Staff

Ben Richards Music Director, Guitar instructor

Ben Richards' guitar work in SLC bands such as Slapdown had him opening for national acts like Everclear, Voodo Box and Liquid Soul. Ben is currently playing in two popular nightclub bands and has an original project called Gold Standard. Ben is one of our most popular, skilled and results-oriented teachers.

Tony Ollerton General Manager

Tony is a board certified music therapist, specializing in working with at risk youth and individuals dealing with addictions. In addition to working with the School of Rock, Tony is a director with the Center for Expressive Therapies in Salt Lake City.

Trevor Alder THOR - Bass instructor, Show Band Director - On his way to BERKLEE in May :(

Trevor grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and stared his music career on guitar at age eleven. A year later through an executive and democratic decision with bandmates, be moved to bass. He has sat in with all ages and all types of musicians, experimenting with all genres. Trevor has played bass for the bands Mississippi Leghound, Doc Johnson, First Citizen, and The Del Preston. We are fortunate that Trevor moved to Utah in 2007. He currently plays with the band Royal Abbey. Peeps around the school call Trevor Thor or sometimes Zeus. We can always auction him off in a fundraising crunch, "win a date with Thor."

Van Christansen Drum Instructor

Van Christensen has 27 years of drumming experience. He is known around town as "Vanimal" and has the reputation of being a human drum machine. He has toured nationally with Hello Amsterdam and regionally with Purdymouth. He has shared the stage with many well-known bands including THE STROKES and SMASHING PUMPKINS. Van is a professional through and through and feels at home on any stage, in the studio and in the class room. Van has been a proud member of the School of Rock staff for almost two years now. As well as being a fantastic drum instructor, he has also been a mentor and a positive role model for the kids.

Ed Dillon All Star director, guitar instructor, show director, graduate program director, guitar orchestra

A guitarist of many compositional styles, Ed grew up performing in hard rock and metal bands, studied composition, synthesis, classical guitar and jazz improvisation at Berklee, middle eastern music in Athens and Dubai and now also performs acoustic music. He has taught for seven years and joined the School of Rock in 2007, teaching electric guitar technique, performance skills, theory, as well as directing seven (and counting) student shows, including the Who, Rolling Stones, Metallica, One Hit Wonders, Pink Floyd and Van Halen. He is also an active music transcriber and has composed electroacoustic music for film as well as games.

Terence Hansen Guitar God, Little Rock director

Terence Hansen is an inspirational guitar player on many levels. His technique is sublime and his enthusiasm is infectious. Terence's style is unique because he plays to guitars at the same time while singing. His album Songs For Two Guitars is a showcase of his songwriting and performance skills in this context. The first album of it's kind, all the instruments (except the drums) on Songs For Two Guitars were performed using tapping technique, bass and rhythm guitar are by the left hand, lead guitar, piano, strings, organ, electric piano, etc. are tapped by the right hand guitar layered with a guitar synthesizer. Terence is also comfortable on the acoustic guitar, as it is spotlighted on his album Live Acoustic Solo in the Netherlands. Terence has performed all over the U.S. and Europe with artists such as Human Rights, Robert Palmer, Jennifer Batten, Fates Warning, Jonathan Edwards, Keith Urban, Morgan Cryer, and Gary Hoey. Terence has also been a columnist for JAM Magazine, songwriting coach for Singing For Success '03 '04, mentor for Season for Non-Violence song camp '07, musical director for Progressive Insights guided meditation/relaxation program, film scorer for the full-length feature film NightFall, played on and produced scores of records, commercials, bands, and poets.. Terence has also worked as a music recreation director for people with developmental disabilities and as a private guitar instructor.

Terence has presented product and educational clinics for: Lexicon, Digitech, Stephens Amps, Starsmith Music, Musicians Friend, Abel Axe Guitars, Singing For Success, and the Music Factory.

www.myspace.com/terencehansen

Julia Hollingsworth Performance Coach

Having enjoyed a successful career in the music industry, Julia Hollingsworth now turns her attention to the growing population of
aspiring artists in Salt Lake City. Four years ago, she started a company whose main focus was teaching performance. Taking the
aspiring musician, vocalist, songwriter, etc out of the classroom and onto the stage. Teaching basic technique and tools of how to create energy on the stage and engage your audience while having the best time of your life. After creating a pool of performance ready artists, Julia began the process of artist development, booking and limited managing. Many of her students have gone on to have lucrative careers in the music world, locally and regionally. Her teaching extends internationally but her favorite place to teach is right here at home, at the Paul Green School of Rock.

