Chad Greenwald
Owner
Chad is so excited to be one of the owners of School of Rock Columbus, a dream that came to fruition after eight years. He plays in every genre of popular music today and has been lucky to share the stage with artists like The Roots, Lalah Hathaway, Keane, Talib Kweli, Othello Mollineaux, Joe Lovano, and Flogging Molly. Chad has also worked with members of Walk the Moon, OAR, Styx, Bad Company, Stevie Wonder, lan Hunter, Allen Stone, Bobaflex, the Exies, American Head Charge, and Bone Thugs 'N' Harmony.
Chad currently performs in an amazing regional cover band, Zack Attack. He also works with the Newark Granville Symphony, Central Ohio Symphony,
and Capriccio Vocal Ensemble. Chad made his Hollywood debut in the Fall of 2015 when he appeared in the film, Miles Ahead, starring Don Cheadle and Ewan MacGregor, with a soundtrack scored by Herbie Hancock and Robert Glasper. He also has three degrees from The Ohio State University, including Music Education, Jazz Studies, and Classical Performance (he also has a minor in Art History).
Chad is overwhelmed with gratitude for the amazing instructors and students of School of Rock Columbus.
Russell Miller
Owner
When drums called his name at age 10, Russell never thought he'd end up owning a music school with his best friend and long-time bass player, Chad Greenwald. School of Rock Columbus is many things to Russell: a place for learning, a place to grow confidence, a place for healing, a place for friendship, and a place for fun!
Russell is currently in the band Zack Attack and tours the Midwest each weekend. He has thousands of gigs under his belt and, somehow, his wife of 20 years still loves him. Russell has two children and a big dog. He has shared the stage with Warrant, Kings X, played with rapper Tone Loc many years ago, and represented Ohio in the 2006 Guitar Center Drum Off.
Russell believes that music has value, creates purpose, and grows us. He wants to fill the world with music and good—this is why we are here.
Stuart McGachan
General Manager
Originally from Scotland, Stuart is an accomplished guitarist, bassist, drummer, singer, and piano player. He holds a bachelor's degree in Sound Engineering from Abertay University. Stuart has played in many bands throughout the years, performing various styles of music, and taking on diverse roles within each band. He has toured internationally with We Were Promised Jetpacks, an indie/rock band from Edinburgh, Scotland. During his three years with the band, Stuart was an integral part of the writing and recording of their music and obtained valuable knowledge within the music industry.
Stuart has performed in front of thousands of people across Europe and North America, playing well-loved venues such as The 9:30 Club DC, Webster Hall NYC, The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, and Shepherds Bush, London. He has also toured with bands such as Death Cab for Cutie, Frightened Rabbit, and The Twilight Sad.
Stuart is honored to be General Manager of School of Rock Columbus and loves seeing so many kids and adults flourish in their musical journey.
Gordon Perkins
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher, Rookies Teacher, Little Wing Teacher
Gordon is originally from Columbia, South Carolina, and moved to Columbus to work as a full-time performer and to find opportunities in the Columbus music scene. He had his first guitar lesson at 7 years old followed by experience in middle and high school bands, which gave him an early foundation to deeply study music.
With a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in theatre, Gordon started his School of Rock career in Charlotte, North Carolina where he first taught guitar, bass, vocals, beginner keys, and Rookies classes. He also became involved in directing bands and teaching at a School of Rock summer camp. Also post-graduation, Gordon joined his first band, WAGS, which started in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
His favorite styles of music are blues, rock, jazz, funk, and bluegrass, although his appreciation and curiosity of all musical genres knows no bounds. Gordon is stoked to have Columbus be the place to revive his role as a School of Rock instructor!
Katy Olson
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Katy has been singing and rocking and grooving and shaking her whole life! She started her vocal training journey 12 years ago, and she is jazzed to join School of Rock Columbus as the Little Wings/Rookies program director and a Rock 101 vocal coach! Her favorite musical styles are jazz and musical theatre, and her favorite bands are twenty one pilots and ABBA. Even outside of singing, Katy loves to live creatively! She is an aerialist, an avid crafter, and an amateur pet photographer (although her only client is her cat, Olive). She can't wait to jam with you, so stop by and say hi! Just look for the singer with the rockstar hair!
