Maggie Weber
General Manager
Maggie was born and raised with an undeniable ear for music. Singing has always been her passion. Her mother told her that she sang before she ever spoke. Maggie has always had a knack for music. When she was 18 months old, she would hum to songs happily in key. Maggie believes that everyone has music inside of them, no matter what age they are. She has been involved in many projects and studio recordings including The Rip Chords (University of Illinois), Molehill and Willy Dynomite. Her passion for music, paired with her obsessive organization, has led her to be the General Manager of School of Rock Evanston. Maggie hopes to open the door to musicians in a way that she never experienced.
Danielle Piccolomini
Operations Manager
Danielle Piccolomini was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, where she was very active in local community and professional theatre. Her passion for music was sparked at an early age by her grandmother, who would sing to her every chance she got. She was immersed in theatre at age nine and started playing the flute, piccolo, piano and handbells soon afterward. After high school, she studied at The Young Americans College of the Performing Arts in Corona, CA, where she had the opportunity to travel and teach music to kids all over the world for almost seven years. She moved to Chicago on a whim in August 2019 and found a way to combine her love of music and love for typing emails at School of Rock Evanston as an Assistant Manager. She hopes to continue sharing her musical and organizational skills.
Amy Glazer
Studio Coordinator
Amy has been obsessed with music ever since she was little. She was raised on OneRepublic, Les Misérables, and Green Day, so her music taste is all over the place, but she'll always return to pop punk and musicals. Amy has a background in musical theatre, and ran her university's theatre society (BU+AUB PARTS) as a music director (and various other administrative roles) for two years!
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Animation Production, Amy moved back home to Northbrook before trying to break into the animation industry. Amy is bouncing around volunteering as a stage crew member in the Northshore Suburbs and working with the coolest kids at the coolest place in Evanston—School of Rock! In the future, she hopes to combine her love of theatre, animation, and live music to provide safe, learning-based concert opportunities for kids!
Bob Long
Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Bob Long began his professional career as a jazz pianist over 40 years ago in Chicago and has recorded and performed most of his life there. He has also performed at the JVC Jazz Festival in New York, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, and twice at the Chicago Jazz Festival.
In 2006, at the age of 56, Bob began graduate school to study Modern European History at the University of California, San Diego and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for research in Spain from 2011 through 2012. Bob received his Ph.D. in history from UCSD in June of 2014 and taught there briefly as a lecturer that same summer.
Bob has since been teaching as a professor and lecturer in history at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois, and at Elgin Community College in Elgin, Illinois. He is also a piano instructor at School of Rock in Evanston, Illinois! Bob continues to perform as a composer and jazz pianist at the same time and is a part of the jazz singer-songwriter poetry collective known as The Last Word.
Justin Radtke
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Justin has always had a deep love and appreciation for music throughout his life. He started playing guitar in 1998, and has over 12 years of experience teaching guitar lessons to people of all ages. Some of Justin’s guitar idols include Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, John Williams and Joe Pass. Justin started off playing rock, blues and folk guitar. At Valparaiso University, he studied Classical Guitar and played in classical guitar ensembles and various bands. He loves playing with local musicians and writing original music. Justin has a passion for teaching guitar and passing on the gift of music to his students. He likes to focus on technique, improvisation and theory so that students build a basis in music that allows them to play any style they wish. While teaching, Justin aims to inspire a lifelong love for music and the guitar.
Macklin Suhre
Drum Teacher
Macklin Suhre was born in Lake Bluff, Illinois. He attended Lake Forest High School studying music and drumming in the jazz band and wind ensemble. In 2009, he was accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston as a drum set principle, where he spent four years studying with celebrated faculty members such as Mitch Haupers, Mike Mangini, Kim Plainfield and many more. Macklin graduated from Berklee in 2013 with a degree in Professional Music, and continues to perform with his band The Relevant Elephants, who will be releasing their debut album "Paper Walls" soon.