Matt Howitz All around nice guy, office assistant, drum instructor

Shut up and play the drums....and bring him food.

Alex Leota Drums/Office Manager, show coordinator for all things metal

Look for the individual with the coolest hair, that will be Alex. Also look for the one that you think would bite your head off. His death stare is worse than his bite.
His talent, he beats the drums like none other. Also has sweeeeet pipes.

Zakk Newsom Guitar, resident Rock Star, show director

Resident Rock Star, enough said.

Eric Openshaw Guitar, 101 director

Guitar and bass teacher Eric Openshaw describes Salt Lake City as an “incredibly uneventful place to grow up.” Eric has been teaching at PGSORM since June 2007. He was lucky enough at age nine to see B.B. King play and cites that as first memorable musical experience. He says he likes teaching at rock school because it enables him to “put together the free floating theory I know and still manage to teach it to kids.” He is currently in The Eric Openshaw Band. He said his most embarrassing moment on stage was when he played piano and sang at a gig because, “I’m not very good at piano.” He would love to be able to write music like Bob Dylan. If he could hang out with any musician he’d choose Brian Eno. (Brian Eno’s work is too expansive to sum up here. Wiki him kids!) “I want to know how his minimal ideas and collaborations become so successful and how he is able to evolve with the changing music scene.”

Lynette Owens Vocals, Keyboard

Carnegie Hall’s packed house gave a 10-minute standing ovation and welcoming shouts when
Lynnette displayed her virtuosity soloing with the New England Symphony and a 300-voice chorus in Mozart’s Requiem and Vesperae solennes de confessore. She has thrilled audiences and critics alike with her “velvety, caressing” voice singing with symphony orchestras and opera companies internationally “exhibiting her talent with difficult trills, melismas and ringing high notes.” Her operatic performances have included diverse roles such as Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème, and the Countess in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with the Rome Festival Opera, Lady MacBeth in Verdi’s
MacBeth and Nedda in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci with Amici Opera, Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte with Utah Opera Studio Artists, Fortuna in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with Utah Opera and the musically the demanding role of Maliella in The Jewels of the Madonna with Amici Opera. She has received acclaim for her concert soloist performances including Utah Symphony’s New Years in Vienna and several of Utah Symphony & Opera’s Singin’ in the Park and Summer Serenade concerts, Brahms’ Requiem, Handel’s Dixit Dominus, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and numerous performances of Handel’s Messiah, singing with organizations such as the Rome Festival Opera, Utah Symphony & Opera, Amici Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Sarasota Opera, MidAmerica Productions, the American West Symphony and the Da Camera Choir and Symphony of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Secily Sanders Guitar instructor, show director, Park City show director

Chris Stevenson guitar, coordinator

Former West Coast All Star, guitar sub, expert performer, king of all coordinators, theory nerd, nice to his parents and oh yes, he plays the guitar like he was born to do this; and we are pretty sure he was.

Erik Sumner vocals, keyboard

Erik started teaching vocals, keys and drums in June 2008. He likes being a positive inspiration to the kids. Maybe Erik's big personality comes from the fact that he was an Air Force kid who grew up everywhere including, Germany, Ohio, Virginia, England,Alabama and Boston. Erik's first memory of music was singing along with the radio at a
young age (4, 5, 6) and realizing he'd sung the wrong note. "I decided from then on to be
serious about it, to listen and sing on pitch." If Erik could hang out with any musician he would choose the Franco-Flemish composer Josquin des Prez (1455-1521) the first master of the high Renaissance style of polyphonic vocal music (Wiki him kids! See the woodcut!). Erik said, "I feel we would have some compatible approaches to melding musical creativity to psycho-spiritual preoccupations." You go Erik.