P'Nut Johnson Bass Guitar Teacher
A DC native, Ricardo "P'Nut" Johnson began his musical journey on the bass in the fifth grade when he received his first instrument, a Sears electric guitar. He enjoyed the guitar but then he heard the bass in Rufus and Chaka Khan's "Sweet Thing" and from that point on he knew he wanted to be a bass player. Hearing of his new obsession, his uncle, a bass player in his own right, loaned him a bass and challenged him to see what he could learn by the time he got back from the road and the rest is history. During his years in the D.C. area, he played with various groups in a variety of styles. He played with the sensational vocal group Prim Degree, the cutting edge gospel group God's Creation, vocalist Gloria Brown and blues great Memphis Gold. In the 90s he toured Europe with the blues legend Memphis Gold. After years of playing onstage he decided to go get his music degree and attended the Music Tech College of Music, now called McNalley Smith, in Minneapolis, MN. After graduation he stayed in Minnesota for 10 years, where he was very active in the music scene and where he taught many aspiring musicians. He played with the blues group The HooDoo Kings, the 12-piece group Arayastone, the reggae mainstay Dred I Dred, the funk band Down with Gravity, jazz guitarist John Penny and a host of others. He is a consummate bass player and works at his craft continuously. In 2007 he attended Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey's Bass at the Beach and later that year he also attended Victor Wooten's Bass Nature Camp. He learned many things at these camps and has integrated them into his playing and teaching. Tired of the cold of Minnesota and homesick for the sights and sounds of D.C., he moved back to the area in 2011. He has played with a number of groups since being back and is happy to be a part of the School of Rock family.
Jessica Flores Studio Manager
Jessica Flores is the Studio Manager who keeps our school running smoothly and oversees the customer experience. In addition to her managerial skills, Jess has been a vocal teacher at a couple of Schools of Rock for many years and has also directed many shows at both School of Rock Silver Spring and School of Rock Vienna. She is well-versed in our programs and understands the School of Rock experience on a deep level and is always delighted to meet new students and their wonderful families.
On the music front, Jess began singing in elementary school, where she gave her first solo performance at the Pageant of Peace with her school choir in DC at age eight. In high school, she was always active in multiple choirs and the musical theater department. She then began classical voice training at Montgomery College, under the guidance of Molly Donnelly, and gained experience in a variety of styles ranging from classical to Latin jazz through multiple collaborations with the Montgomery College World Ensemble and Metropolitan Orchestra at MC. While at MC, she helped institute an outreach program with Wheaton High School, bringing the experience of performing with a professional band to kids who were just starting out in choir. She has also performed with the National Philharmonic Chorale and interned for their Summer High School Choral Program. Jessica is currently finishing up her undergrad at UMBC in Music Education with an emphasis in Choral Education. She performs regularly with her band, Tesla's Cat, where she gets to practice being a rock star. She believes that studying music is an integral part of building stronger communities and well-rounded citizens.
Kevin Dickel Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Kevin Dickel grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia playing guitar in his school’s jazz band and playing guitar and screaming in South Jersey’s hardcore band, Davy Crockett. When he’s not rigging amps and speakers together like Dr. Frankenstein, he can be found trapped in a never-ending game of fetch with his dog. Kevin’s favorite artists include Alkaline Trio, Dillinger Escape Plan, Queen, Black Sabbath, Sleep and SUNN O. Kevin currently plays bass in local cover band Earls of Kent. He provides material support for Philadelphia-based artists Holy Mountain and Hafsol, and publishes music under the moniker Church of Pain. He is a guitar and bass guitar teacher at School of Rock Ashburn.
Laura Bollettino Owner
After running three schools for over 12 years, Laura Bollettino has seen the transformative power of School of Rock programs literally manifest in the thousands of students who have crossed our threshold. Not only the owner, Laura has been a School of Rock parent and knows that feeling of amazement as you see your child blossom on stage. She also saw her girls grow in confidence, leadership and teamwork skills as they developed into amazing musicians throughout their School of Rock years and is so grateful they got to have this experience. In college she studied International Relations and Business and spent over 20 years in the corporate world until she and her husband Jeff heard the call of School of Rock. Now she gets to say her job is inspiring the next generation of musicians to find their voice and express themselves on stage and in life. To know Laura is to see her energy and passion for helping her students and staff grow not only as musicians, but as people too. She adores her "kids” and finds each of them to have their own special sparkle.
Manuel Medina keyboard teacher
Manuel is a Peruvian artist that has been living in the Washington D.C. area for the last 15 years. He began taking piano lessons in Peru at the age of 11 and majored in Music and Music Technology with a minor in Jazz Studies from George Mason University. He has been teaching music for the last 12 years. Besides composing and teaching music, he also writes short stories in Spanish and practices creative drawing.
Ben Caprio Drum Teacher
Ben Caprio began playing music when he was 7 years old. He started out on piano, and eventually switched over to drums when he was 11. He immediately found his passion in music, and hasn’t looked back since. He began writing songs when he was 16, and frequently writes original music with his band, Bluewreck. He has experience playing up and down the East Coast, and frequently works as a session drummer in and around D.C. He’s played some of the area's biggest venues including Union Stage, Jammin Java, Tally Ho Theatre, Rock & Roll Hotel, Pie Shop, and DC9.
