Ilya
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Ilya was born in Abakan, Russia and moved to the U.S. at age seven. He grew up in a musical family —both his parents and grandparents were professional musicians and music teachers— and studied classical guitar and clarinet, performing with school jazz programs in middle and high schools. He performs with a variety of acts around town as a guitar-for-hire in styles including flamenco, country and symphonic metal, and recalls his earliest musical influence as Dimmu Borgir. He is a guitar teacher at School of Rock Bellevue.
Matt
Drum Teacher
Matt was born and raised in suburban Chicago and received instruction in classical, jazz and marching music as part of a BA from University of Illinois. He toured and recorded throughout college and afterwards around the Chicago area with punk-funk, singer-songwriter and retro-glam projects before moving to Seattle. He currently fronts a spacey punk band. He is a drum teacher at School of Rock Bellevue.
Heather
Singing Teacher
Heather was born and raised in New York, where she grew up playing piano and studying theater and music in college. She spent 10 years in Australia before moving to Seattle to be closer to family. Although she enjoys all kinds of musical styles, she is particularly fond of Blondie and Pat Benatar. She currently fronts a local cover band on vocals and she loves dogs, Chipotle and hot yoga. She is a vocal instructor at School of Rock Bellevue.
Jonathan
General Manager
Jonathan spent 16 years working in higher education, teaching theatre and overseeing musical theatre programs at several prestigious institutions, including academies in Oslo, Norway and Fredericia, Denmark, before relocating to Washington to take over as Bellevue's GM. He has authored books on audition technique and branding for artists, and he is the former President of the Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance.
Taylor
Guitar Teacher
Taylor started taking guitar lessons when he was 12 and was hooked from day one. He played in a Punk Rock cover band throughout high school and a Classic Rock cover band in college. He's currently the lead guitarist in the melodic death metal band Vesuvian. His big influences are Sabaton, Amon Amarth and Dimmu Borgir. His guitar hero as a kid was David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. He is also a guitar tech for several local bands and owns his own business doing set-ups and repair.
Peter
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Alum of School of Rock in St. Paul MN, Peter is a multi-instrumentalist and recording artist. Peter attended Berklee College of Music where they studied electric bass and music production. They have played in countless bands across genres from funk/soul groups to psych-rock bands and jazz ensembles. Peter's latest solo album was released on local label Youth Riot Records. When they aren't playing and recording music, Peter likes to fix tape recorders, visit record stores, and study circuit design. Peter is a bass and guitar teacher at School of Rock Bellevue.
Jax
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Jax is a former student of School of Rock Bellevue and now teaches guitar, bass, and drums. While he was in the program, he participated in Houseband and performed at events such as Summerfest, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, and the School of Rock Shred Contest. Outside of the School of Rock, Jax has played a wide variety of gigs - everything from country cover bands to the pit of a musical production – and enjoys writing originals in his free time. His favorite artists include Stevie Wonder, Obscura, Guthrie Govan, Thank You Scientist, Meshuggah, Cynic, Queen, and Plini.
Jacob
Singing Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Jacob is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Indiana. He began singing in choirs from a very young age performing in large-scale church productions, school plays, and with garage bands from school. He attended Indiana University earning a BA in Art & Sound Design, taking classes at Jacob’s School of Music in guitar, electronic music composition, songwriting, and jazz.
Most recently, Jacob has been involved in scoring award-winning short films and podcasts in the indie circuit produced by Salmon House Art Collective, a remote group of working creatives he formed in college. When he isn’t playing music, Jacob enjoys spending time in nature with his family and friends, trying new foods, and chilling out big dog style.
John
Drum Teacher
John has been playing the drums since 1999. In high school he played in a garage rock band as well as his school’s symphonic and jazz bands. Since then, John has played in a few different bands and various open jams in the Seattle area. One of his most memorable musical experiences was hosting community jam sessions in Tecate, México in 2016.
He is fluent in Spanish and taught for about five years at bilingual immersion schools in Seattle and Tacoma. Some of John’s favorite musical genres are death metal, surf rock, and psychedelic cumbia. He is also a visual artist and enjoys painting murals and building sculptures. John is a drum teacher at School of Rock Bellevue.
Kristin
Singing Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Kristin (they/them) has a bachelor’s in psychology and is pursuing a master’s in music education at the University of Washington. Musical influences and interests include David Byrne, Chick Corea, Jeff Parker, Elizabeth Cotten, Wendy Carlos, Brittany Howard, and others. Kristin writes and records original music on their Moog CDX-0652. Kristin teaches voice and keyboard at School of Rock Bellevue.
Jacob
Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Jacob is a native Washingtonian and a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. The drums are his main instrument and he has been a part of Alisa Amador's band (winner of the 2022 NPR Tiny Desk Contest) for over five years. His debut EP of 6 original songs, "Game of Life," features him on piano, taking inspiration from Bruce Hornsby, Norah Jones, and Noah Gundersen. Jacob has been teaching private lessons for over five years and he loves the opportunity to inspire and invest in students of all ages. His teaching philosophy aims to help each student preserve their own creative voice and enjoy the journey of growing as a musician.
Kate
Studio Coordinator
Kate was raised on an island in the Pacific Northwest but possesses none of the interest in the outdoors that such an upbringing would suggest. She prefers indoor pursuits and has a bachelor's degree in theater arts with a minor in music. Kate has worked as an assistant for talent on television shows and films and worked on the social media and digital section of KIRO 7 News. She is also the writer and performer behind several sketch comedy shows for Upright Citizen's Brigade including her one-lady Masterpiece Theatre parody, "Murder Abbey." "Murder Abbey" was named one of the top Downton Abbey parodies in The Daily Beast and called a "cri-de-coeur" by Slate. Most recently, Kate worked as a drama teacher for Studio East in Kirkland.
Tom
Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Tom is a retired Boeing employee as well as a Naval veteran. He's been playing drums since he was in first grade and guitar since his teenage years. Now, post-retirement, he teaches at School of Rock Bellevue to share his love and passion for music with newer generations of musicians. You can often find Tom in the school lobby, offering mentorship and impromptu "lessons" to students as well as to School of Rock staff! His musical influences include Steely Dan and Jeff Beck.
Luke
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Luke was born in Detroit and grew up in Fort Wayne, IN. He studied electric bass at the Atlanta Institute of Music and graduated in 2017. He then moved to Seattle to rejoin a touring metal band. In addition to being a bass guitar teacher and a guitar teacher at School of Rock Bellevue, Luke currently plays in various casino bands and hosts a weekly house jam.