Terry Longhway General Manager, Show Director, Drum Teacher, 101 Director
Terry was born unto a world of music, and before he knew which way was up, he was listening to his Dad's Beatles and Hendrix albums, and dancing around the living room to Rod Stewart and The Average White Band. His Mom taught Guitar and Piano professionally, and her format for teaching young Terry these instruments would forge the musical philosophy, which he so passionately preaches today.
By the tender age of 10 Terry was soaking up every note from Led Zeppelin, Ozzy, KISS, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, and The Who, courtesy of his older cousins record collection. It was time for guitar lessons, and who else to take from than Mom! Well, in short, Mom demanded acoustic guitar, no pick, and "when the saints go marching in" because this was the proper way to learn to play guitar. However, Terry wanted electric guitar, loud amps, and Van Halen songs?! Seems the proper way to teach guitar, simply turned into the proper way for Terry to get frustrated, and bored! He pleaded...She dug her heels in. He quit and moved onto drums, which she didn't teach! .
Terry has spent the last 20 years playing drums, being in various rock and punk bands across the US, self-teaching himself guitar, bass, singing and songwriting, producing albums, and becoming one of the top-rated Rock Music trivia nerds on the planet. Oh yeah, he also got his engineering degree, worked in the business world for 15 years, and learned a heck of a lot about starting and running businesses. He has worked with kids in many different organizations including Junior Achievement and YMCA, and has two amazing boys of his own, ages 7 & 9.
One day, Terry had an epiphany! What if he combined his love for music, his passion for working with kids, and his business background and opened up Rock Music schools, using the teaching philosophy he pleaded to his mom about when he was 10?!
Terry now owns and manages four branches of the School of Rock, and on a daily basis works with the finest professional rockers who have dedicated their lives to music...collectively they give everything they have to teach, mentor, and help the next generation become the best possible musicians they can be. And we turn it up LOUD and play the best music ever made!! Not only because we love it, but because the more the kids love it, the more they will "practice", which is the true key for anyone to become the best musician they can be!
Ps. The good news is that despite his musical upbringing, Terry still loves his Mom very much...and she is proud that he is helping young people learn the joy of learning and playing music. But see Mom, I knew I was right :)
Ryan Fitzgerald Music Director & Instructor
Ryan Fitzgerald grew up in Dallas, TX and from an early age had music in his life coming from all directions. He would tag along to his grandfather’s barbershop quartet rehearsals, and enjoyed listening to both of his grandmothers play piano at family functions. Ryan was introduced to the guitar at an early age by hearing the hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s played by his father and several uncles. At home his parents often played music by Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, and The Who. It wasn’t long before there was a guitar in Ryan’s hand constantly. In fact, Ryan began practicing up to six hours a day and soon became an accomplished guitarist.
Ryan studied music at North Texas until he was drafted by The Polyphonic Spree to tour as their lead guitarist. The last ten years playing with the Spree has taken Ryan all over the world to share tours with the likes of David Bowie, Rooney, Grandaddy, The Danielson Family, and Interpol, just to name a few. Ryan has played in American festivals such as Bonaroo, Lollapalooza, College Music Festival, South by Southwest, and Coachella. Touring abroad has included Splendor in the Grass, Glastonbury, Summersonic, Gig on the Green, and many more. Television appearances include performances on the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, MTV Music Awards, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Las Vegas, and Scrubs. Ryan has also recorded music on such films as Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Thumbsucker. He has also been privileged enough to work alongside such producers as Tim DeLaughter, Eric Drew Feldman, and Jon Brion.
Ryan also sings, plays lead guitar, and writes for his own band, The Push. They are currently recording their first album.
Brent Engel Instructor - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals. Assistant Show Director.
Brent Engel joins the Dallas team as a multi-instrumental rock n' roll powerhouse. He has a rich history of playing music that dates back to his first memories. Brent is also the singer-songwriter-bandleader of "Here, In Arms", which plays regularly in the Dallas scene.
When not teaching or playing music, Brent runs sound at various venues around the Dallas area. When he's not doing that, he is probably talking about Bruce Springsteen or scouring the earth for the perfect addition to his extensive vinyl record collection!
Brent (also commonly referred to as "Juice" or "Tingle") has been with the School of Rock in Dallas for over a year and excels in private instruction, assistant show directing, and running the 101 program!
http://www.myspace.com/hereinarms
Zeke Martinez Instructor: Guitar, Drums, & Keyboards. Assitant Show Director.
The official Dallas School of Rock "WILD" card, Professor Zeke Martinez does a little bit of everything, and can't be stopped!
If we are The Muppets - he is our Animal. If we are Animal House - he is our Bluto. If we are Beavis & Butthead - he is BOTH!!