Trebor Kershaw
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Trebor started taking piano lessons when he was 4 years old and started his path of being self-taught on instruments such as guitar, bass guitar, and drums when he was in middle school. Trebor has been in numerous bands, has performed throughout Ohio, and overall loves to play music and share it with others. Now that he is at School of Rock Columbus, he is excited to share his love for music and teach the ways of rock to all of his students!
Grant Gilliland
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Grant first began his musical journey at the age of 11, picking up the bass guitar at the insistence of a fellow guitar-playing friend. He began plucking away at songs on the radio until he got enrolled in his first real lessons with an instructor at a music shop in Dayton, Ohio. Grant eventually bought his own guitar as well and started making his own recordings at home, covering songs he liked as well as making originals.
Grant joined his first band in the eighth grade, playing bass in a local indie rock band. His weekends were soon filled with gigs at coffee shops, house parties, high school "Battle of the Bands" events, and VFW halls with some of the finest indie, hardcore, and punk bands from Dayton as well as touring bands from neighboring states. He played bass in two other bands in the hardcore/metalcore genre before shipping off to art school in 2001.
While earning his BFA in Illustration from The Columbus College of Art & Design, Grant spent a great deal of time going to shows and diving deep into many music genres that inspired him, mainly punk/hardcore/metal. His love of playing and rehearsing was replaced with CD and merch collecting, and very intent listening, especially since he didn't have a computer or a smartphone yet! Music was his primary source of entertainment and escape while working on his many painting, drawing, and design projects. Always returning to the bass and guitar in the summer, he developed several music projects with friends, writing original material and recording demos.
Since graduating, Grant played in three different bands in San Francisco, CA where he lived from 2005 to 2018. One band, in particular, gave him the experience of touring as well as opening for larger metal acts such as Anvil and Sabaton. During this time, Grant further developed his love for classic rock and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Saxon, and Motorhead. Nowadays, he can be seen playing guitar and doing vocals in the band DENIM COBRA. The band plays their own original songs in the hard rock/heavy metal genre. Since forming in May of 2021, the group has brought their loud Sabbath-like riffs and ZZ Top-like guitar moves to crowds at Spacebar, Dirty Dungarees, Big Room Bar, and 934 Fest.
Grant can also be seen in the halls of School of Rock Columbus, where he brings his enthusiasm for playing and performing to up-and-coming rockers of all ages!
Hailey Noll
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Rookies Teacher, Little Wing Teacher
Hailey Noll is a singer born and raised in Hilliard, Ohio! She has been singing and performing for over 12 years and is a graduate of Wright State University, where she got her BFA in Acting and studied voice for her entire college career.
Hailey was a part of all of her school choirs starting from the seventh grade and is a proud alum of the Columbus Children’s Choir! She also works as a stagehand at local concert venues around Columbus, where she gets to learn more about the technical side of putting on a show. You can also catch her as a party princess at Paulette’s Princess Parties.
On the weekends, Hailey works at the oldest non-profit movie theater in Columbus, The Drexel! She loves to spend her free time recording music in her home studio, watching movies, painting, and playing Zelda and Animal Crossing on her Switch! She loves being a part of the School of Rock crew and she can’t wait to help students explore new techniques to expand their musicianship!
Jen Short
Violin Teacher, Viola Teacher, Cello Teacher, Double Bass Teacher
Music has been a part of Jen's life since she was a wee baby. Whether it was dancing to the Boston Pops or singing Simon and Garfunkel with her dad, Jen always knew she wanted to be a musician. When Jen was introduced to the cello, that was it. She had found her best friend. Jen studied cello at The Ohio State University.
Jen has taught cello for over 25 years and loves being a teacher. Jen hopes to one day retire and have a lavender farm with many miniature animals. Currently, Jen has a flock of chickens, two cats, and two dogs.
Walter Engel
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Walter has been playing guitar for over a decade, and more recently he has been performing live and recording with an indie rock band called Soda Straw. He took private lessons for a few years from three different guitar teachers; this allowed him to learn a variety of styles and techniques on guitar. He was also in his school’s orchestra program for five years. During that time he played viola and composed his own original sheet music, eventually performing it live with a quartet (violin, viola, cello, bass).