When not playing drums, he can be found creating soundscapes on different synthesizers. He also sings, plays bass, and produces for different bands in the area. He has an intense passion for music, and loves to share his knowledge and experience with up and coming young musicians.
Travis Adams Music Director
As Music Director, Travis is in charge of all student programs, lessons, live performances, and both student and teacher development here in Vienna. Using his skills as a multi-instrumentalist and experienced teacher, Travis strives to build our students' confidence not just in music but in their every day lives. He holds degrees in both Entertainment Business and Recording Arts from Full Sail University (Orlando, FL). Travis's experiences and endless desire to become a better musician allows him to dig deep to bring a high level of energy and fun to all our lessons and groups at School of Rock.
Travis's journey through music started on the piano at age three, and by nine he had moved on to teaching himself guitar while taking private drum lessons from Bill Richards (Section Leader for The United States Army Band). Throughout high school, Travis marched in the snare line as well as sitting in on various instruments with his friend's bands as much as possible. He has since written, performed and recorded with a number of artists and has held various positions within indie record labels, radio, booking agencies and studios around the US.
Ian McCoig Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Singing Teacher
Ian McCoig is a musician specializing in the instruction of electric guitar, vocals, bass guitar, and audio engineering. An alumnus of Shenandoah Conservatory, Ian has carried a strong dedication to music since childhood. With nearly seventeen years of guitar experience and nine years of audio production experience, Ian looks forward to sharing his musical experiences with students of all ages.
Nate Ihara Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard Teacher, Singing Teacher
Nate comes to School Of Rock Ashburn with over 20 years of professional experience in the music industry. Beginning his journey with voice & piano at a young age, he quickly moved to saxophone, guitar, bass, and an array of other instruments.
Since then, Nate has performed for crowds numbering in the tens of thousands on some of the best stages around the country alongside acts such as Maroon 5, 311, Lifehouse, Billy Idol, Toto, and Reel Big Fish to name a few. In addition to his live performance experience, he has released multiple albums of his own and has both written and produced material with Papa Roach, Hollywood Undead, and members of SHAED.
Nate joined the team at School of Rock because (as he puts it) “The teaching model and the people here are so inspiring, and I get to use my experience from years of performing and recording to teach the next generation of musicians. Nothing feels better than to be able to give back to the music community and the future of music. I wish School Of Rock had existed when I was a kid!”
When he isn't teaching at School Of Rock, Nate runs a songwriting and music production company where he composes for TV, film, and commercials. When he isn't doing that you can likely find him on a nature walk, checking out some really cool bugs with his son.
Kevin Caldwell Guitar Teacher
Kevin Caldwell was born in Alaska and grew up the son of a U.S Army service member. He began his musical journey playing snare drum in grade school. Kevin moved to Italy in his 20s and created the #1 cover band “Sara’s Band” in Tuscany. After joining the U.S. Army in 2001, his cover band CX11230 won the U.S. Army’s MWR Battle of the Bands in Europe. Kevin became the lead sound engineer and a performer in the U.S. Army Europe Band & Chorus, performing all over Europe and other places from Moscow to Morocco. He has played in local cover bands in Maryland for the last 4 years. His favorite guitarist is Prince and he plays everything from ACDC to Elvis, and more.
Logan Sullivan Drum Teacher
Logan Sullivan is a drummer born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. As a part of multiple musical projects in both Arizona and Utah since he was twelve years of age, he's toured all over the west coast of the United States, picking up skills and styles from many different drummers in different genres along the way. Logan has taught private lessons for many years centered around the drummer's ability to be the most creative aspect of any band. He continues to do so on the east coast through the amazing program at School of Rock, having moved to Washington, DC at the end of 2021 to pursue other musical projects in the area.
Mike Bailey Drum Teacher
As a drummer, Mike Bailey has a background that our students would be silly not to take note of. Locally born and bred in Washington D.C., Mike is not only a drum instructor for School Of Rock but is also the founder of the independent label Potomac Records and was the backbone of 80’s rock icon & reality TV star Bret Michaels (lead singer of the band Poison) from 2014-2021. Having performed over 150+ shows per year with the Bret Michaels Band (and still getting calls for gigs) around the globe on 6 out of 7 continents, Mike has earned the his stripes in the music & entertainment industry for sure.
Mike is also a gear fiend with endorsements from worldwide drum-centric brands such as Pearl, Aquarian, Vater, and Groove Juice. Not only that, but he's also performed live on television for NFL half-time shows, NASCAR concert series, Fox & Friends Morning Live, MLB post-game performances, and Hollywood's Annual Christmas Parade (just to name a few).
We're stoked to have Mike and his wealth of drumming and performance experience here to offer our students at School Of Rock Ashburn!
Chase Albrecht Keyboard Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Chase is a multi-instrumentalist hailing from Hamburg, PA. He started playing guitar, drums, and keys at the age of 14. Since then he has exuded passion and love for all things musical. He has played in bands of different genres ranging from metal to pop. Chase now works as a professional songwriter. He brings that same passion and creativity to the classroom.