Dane Farley
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Music Director
Dane is a guitar teacher, touring performer, and music producer with over a decade of experience. He has played many styles of rock, metal, progressive, and indie music, experimenting with a wide variety of instruments including 7 and 8 string guitars. Beginning his musical journey at only nine years old, Dane began learning about songwriting alongside performance, touring with original music by the time he was sixteen.
Dane has played in a number of bands, both original and cover, and played over two hundred shows. Dane has also written and produced hundreds of songs and soundtracks, a number of which have had international listeners. As a teacher, Dane has worked extensively with instructing both technical skill on the guitar and understanding the concepts of music past simple song memorization. Dane has experience with students as young as five years old, and has worked with students on the spectrum. Dane is very excited to be working with students at School of Rock Beacon, NY, where he hopes to see the community of performance grow.
Alyssa Warner
Singing Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Alyssa is a musical theater performer, singer, and dual degree graduate from William Paterson University in Music Business and Vocal Performance. She started studying music in elementary school within the Beacon City School District, playing both Trumpet and French Horn, and singing in chorus. She continues to explore various vocal styles including classical, opera, musical theater, rock, pop, jazz, and punk rock.
Alyssa has experience producing and directing shows, including projects with the Metropolitan Opera, the Concerts for Young People Series with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and an 80s Rock Concert Fundraiser which featured Daryl McDaniels from Run DMC and MTV VJ Mark Goodman. Alyssa has taught voice and keys for several years and is excited to be a part of the School of Rock Beacon team!
Greg Enkler
Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Greg spent the majority of the last 20 years playing bass in various Hard Rock and Metal bands in Austin TX. Having had the opportunity to open for bands like Anthrax, The Misfits, Type O Negative, Slayer, Staind, Machine Head and many others over almost two decades, he has ample experience performing live in front of crowds small and large.
Along with playing bass, his first instrument was drums, and he’s stayed with both instruments over the years. Learning in his basement and keeping up with drummers in bands kept him on his toes over the years.
Jared Nelson
Drum Teacher
Jared is a drummer, guitarist, and music producer based in New York’s Hudson Valley. He has been playing drums since he was 9 years old and graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a degree in Jazz drum set performance. During his undergraduate career, Jared became one of the most sought after drummers in the Mid-Hudson region, performing all over the area with a multitude of musical ensembles including loud and fast punk bands, middle-eastern psychedelic rock, blues power trios, large funk outfits, small jazz combos, pit orchestras, and pop cover acts. Jared recently completed a month-long tour in Belgium with Upstate New York blues legend Jonny Monster. Though he has dabbled much in jazz and funk, Jared’s roots are deep in the Rock world, drawing most of his early influence from bands like Led Zeppelin, Green Day, The Clash, The Doors, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. After teaching informally for several years, Jared is excited to be a drum instructor at School of Rock in Beacon NY.
Ryan Perrone
Keyboard Teacher
Ryan Perrone is a multi-instrumentalist with an extensive background of jazz theory and improvisation training. He has been playing the piano since he was 5 years old and has picked up trombone, trumpet, and sousaphone along the way. He received his degree in Jazz Performance at SUNY New Paltz. Ryan is in multiple performing groups with stylistic genres such as funk, R&B, jazz, rock, reggae, and countless others. Thanks to Ryan’s experience with many instruments, he brings a unique perspective to School of Rock Beacon NY students.
John Smith
Guitar Teacher
A born and bred New Yorker, John Smith’s musical journey began with the award-winning jazz big band at Martin Van Buren H.S., Queens, NY. From there he went on to study performance and education at Five Towns College and Long Island Univ. (Brooklyn Center) on a full scholarship. He has studied with Chuck Loeb, Ted Dunbar, Kevin Eubanks, Doc Powell, Rick Stone and Bob Mintzer.
John is a much sought after guitarist, producer, composer and arranger that has worked in the music industry for over 20 years. He has performed and worked with many gospel and R&B artists including: Heavy D., Dr. Jonathan Dubose Jr., Christian Jazz Saxophonist Mel Holder, Inger Reid, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Gary Anglin, CCC Music Group, Youthful Praise, Chrisette Michele, Vanesa Bell Armstrong and Baby Face, to name a few.
Performing worldwide, he has toured Europe and had the prestigious opportunity to play before the Pope in Bologna.
John has played in small intimate venues as well as to audiences of 300,000 presenting the same powerful, magnetic prowess that is his guitar playing. John’s talents have taken him to Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Beacon Theater and the world famous Apollo Theater.
As the current Minister of Music for Faith Baptist Church in Hempstead, NY, he uses his gifts and talents to continuously build the music ministry. Working alongside his father and Pastor, the world renowned gospel music great, Rev. Joe L .Brown, John understands the significant role music plays in the Christian church. Prior to joining his father at Faith, John was Music Minister at Faith Exchange located in the bustling Wall Street area of New York City. Under his spiritual leadership and God’s guidance, the worship ministry grew from just 3 members to 27 members.
Whether he is playing with a full band, accompanying a choir, praise ensemble or doing a solo acoustic set, John’s musical presentations are explosive, and inspirational.
