Our Guitar Studio

Gilford Moore is a Illinois native and has lived in Bloomington/Normal since 1973. He and his wife Daniella currently reside in Bloomington along with their 9 cats. Gilford began playing guitar when he was in 5th grade and has never stopped. One of the reasons he founded Hip Cat Music School is because of personally experiencing the value of private, one-on-one music lessons. Until he was out of high school he was self taught. He was amazed by how much more quickly he progressed with a competent teacher. Gilford provides lessons that are both fun and educational while always striving to make a personal connection with his students. He believes that music is truly a universal and transformative language that can be experienced by people of all ages and abilities.

Olivia Wexler is currently a senior at Illinois State University with a double major in Voice Performance and New Media Composition. Her passion for guitar started at an early age with several years of private  lessons, and she currently takes online courses to continuously improve her skills. In her senior year at  Normal Community High School (NCHS), she was the recipient of the Arion Music Award, the top honor for musicianship. She started teaching guitar at Hip Cat Music School in 2022. She has an in-depth  knowledge of music theory and has developed and led college level student lectures for music theory,  created several music compositions with various instruments for ISU’s Music Factory concerts, and served as president of ISU’s Music Business Organization for two years bringing opportunities for local music talent to the area. She performed as a guitar soloist with NCHS’s Jazz Ensemble, accompanied  ISU’s Belle Voix and Concert Choir performances, played guitar in the ISU Orchestra Pit for Bonnie &  Clyde and The Addams Family theatre performances.  

Olivia has performed with her band as the lead singer and guitarist both locally and in the Chicago area. Most notably, she performed at the Castle Theatre, Front Street Music Festival, Make Music Normal, Jazz Upfront, and Concerts on the Quad at ISU in Bloomington/Normal. Her Chicago performance experience includes Schubas Tavern, Uncommon Ground, Cobra Lounge, and participated in the 26th Jeff Buckley Annual Tribute Concert. 

Ben Sievert has been playing the guitar since the age of 12, honing his skills through years of study with private instructors and performing in multiple bands. With a deep understanding of music theory, music history, and the intricacies of both acoustic and electric guitars, Ben brings extensive knowledge of music equipment and maintenance to his teaching.

His passion for guitar-based genres spans rock, blues, jazz, and classical, enabling him to teach a wide variety of styles and techniques. Ben is dedicated to customizing lessons to meet each student's individual goals and needs, while maintaining a structured approach to ensure that fundamental musical concepts are mastered. He welcomes students of all experience levels and musical interests.

Noah Renken-Kapatos currently serves as a College Lecturer at Illinois State University, a Continuing Education Instructor at Heartland Community College, Music Composer, Performing Musician, Recording Artist, Freelance Audio Engineer / Music Producer, and as a Private and Group Music Instructor at Hip Cat Music School. ​​​​​​​

At Illinois State University he teaches CTK: 204 - Music Foundations for the School of Creative Technologies. This course is designed to teach fundamental music theory concepts through the piano roll of a DAW instead of a traditional piano, touches on key developments in contemporary music history (1980s-Present), and teaches how to properly orchestrate a musical composition with multiple layered electronic instruments. Noah personally developed this curriculum. He has extensive music theory knowledge through his years of student teaching and now professionally instructing at three different institutions. He has written, recorded, and self produced 6 albums/EPs, various musical singles, and have been a performing musician for 10 years. Noah believes that education can be fun and enjoyable by actively tailoring lessons to the student's interests through engaging and thoughtful instruction. 

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Jackson Miller has a degree in classical guitar performance from Illinois State University. While at ISU he was a teaching assistant, taught community guitar lessons at Heartland Community College, and performed in a variety of solo and chamber music settings. With a percussion background, Jackson has also taught high school drumline. Jackson is a busy gigging guitarist, playing weddings, cabarets, the occasional jazz night and is heavily involved with musical theater having played guitar (and occasionally percussion) in over forty productions. With a diverse musical background, Jackson can teach a variety of approaches to the guitar and makes sure his lessons are tailored to each student.

Bella Mitcheff is currently pursuing a degree in Music Education at Illinois State University. She has over a decade of experience as a vocalist and flutist and has played guitar and ukulele for many years. Bella has been singing as a soprano since she was a young girl. She has been a part of many ensembles over her musical career. She was involved in the Young Naperville Singers at age 12 and continued with concert choir, madrigals and vocal Jazz in high school. Bella also participated in many musical productions including Legally Blonde, Newsies, and Mama Mia. At ISU she has continued to pursue her musical passions both inside and outside of school. She has been a part of Belle Voix, an all-treble chorus and Concert Choir, a mixed chorus at Illinois State University. She challenges herself to explore the nuances of singing in a non-classical setting with the group On the Brink of Normal, a mixed acapella group. Bella has been a major part of this organization for 3 years and was the president of this organization for 2. She enjoys connecting her passion for singing to all different musical genres in a healthy and beneficial way.