Zeke is a powerhouse of musical abilities which range from drumming excellence, to keyboards, guitar, bass, and vocals. In short he does it all. Zeke started playing as a very young child and his passion for music, practicing, and continuing to excel in ALL types of music clearly shows shows through. From Rock to Polka, From Metal to Country....Zeke plays in all kinds of live bands, has inspired students and the School of Rock for over a year, and has been an excellent assistant music director in several of our shows!
Only he could do his bio justice:
The professor simply loves music. He loves playing it, teaching it, listening to it, recording it....with whoever, wherever, and whenever.
Seth Falkner Instructor: Vocals & Guitar
Seth Falkner was raised in the boondocks of west Texas in the quaint little town of Ft. Davis. Thanks to his fathers wide variety of musical taste Seth developed a thirst for music at a very early age. Whether it was the sultry voices of Billie Holiday and Etta James or the soaring screams of Robert Plant and James Hetfield, he just couldn't get enough. Vocals and guitar became a passion!!
He started playing and singing cover songs around campfires with friends and playing open mic nights in neighboring towns. At the age of 18 Seth began writing his own music.
Eager to get things rolling Seth moved to Dallas in 2001. He attended Media Tech Institute for recording arts and quickly obtained a staff engineer position at Maximedia Studios in Farmers Branch.
At Maximedia, Seth spent three years engineering and producing for local dallas artists of all genres and absorbing some of the most talented musicians and producers that the world has to offer including Mary J. Blige, The Jonas Brothers, and Demi Lovato.
Seth also took the role as the house vocals "vox box" being featured in songs ranging from rock to hip-hop.
Seth is the proud front man and co-founder of the high energy rock/funk band Dirty Little Mouth, which plays the DFW scene regulary!
www.myspace.com/dirtylittlemouth
Bristen Lee Phillips Instructor: Guitar & Bass
Bristen was born in Abilene and raised around Amarillo and Lubbock. Some say there’s not much in the panhandle of Texas except the vast expanse of open plains, the big blue-sky overhead, the wind and the dirt that comes with it, and Buddy Holly. In the midst of all that endless horizon sparks a creative imagination that seems to come with the territory. West Texas is as diverse a place as there is. Where you can catch Joe Ely and The Clash on the same bill. The combination of country music, classic rock and the budding MTV generation (back when they actually played music) made for a few interesting decisions in Bristen's life. It didn’t matter what style of music it was, the guitar was calling!
After several garage sale acoustics, hours of frustration and a few George Strait songs, Bristen was given a grey fender Stratocaster by his father on his fourteenth birthday and the world of rock n roll was opened up. Anything from Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin, Green Day to Bush. Power chords and distortion dominated his high school years. After a brief run as a college basketball player and art major, Bristen answered the call of a long time friend to pick up the bass and join the indie-rock band Fly, Mordecai, where a whole new genre of music was opened up and he became influenced by bands like The Appleseed Cast and Explosions in the Sky. This melodic sweeping form of music was a perfect fit for a kid who is used to wide-open spaces. But, it was all short lived and Bristen soon found himself in Dallas, trying to immerse himself in the indie scene, when he found Odis. With a big voice, wild electric guitars, a thumping rhythm section, and pop sensibilities, Odis became the perfect testing ground for experimenting with different sounds and styles. Erykah Badu, The Toadies and Tripping Daisy made their way onto the ever-growing list of musical influences.
From Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys to Dr. Dre, Bristen understands the need for artistic expression and the individual voice, and that hard work and a big heart are the truest ways to get there. He has made it his work to share all he knows and to always remain a student himself.
myspace.com/flightofthemordecai
Keith Naylor Instructor: Guitar, Bass
Keith Naylor was born in New Mexico and raised in Midland, TX. Though he developed a love for music at birth, it was not until the age of 10 that he found his father's acoustic guitar buried in a closet. From that point on Keith began teaching himself all that he could by trying to learn songs and riffs that he heard on the radio. He loved listening to bands such as Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, etc. Though the first few years consisted mostly of noise and poorly attempted Metallica riffs, Keith eventually progressed and became more serious about his musical studies. With the help of his high school band instructors, he was accepted to the University of North Texas School of Music in 2003.
For the next six years Keith studied classical and jazz guitar performance (and briefly Chemistry/Pre-Med) at the university under renowned guitarists, including Fred Hamilton. It was also at the university where he learned other instruments like keyboards, bass, and vocals. While the majority of those years were spent at school, in his spare time he started to run live sound at various clubs in Denton and learned the ins and outs of the Dallas music scene. His curiosity led him to meet and play with many artists, including his current band, Trebuchet, in 2006. Currently, Keith is in the studio recording Trebuchet's second full length album.
http://www.myspace.com/trebuchetband