and producing bands for over 15 years, starting with simple 2-track tape recorders in his living room and graduating to state-of-the-art digital and analogue consoles in various professional studios. His casual yet professional demeanor makes him a favorite amongst musicians of all genres, giving Mike experience with a wide variety of artists and musical styles.

His background as a drummer, guitarist, bassist and songwriter makes Mike a valuable asset to any recording or pre-production session, allowing him to connect with his clients on multiple levels and provide advice and artistic input as needed. Mike’s experience playing and touring in his own original bands also led him to coaching and producing young musicians at ‘JamClinic’, Ottawa’s premier rock camp.

A graduate of the TARA program at Raven Street Studios, Mike is currently the Chief Engineer at Pebble Studios and plays in multiple bands throughout the city.

Brian AsselinBrian Asselin, Professor

Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Education.

Over the past 15 years Brian has performed both locally and internationally with various groups such as Holly Laroque, The Jivewires, and The JW Jones Blues Band. Along with those established acts, he has performed with The Legendary Funk Brothers, Mary Wilson, The Temptations, as well as The Four Tops. Brian received his bachelors in music performance from Carleton University in 2004 under the direction of Mike Tremblay, Rob Frayne, and Juno award winner Kirk Macdonald.

Being an educator has always been in the forefront of his career. Brian started teaching private students while attending University which eventually led him back to school to obtain his education degree. Over the course of the last 10 years he has taught students topics ranging from saxophone, jazz improvisation, music theory, and song writing. Currently Brian is on staff as a professor at Algonquin College in the Industry Arts program as well as conducting several bands under a program called New Horizons which help adults learn a musical instrument in a band setting.

Apart from being an Eastman endorsed saxophonist, Brian is also a songwriter. After attending teachers college he wrote a song dedicated to teachers around the world who inspire their students on a daily basis. The song has since gone viral (over 2 million views) on youtube and can be heard by choirs all around the world. The song has also been played on NBC’s Late Night News with Diane Sawyer. Since writing that song, Brian has created a YouTube channel, and released albums both under his own name as well as his new Soul project entitled The Commotions.