Daniel G. Driskell - Piano, Guitar, Woodwinds, Music Theory

Daniel Driskell (“Mr. D”) started piano lessons at age 7 and actually despised lessons and recitals for a very long time.  He was forced to continue lessons and eventually fell in love with music.  He received formal instruction at the University of South Alabama – B.M. Piano Performance and Florida State University – M.M. Piano Pedagogy.  Some of his greatest teachers and inspirations in music have been:  Alicia Lutrell, Elizabeth Petro, Ellen Marsh, Owen Middleton, Dr. Robert Holm, Dr. Victoria McArthur, Ann Garee, Dr. Denise Von Glahn and Dr. Read Gainsford.  Mr. Driskell has performed many solo piano concerts including music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Dello Joio, Bolcom, Crumb, Prokofiev, and other great composers.  He has also arranged and composed many pieces for piano, guitar, flute, clarinet, saxophone, string ensemble, brass ensemble, symphony band, and other small ensembles.  Mr. Driskell has taught students of many different ages and ability levels encouraging excellence in solo music, ensembles, theory, and music of all styles.  He recently worked as a professor of music at University of South Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.  In 2012 he met Chris Paragone and they formed the Azalea City Center for the Arts. Mr. Driskell owns the Full Scale School of Music in this building where students can come and learn from many excellent teachers in the Mobile area. He is also the band director for St. Luke’s Episcopal School, music director for Our Savior Catholic Church, and performs music with the Chickasaw Civic Theater, Joe Jefferson Playhouse, University of South Alabama, Sunny Side Theater, Mobile Theater Guild, Baker High School, and University of Mobile.  

Daniel Driskell is happily married to Amy and they share three beautiful children  – Dylan, Zoey, and Xander.         

Angela Rayburn - piano

Raised in Kentucky in a family of musicians, Mrs. Angela has been playing music since the age of 4.  She was classically trained in classical piano music from the age 6 to 23.  In her 20s she embarked on a journey into gospel, contemporary and light jazz as she performed in restaurants and clubs in various cities.  Mrs. Angela has been teaching for 16 years.  Prior to moving to Mobile with her husband in 2008, Mrs. Angela had a busy teaching schedule in the Boston area with a studio of 40 students and a waiting list. 

Mrs. Angela is always trying to challenge her students to learn from the classics and the standards while also exploring their own creativity.  Her students are often involved in:  writing a musical, playing classical pieces as well as contemporary folk and rock, playing musical games, telling a story, and composing their own music.  Mrs. Angela loves working with our 3 -5 year old students in a musical immersion class called "rhythm rocks."  She is certified in the "Robert Pace" method, " Music Together" and has studied with Pat Pattison and Gary Burton at the Berkeley school of music in Boston.Mrs. Angela says that "the most rewarding aspect of teaching music is getting to know each individual then helping them best express the music they care about."  

Shane Philen - saxophone, band instruments, theory, and composition

A GRAMMY® nominated and DOVE® award winning performer, Mr. Philen has devoted his skills and experience as a performer, arranger, composer, producer, clinician and adjudicator since 1992. He is also active in the recording industry as a session artist for LiveHorns.com, a recording company that allows artists and songwriters to include a real, “live” horn section to any recording project.

Mr. Philen has been featured with Big Daddy Weave, Travis Cottrell, Johnny Diaz, 4Him, Natalie Grant, Group 1 Crew, Karen Fairchild (Little Big Town), Gloria Gaynor, Philip Lassiter, Dan McMillion Jazz Orchestra, Mandisa, Marvin Sapp, the Moscow Sax Quintet, The Temptations, TRUTH, Veggie Tales, Hezekiah Walker and Ayiesha Woods. His arrangements have been featured at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Legends in Concert, Jazz Education Network’s JEN Conference, Mobile Big Band Society, NBC Universal, Sony EMI, Integrity Media, and Bollywood Films.

He has also served as musical director for the Distinguished Young Women Program (formerly America’s Junior Miss), coordinator of the Mobile County High School Jazz Honor Band, and has performed with numerous ensembles, theatre productions, society events, cruise lines, and festivals such as Bayfest, Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival, Halifax Jazz Festival, Pensacola Jazz Fest, and Arts Alive.

Mr Philen plays and endorses exclusively the SAX DAKOTA TENOR SAX MODEL SDT-XG 505 at all live and recording venues and events.

