Voted Best Music Instruction at the 2026 Austin Music Awards!
Mandy Rowden
Mandy Rowden is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and generally really nice gal. Mandy is the proud creator of Girl Guitar as well as a professional musician and educator. Mandy is a teacher and music leader at Lucky Star Art Camp and has been a contributing songwriter for Songs For The Soul, a contributing writer for Guitar Girl Magazine, and an instructor at Own Your Own Universe as well as an online educator for Elixir Strings and Gibson Guitars. Mandy has a Master’s Degree in Musicology from Texas State University where she published an award-winning thesis on Texas women singer-songwriters and is currently a professor of Business in Music courses. Mandy performs currently as a singer-songwriter and plays guitar in Austin’s all-female country hits band The Rhinestone Renegades. In 2025, Mandy founded the Texas Women Songwriters Festival in historic downtown Lockhart, Tx.
Sally Crewe
A native of the UK, Sally grew up in Sherwood Forest, riding horses, climbing trees, and figuring out Beatles songs on guitar in her room. She’s wanted to make records since she was 8, and at 14 became the proud owner of her first electric guitar and 4-track cassette recorder.
In the early 2000’s she enjoyed multiple visits to Austin to record her 2003 debut album, Drive It Like You Stole It, which featured Spoon’s Britt Daniel on bass / backing vocals, and Jim Eno on drums. The pair also backed her for her SXSW debut in 2002.
She moved to Austin full time in 2004, and spent much of the next decade either in the studio or on the road, including guest appearances singing with Ted Leo & The Pharmacists on tour, and at ACL Festival, as well as touring, co-writing and recording with guitar legend Doug Gillard (Guided by Voices, Nada Surf).
She continues to front her band, (Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves) on guitar and vocals, and also plays drums in the all-female pop-punk band, Cobra Cats.
Heather Miller
Acoustic folk songstress Heather Miller’s body of work has been described as “songs of connection,” perfectly capturing the essence of her talent and dedication to the craft. From beginnings that included listening to Donovan and The Beatles as a kid in Iowa and then picking up a guitar in college and teaching herself a few chords, she’s honed her skills through setting and subsequently achieving lofty goals, such as completing the Berklee Online Songwriting Certificate, performing at 157 open mics in one year, and writing a song a week for over 3 years.
She released Anchor EP (2012), Ornaments & Memories EP (2019), and a live radio studio recording, Heather Miller Live at KOOP (2020). Her debut full-length album, Count it in Moons (2023), landed at #48 on the Folk DJ charts for the month of September and was the #6 Americana Highways Favorite Albums of 2023 Readers’ Pick. Heather has made the vibrant Austin, Texas music scene her home since 2015.
Juliette Buck
Juliette is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in Austin, TX. She began singing at a very young age in both church and school choirs, on stage with local musical theater programs, in addition to studies in Vocal Performance at the University of Texas at Austin. She got her first acoustic guitar from the local pawn shop at age 13 (thanks Mom!) and started rocking out in the living room; learning covers, writing her own original tunes, and eventually adding harmonica to add to the mix.
Juliette has been a member of many bands over the past 20 years, as lead vocalist, backup vocalist, drummer, rhythm guitarist, and on the keyboard. Her most recent band projects in Austin, TX were with indie dreampop-rock Prismavoix (backing vox, keyboard, contributing songwriter), grunge power-trio Highdive (drums, backing vox, contributing songwriter), and Texas blues & rock band Seventh Sun (lead vox, rhythm guitar), where she enjoyed playing venues around Austin and surrounding areas, and recording two albums.
Juliette has been an acoustic guitar teacher with Mandy Rowden’s Girl Guitar since 2021, teaching in the Beginner Two and Beginner Three acoustic guitar classes. She was previously a student at Girl Guitar beginning in 2008, where she enjoyed taking a plethora of the classes offered, including Intermediate Guitar, Songwriting, Band classes, Alternate Tunings, and Music Theory, and attended multiple Girl Guitar events, song swaps, and retreats — her favorites being, performing at local charity fundraisers and retreats to Paradise Valley, MT and Wimberley, TX.