David Richman
Drums Teacher
David Richman is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, and has played professionally since 1989 on thousands of gigs with bands of all stripes: rock, jazz, heavy metal, lounge, punk, fusion and who knows what else. David is perhaps best known for his drumming with the Original Punk Rock Heavy Metal Karaoke band, a much-loved New York institution, enjoying a 15-year run. In his capacity as drummer for the group, Dave has backed up everyone from rank amateurs dragged onstage from the bar to Ryan Adams, Britt Daniel (Spoon), Jimmy Fallon, Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think), Robbie Williams, Ween, the Beastie Boys and more. An accomplished studio drummer, Dave has played on album projects with Century Club, Ghostbound and Witch Taint. He is currently writing and recording with doom metal band St. Bastard and performing with popular 80s tribute band Rubix Kube. In lessons, Dave stresses fun while instilling necessary technique and timekeeping knowledge, along with drum and music history.
Benjamin Lieber
Drum Teacher
Benjamin is a multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter as well as a creative director for musicians and artists. He played in numerous national touring & recording acts, having done 8 full US tours & 10+ label-released studio albums. He has extensive experience in music business management and art direction for music release. First, the drummer from the Buffalo rock band, Head North, then to more recent years forming & fronting his own rock group, Marigold, on guitar and vocals. He's also run his own business as a creative director for bands & musicians the past 4 years, creating album artworks, music videos, and related visual accompaniments to artist’s releases.
Ursula Seymour
Singing Teacher
Ursula Seymour is a singer-songwriter hailing from Mount Kisco, NY. She has a true passion for performing and has never stopped singing. Ursula graduated with a bachelor’s of music in music business and studied vocal performance at NYU Steinhardt. In college, she was Assistant Music Director of the NYU Mixtapes, her competitive a cappella group that won ICCA Quarterfinals and earned an award for outstanding choreography. Ursula is also an a cappella arranger and coach. She loved being the resident music director and arranger of the Pelham High School AcaPelicans. They excelled and learned to become an independent student-led group and now perform gigs all around the state. Ursula is proud to be an arranger, and she creates innovative and fun a cappella arrangements. She tries to bring that spirit to the classroom as well. At International Ivy Enrichment Camps, you would find Ursula teaching her courses A Cappella 101 and Digital Harmony (how to create split-screen a cappella music videos). Ursula’s original music can be found on all streaming platforms. She writes, records, and produces her own tracks. An energetic spirit with an empathetic nature, Ursula sings with a soulful, delicate, and authentic sound.
John Newhall
Guitar Teacher
John Newhall is a musician from Newburgh, NY. He began singing in school at the age of six and started writing songs soon after. At the age of thirteen, he received an acoustic guitar for Christmas and finally put music to the songs he had written. While in high school, Newhall formed bands and began to gig locally on a regular basis. He then attended The College of Saint Rose and became more proficient in his craft, adding piano, bass and drumming to his repertoire. His music is influenced by a combination of music both past and present, including John Mayer, Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel. As a performer, Newhall has had many incredible opportunities, playing with artists such as Foreigner and Kidz Bop on historic stages including Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center and Lincoln Center. He hopes to make music he can enjoy playing while teaching others how to do the same.
Christopher Scanlon
Singing Teacher, Piano Teacher
Christopher Scanlon is a musical theatre performer, singer, pianist, and music instructor from Wappingers Falls New York. Christopher has been performing for over a decade and has been studying voice, piano, and musical theatre. Some of Christopher’s significant musical theatre roles were Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Bobby Strong from Urinetown, Pugsley Addams, Sam Carmichael in Mamma Mia, and Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. Christopher has also been involved in several collegiate-level choirs, performances at Bardavon Opera house and Carnegie Hall NYC, and has placed in several national vocal competitions. Christopher has been teaching voice and piano since the age of 16, has been actively pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance, and is excited to further share his passion for music with his students to help aid their musical journeys.
James Roberts
Guitar Teacher, Bass Teacher
A guitarist and bassist with a background in education and performance, and experience playing Classical, Jazz, Hardcore, Metal, Emo, Indie, Blues, Rock, Bluegrass, Country, Funk, Latin, Soul, and Experimental/Ambient/Noise music, James spent the first half of the 2000s touring the Eastern Seaboard and Midwest, playing every basement, VFW, concert hall, pool hall, festival, theater, and venue possible, opening for diverse acts such as Every Time I Die, Coheed and Cambria, Ween, Disco Biscuits, Nile, Lit, Powerman 5000, the Count Basie Orchestra, and Bill Monroe, among many others. In between road gigs, James hosted a popular open mic night for several years as MC and head of the house band at the storied Monopole in Plattsburgh, NY, and took any pickup and fill-in gig available to strengthen his musical repertoire. By 2008 James settled in Brooklyn and joined the then-flourishing experimental scene, and combined his education in classical and jazz bass with his improvisational and performance-based background. It is the combination of technical know-how and performance that underpins James’ educational approach.
Dominic Minasi
Guitar Teacher
From the time Dominic was little, music has always been part of his life. Dominic’s father, Dom Minasi was and still is a jazz and Avant Garde musician with his concentration in guitar. Despite his fathers hatred of Rock and Roll, as often happens Dominic found his way into rock music at a young age through classic bands (Kiss) and the realization that rock stars impress the girls. After many years of instruction and practice Dominic eventually became involved in music at his church, performing at weddings, parties, and other events, as well as working with their children’s classes putting together different performances for the teenagers special Sunday services. Since 2001, Dominic has played in multiple bands, performing in local gigs, writing, recording, and continues performing at Church on Sundays. Currently, Dominic has been recording and performing with his current band Peregrination, and sharing his skills at School of Rock Beacon NY.