Walter's influences on guitar range from classic rock legends to more modern alternative players. His broader musical influences include neo-soul, grunge, jazz, and blues. In middle school, he started recording his own music with both analog and digital technology. He recorded to 1/4” reel-to-reel tape, as well as a 4-track Portastudio cassette recorder. Later in high school Walter taught himself how to record on Ableton Live, and produced dozens of tracks, playing keyboards, and guitars, programming drums, and singing. After high school, he went to a recording school called Groove U where he learned how to work in a studio with an analog console. He also engineered recording sessions for a band at that studio. Walter can’t wait to get playing with you and make some great noise!
Daniel Hartman
Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Daniel hails from the sunny coast of Southern California where he began his musical journey. It was here that he began learning to play the drums and started to rock his way through Los Angeles. During this time, he played in multiple metal bands, punk bands, funk bands and rock bands at bars, parties, and local music shows around the greater Los Angeles area. He took his drum studies very seriously, often playing for up to three hours a day to improve, and even attending summer programs at the Berklee School of Music in Boston Massachusetts.
After Daniel graduated from high school he moved to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he began learning other instruments since his drum kit would not fit in his dorm room. He started by picking up the ukulele, then the bass, and finally the guitar. In his time at CU Boulder, he was the co-founder of the CU Jam Society, a student organization that organized an open jam forum for students in places around campus. He would frequently sit in on sessions on each instrument, but primarily on drums and bass.
After graduating from college with a degree in business administration, Daniel became "Mr. Hartman" as he moved to New Orleans to become a math teacher. In an attempt to surround himself with music, Daniel could be found at local shows around the New Orleans area every day of the week. He began focusing on his guitar playing and attempting to incorporate it into his teaching at his school.
Looking for a change of pace, Daniel moved back to Colorado where he joined an indie rock band as a bassist and began frequently playing shows around the Denver area. He helped compose a full album and learned over three hours of cover songs. He would also sing backup vocals and lead voice in many of the cover songs the band would perform live. Now, he lives in Grandview and is working on producing his own full album. He also is currently recording with another band in the Columbus area and frequently plays shows around the city.
Daniel is a very nice guy so feel free to say hi next time you see him!
Danny Kerr
Vocal Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Danny grew up in Marysville, attended OSU, and now lives in Columbus. Danny started learning the guitar at age 8 and performed at the Grand Old Opry with his high school show choir and at Nationwide Arena as a part of the choir for Andrea Bocelli.
Currently, Danny performs locally as an acoustic singer-songwriter, but he has played in bands with varying styles such as playing bass for a metal band in high school. He is super excited to work at School of Rock and have the chance to help students grow a love of music!
Sadie Storts
Vocal Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Sadie is a voice, guitar, and keys instructor at School of Rock Columbus. She is so excited to teach and share the musical knowledge she has learned in her own musical journey. Sadie currently attends the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, majoring in Commercial Music Production. Upon graduating, she hopes to make use of her degree in the music industry as a producer and singer/songwriter.
Sadie has experience working in large and small ensembles as well as performing in a solo environment. She volunteered for many years in numerous programs helping youth. Sadie understands the demands of the music industry including being a multi-instrumental musician and she is committed to the musical growth and journey of students at School of Rock. With her depth of knowledge in theory and the fundamentals of music as well as many years of training, Sadie is capable of teaching these skills and dedicated to helping students find their voice in the world of music.
Baylee Richardson
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Baylee is currently studying Vocal Music Education at Capital University and expects to graduate in 2025. She is from Massillon, Ohio and attended Perry High School.
Baylee has loved music for as long as she can remember and began singing at the age of 3. She was involved in band, choir, and theatre while growing up. She sings in the Chapel Choir, Philomel chamber ensemble, and Opera/Musical Theatre Workshop at Capital University. She also studies privately under Dr. Maryann Kyle and specializes in belting technique.
Baylee loves performing and is an avid fan of musical theatre, pop, and rock! She is excited to make music here at the School of Rock in Columbus, OH.