Michelle Hallman
Vocal Teacher
Michelle Hallman performs, records, writes/arranges songs and tours with many different projects. She has been a working musician for a greater part of her life, and thrives in live performances. She is a well-versed singer, perfecting a plethora of styles and genres. Even though she's a rocker at heart, she has always loved choral music and is extremely knowledgeable in vocal harmonies. Michelle is also an accomplished percussionist. She plays congas, bongos, djembe and all kinds of assorted hand percussion instruments. She has played the piano since age three, and took lessons for many, many years. She also plays the guitar and is striving to get better. Michelle has sung/played with the likes of Gregg Allman, Darryl Jones, Mr. Blotto, Umphree's McGee , Richard Marx, Vince Welnick, Freddie Jones Band and The Bodeans. Her bands have opened for Kansas, Steven Stills and Jazz is Dead. She's also been the voice of national commercial jingles. Michelle loves teaching at School of Rock, and is thrilled to share her knowledge and experience. She is so excited to see what the next generation of talent will bring.
Schaefer Hugebeck
Guitar Teacher
Schaefer decided to play guitar in fifth grade when he became enamored with the guitar stylings of Jimmy Page, Hendrix and Carlos Santana. It wasn’t long till it was a full blown love affair between boy and guitar, causing him to study for over a decade with some of Chicago's finest musicians. Music is the first thing he thinks of when he wakes up in the later hours of the morning and the last thing he thinks of before he sleeps. Schaefer has been at School of Rock since 2014 teaching guitar and working with both the performance and garage rock programs.
Alex Zeravica
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Alex Zeravica was born in Georgia in 1990. He had a bad habit of banging on anything he could find around the house. When his parents realized it wasn't a phase, they bought him a beginner drum set when he was six or seven. After moving to Lake Bluff, Illinois at the age of nine, Alex started taking drum lessons and enrolled in school band. In middle school, Alex joined the jazz band, and also joined Midwest Young Artists, enrolling in their jazz ensemble and advanced percussion ensemble. He continued all of these throughout his time at Lake Forest High School. After graduating, he moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music, studying Film Scoring. Alex currently plays with a handful of different groups and records as a session musician, having played on dozens of different projects, from demos to full-length albums. He is a guitar teacher, bass guitar teacher and drum teacher at School of Rock Evanston.
BRYAN RESENDIZ
Drum Teacher
Bryan Resendiz is a Music Director at the Highwood School. He teaches drums and manages the ensemble rehearsals. His path through the world of rock 'n' roll began when he got his first drum set in the 3rd grade.
Bryan's musical inspiration came initially from his older sister's record collection of "The Police" and "Led Zeppelin." By age 12 and throughout his teens, Bryan performed live in bands and in studio settings. In the summer of 1995 as a part of the Hello Dave band, Bryan played in venues from San Francisco and New York to Key West. The Hello Dave Band also headlined at the House of Blues, Park West, and the Vic Theater in Chicago. The band performed on numerous radio and television programs including WGN-TV, WXRT, and WCKG. In 2002, Hello Dave was asked by the U.S.O to entertain American servicemen and servicewomen overseas.
Between 2002 and 2005, Bryan played rock 'n' roll in the Pacific Islands, Asia, Europe, Africa, and across the Middle East, culminating in an intense tour across Iraq. Bryan recorded a full-length album for Hello Dave's "Perfect Day" in 2003. An opportunity to work closely with producer, Don Gehman (John Mellencamp, REM, Bruce Hornsby) and engineer Mark Dearnley (Paul McCartney, ACDC, XTC) made a lasting impression on how to create powerful music and capture great performances. Bryan left the Hello Dave band in 2005 in order to focus on freelance music projects and a successful teaching practice at Kevin Connelley Drum Instruction in Skokie. Bryan continues to maintain a busy gigging schedule with a number of Chicago bands.