David White - drum set and percussion

David White has had a love for music for as long as he can remember and has played drums since the age of nine.  His first “drum set” consisted of cardboard boxes played with Tinkertoys.  At the age of twelve, David received his first real set of drums for Christmas and after playing along with records for two years began taking drum lessons at age fourteen.   Studying under Dr. John Papastefan, David received a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of South Alabama before going on to study jazz at the University of North Texas under Henry Okstel and world-renowned jazz drummer Ed Soph.  In addition, David has also taken private lessons with jazz drumming great, Jim Chapin and funk drummer, Mike Clark.

In addition to teaching at Full Scale School of Music, David also teaches at the University of Mobile and Ellis Studios and performs regularly at Dahlia’s Electric Piano Hall and Dayspring Baptist Church. David has performed with the Port City Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony and more recently with the Mobile Symphony.  He has also played drums for many musical theater productions at the Joe Jefferson Playhouse and the Mobile Theater Guild and played in numerous rock, country, blues, jazz and big bands.  With these various musical groups, he has performed in ten states including Pennsylvania, New York and Texas.

Elizabeth Weaver - violin, cello

Elizabeth Weaver is an in-demand cellist based in Mobile. You can catch her in various orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the Gulf Coast. After graduating from the University of Mobile in 2013, she was the cello teacher for the award- winning Hattiesburg Strings Program for several years. During this time, Weaver played and collaborated with diverse artists such as Kygo, Drift into Black, and Bud McLean’s Mystic Gonzo Band, and in2017, formed her personal project A Baroque Girl. She is currently active in the Elsewhen Quartet and serves as the principal cellist in the Elsewhen Orchestra. In 2020, she graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Masters of Cello Performance.

Joshua Ward - guitar

Joshua Stephen Ward is a singer/songwriter from Mobile, Alabama. His music reflects a cultivated authenticity and optimism towards life. Josh loves to share his enthusiasm and talent with students each week at Full Scale.  He graduated from the University of South Alabama with a B.M. in guitar performance in 2006.  Josh enjoys playing and teaching a variety of music to students of all ages and ability levels. He also teaches at Modern Ensemble Music and performs throughout the region. Josh is currently working on his own album and can be seen performing original songs throughout the area.

Natalie Blackburn - violin, viola, cello

Natalie Blackburn is a wonderful and flexible musician who loves teaching and performing music.  While studying with master strings instructor Kurt Schuster she earned a chair in the violin section of the Evansville All City Honors Orchestra and the Indiana All State Honors Orchestra.  She also won a seat in the Indianapolis Symphony Youth Orchestra.  Mrs. Natalie graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Purdue University, where she met my husband, now a retired Air Force officer.  As we moved around the country, Blackburn had the opportunity to play for several well-known musicians and with a number of musical organizations.

While living in South Dakota, Mrs. Natalie played for the Rapid City Symphony Orchestra.  In this group she was privileged to perform on stage with Mel Torme, Henry Mancini and Red Skelton to name a few.  She also played in the Heartland Philharmonic in Omaha, Nebraska.  Mrs. Natalie is committed to serving and using her talents for worship and has even started orchestras at Heartland Baptist Church in Bellevue, Nebraska and Lake Ridge Baptist Church in Woodbridge, Virginia.  She fell in love with the South 10 years ago when their family moved to Chunchula.  Currently, Mrs. Blackburn is performing with the Baldwin Strings Orchestra, Mississippi Baptist Symphony Orchestra, and a string quartet.  She has  enjoyed teaching the violin around the country for nearly 35 years and also plays and teaches students on the piano, viola, cello and recorder.

Larysa Burgess - piano

Larysa Burgess was born and raised in Berdyansk, Ukraine on the shore of the Azov Sea. She Graduated from Zaporozhie State Music College and the Berdyansk State Institute of Pedagogy with Valedictorian Honors earning a Master Of Arts Degree. Mrs. Larysa went on to become a professor of music and choir at the Berdyansk State Institute of Pedagogy where she studied. She moved from Ukraine to Hawaii where she married and soon thereafter moved with her husband to Nacogdoches, Texas. Then they moved to Houston, Texas, and finally to Mobile, Alabama. Recently Mrs. Larysa became a member of the Mobile Music Teachers Association, the National Music Teachers Association, and the Mobile Piano Ensemble. As a piano teacher, Mrs. Larysa works closely with her students. She has a warm “hands on” approach that emphasizes the inflection of the music not just the notes. Full Scale is glad to have Mrs. Larysa Burgess teaching as a part of our wonderful team of teachers.