Aaron Joseph
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Aaron grew up in Columbus, Ohio. He was fascinated by music at an early age and knew he wanted to be a part of it. He started with guitar, then moved on to bass and violin. During this time Aaron realized he had a natural curiosity and talent for stringed instruments. He gravitated to the versatility of sounds and techniques one can build on the fretboard.
Out of high school, Aaron started working and playing guitar for Shadowbox Live from 2016-2022. He now plays in the Brian Clash Band and teaches guitar and bass at the School of Rock in Columbus. Aaron is very excited to help students reach their musical goals and grow as musicians!
Max Rubin
Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Max began piano lessons at 5 years old, studying classical music. After finding success in state and regional piano competitions, he began exploring other instruments and genres. Currently, Max performs as the lead singer and keyboardist for the rock band 5 Dollar Club and plays support roles for other acts as a keyboardist/vocalist. He is also finishing his degree at Ohio State University, with a major in finance and a minor in music performance.
Max loves listening to and performing all styles of music but has a soft spot for classical music and hard rock. Music means everything to Max, and he is thrilled to share what he knows with his students at the School of Rock in Columbus, Ohio!
Beau Brandon
Drums Teacher
Beau is inspired by rhythms found in the sounds of everyday life. He is never without his drum pad and sticks! (seriously, check his bag) With nearly 30 years of experience practicing and performing, he prides himself on understanding the discipline and dedication it takes to excel in musical performance and teaching.
In his early years, Beau deliberately worked on his craft through various music programs, including marching band and drumline, and attended workshops and private lessons. Beau now has several years of experience as a private instructor and has been involved in multiple musical projects throughout the past two decades. His contributions to those projects, including writing music, live performances, studio recordings, and touring have expanded his proficiencies to include styles ranging from jazz and funk to rock and metal.
Beau emphasizes having fun with his students while keeping them engaged and on track. His primary teaching goals are to help students understand the fundamentals of drumming and find their unique voices behind the drum kit. With the ability to cater to students' needs, as well as offer a variety of teaching styles, he is ready to provide a quality learning experience to anyone with an interest or shared passion for all things drumming!
Joel Franck
Drums Teacher
Joel, otherwise known as The Therapist, is a third-generation drummer, following in his father and paternal grandfather's footsteps. He's been playing for about 25 years now, specializing in jazz, funk, and rock. He picked up electric bass along the way (his grandmother played the upright bass in the Columbus Symphony).
Joel has been in several bands. His favorite music genres are 70s rock and funk, and is a big fan of Rush. He is also a licensed professional counselor and enjoys working with kids and teenagers.
Joel married his high school crush, who is a singer, and they are in a jazz fusion band together. They live in a restored building from the 1900s with their two fluffy Pomeranians, Wolf and Bear. He loves being part of such a great team and mission at the School of Rock in Columbus, where he gets to combine his love of music with his love of teaching.
Bonnie Walton
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Bonnie is a musician, an artist, and an educator. She’s been playing guitar for nearly 25 years and teaching music to anyone with an interest in learning since 2016. An Atlanta native, she earned a BFA in Film & Television from Savannah College of Art and Design and an Associates Degree in Music & Technology from the Atlanta Institute of Music & Media. At SCAD, she was drawn to the narratives we use to foster empathy, share new perspectives, and uplift ourselves and others. At AIMM, she learned to tell those stories through her guitar while developing her skills in recording technology and music theory. Now, she puts her passions to use composing for films & plays, performing in orchestras for musical theatre, and teaching music with the wonderful team here at the School of Rock in Columbus. Her music journey began on her raven-winged guitar 24 years ago, and she still teaches on it today.
Wesley Engel
Vocal Teaecher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Drums Teacher
With over 15 years of guitar experience, 18 years of bass playing, and a decade of vocal expertise, Wesley is a seasoned multi-instrumentalist with a diverse musical background. He has been involved in a wide range of music projects, spanning genres from folk to hardcore, showcasing his versatility and passion for music. Wesley also ran a DIY music venue, hosting notable bands like Tiny Moving Parts and White Reaper, further cementing his commitment to building his local music community. As an instrumentalist instructor, Wesley brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to his lessons, inspiring them to explore their own uniqueness, nerve, and talent along their musical journeys.