Juliette finds immense joy in helping beginner guitar players to forge their own individual playing style, and to look for the pleasant surprises that music always seems to provide.
Larisa Montanaro
Larisa moved to Austin in 1994 to pursue her graduate work in Vocal Performance at UT. While there, she specialized in modern and avant-garde classical singing and loved it because it was weird and quirky and expressive. After completing her doctorate in Vocal Performance she decided to stay in Austin to explore the “Live Music Capital of the World”.
Larisa teaches voice, harmony, ear training and theory at her studio in South Austin. She has been an instructor at Girl Guitar for a decade and in January 2025, she joined the faculty at St. Edwards University as an applied voice teacher in the Music Theatre department.
Larisa is mom to two teenagers, two dogs, and a cat.
Jana Pochop
Jana Pochop is a singer/songwriter, producer, and guitarist in Albuquerque, New Mexico by way of Austin and New York City. She picked up the guitar when she was 11 and has rarely put it down since. Her first band got third place in the high school talent show with a rousing performance of Shawn Colvin’s “Sunny Came Home.” Since then, Jana has toured as a solo singer-songwriter and as an electric guitarist, taught private guitar lessons, songwriting workshops, and a multitude of Girl Guitar classes (which are her favorite). Jana’s album The Astronaut was on Texas Music Magazine’s “Top 22 Albums of 2022” list, and in 2023 she earned her Master’s in Songwriting and Production from Berklee College of Music. She is now living in Albuquerque and working on her own original music as well as producing projects for other artists.
Rita Bliss
Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rita Bliss grew up listening to Nanci Griffith, Joni Mitchell, and John Prine, and her first job was changing strings in the back of a guitar shop. She has been in bands as a guitar player, electric bass player, fiddle player, harmonica player, lead singer, back-up singer, and banjo player. Rita has spent the last 25 years performing in settings ranging from a middle school cafetorium in the suburbs of upstate New York to listening rooms in Nashville and Austin. She also holds a B.A. in Creative Writing.
In 2024, Rita released her debut album, Peaches and Apple Pies, which was described by Americana Highways as “Just great American music.” She performs as a solo banjo/harmonica act in and around Austin and is currently recording a second album and planning a winter tour in the UK.
Rita has a little dog, who she has trained to push a button that says “music, please” when he is ready for his morning nap. He also knows to run to the spare room at the mention of “banjo time.”
She is available for songwriting lessons, old-time banjo lessons (all levels), and beginner guitar, bass, harmonica, songwriting and fiddle lessons.
Cheryl Murdock
Cheryl Murdock is a lifelong vocal artist and songwriter who grew up in San Marcos and found her creative home in Austin’s vibrant music community. With over three decades of performing experience, songwriting recognition, and two solo albums—Starting Fires (2006) and Late Bloomer (2013)—she’s shared her voice on stages across Central Texas, in Nashville writing rooms, and national TV placements.
Cheryl has fronted several bands, contributing lead and harmony vocals and rhythm guitar, and brings that same versatility and heart into her work as a private vocal coach of more than 14 years. She blends practical technique with genuine encouragement, helping singers strengthen
their voices, protect their instruments, and develop a sound that feels authentic and empowered.
She’s thrilled to support Girl Guitar students as they grow in skill, confidence, and creative expression. When she’s not making music, Cheryl loves all things art and cherishes time spent with the people who matter most to her.
Dakota Doster
Dakota is a Michigan native who headed south chasing the sunshine. She grew up playing piano, then later added oboe, ukulele and acoustic guitar to the mix. In her free time she likes writing country/folk songs and playing at open mics around town. Dakota also enjoys singing in SOCO Women’s Chorus. She loves to travel and has been all around the world! At Girl Guitar, Dakota helps keep the wheels on the track, assisting Mandy and helping with marketing. She is also available Wednesday’s for private piano lessons!