SCOTT BALMOOS
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Scott is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and music educator. He started on his path in music while in middle school when he fell in love with the sound of The Beatles. He decided he must learn to sing and play guitar and what followed was the forming of his first rock and roll band. Music grew in his heart and he continued to pursue his passion by studying at the Eastman School of Music with a focus in vocal performance. While at Eastman, along with singing opera, art songs and musicals, and against his teacher's wishes, he continued rockin' out with his band The Shift. This energy eventually provided the spark to move to Chicago.For the past 12 years, Scott has been performing, writing and recording in Chicago, most notably with the roots reggae band Akasha and as a solo artist. As a lover of all types of music, he believes that you can learn about yourself, how to use your voice and reach out to the world from almost any song as long as it cries out with love from your heart.
Kelli Hutton
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Kelli Owens Hutton is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist with over 20 years of experience playing in bands and recording. She was signed to Atlantic Records and has toured nationally with acts like Better Than Ezra and Edwin McCain. Her songs have been featured in major motion pictures and on various records. She has a Bachelors degree from Berklee College of Music and comes from a musical family as her father was the Director of Jazz Studies at Northwestern University for many years. Kelli loves teaching voice and piano at the School of Rock!
JACK BRERETON
Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Jack Brereton fell in love with music as a young child. Often he was found singing and dancing around the house to any tune in his head, and at the age of ten he first picked up a bass. From then until now, he has performed in a range of musical groups including jazz ensembles, rock bands, cover bands, and pit orchestras. Jack has played all over the country, including famous venues like the House of Blues in Chicago and Carnegie Hall. Jack’s dedication to the art doesn’t stop at playing music, he also graduated from the Blackbird Academy where he learned how to engineer records and now works with clients throughout the Chicagoland area. He puts in the same exceptional effort while working with his students to help them achieve their goals.
Ait Fetterolf
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Ait Fetterolf is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and award-nominated screenwriter from South Carolina. Ait has been playing piano since the age of five, where his teacher told his parents after his first lesson that he had perfect pitch. After a brief stint as a piano performance major at Furman University and several years in punk bands, jazz ensembles, drum lines, and orchestras, his affections tended towards the theater where he performed in numerous musicals including as an actor and singer in The Lost Colony outdoor symphonic drama in North Carolina. He has also served as musical director and conductor for several stage productions, arranging harmonies and rehearsing vocalists for The Rocky Horror Show, Belz!, The Last Five Years, and more. In addition to teaching private voice, guitar, & drum lessons for more than a decade, he has also performed stand-up comedy at the world famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip. Ait loves to discover new genres and artists, and believes that a key component of musical education is providing a musician with a drive & desire to explore the totality of humanity’s harmonies.
Henri Harps
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Henri Harps is a guitarist and bassist originally from Washington D.C. He started on his musical path at an early age, beginning with the alto saxophone before moving to the clarinet and bass clarinet. As a teenager in the 90s he was inspired by alternative music and switched his focus to guitar and bass.
After graduating from college, he moved to New York City to continue following his passion for music. During this time, he performed a variety of musical styles in diverse settings: from jazz, to rock, to experimental music. Also during this time, he helped to start musical programs for children: an after-school program for elementary-aged children and a partnership with a charter school to teach music classes. Since moving to Chicago in 2015, he has worked with senior citizens, providing therapeutic music services.
Henri believes that it's important for students to be curious and open to many forms of music and that it is the teacher's role to cultivate knowledge in the hope of instilling a lifelong appreciation of the art.
Donovan Summers
Drum Teacher
After listening to his brother play drums for years in the garage, Donovan decided he too wanted to be a musician. Starting with classical percussion at the age of nine, he would go on to learn drum set, piano, banjo, and baritone saxophone. Once in high school, he began to play with any group that would let him in, including Legends Drum and Bugle Corps, the Youth Jazz Ensemble of Dupage, and even a production of the musical Cats in the pit orchestra. At the University of St. Francis Donovan pursued his passion in music by becoming a founding member of his university's jazz ensemble and obtaining a degree in audio engineering. During this time, he focused heavily on his jazz studies and recording techniques while teaching music on the weekends. Throughout his musical career he has kept one quote in mind, “Every collaboration helps you grow” - Brian Eno. School of rock was the obvious fit for him as he loved how students got the chance to work and grow together as musicians. Donovan strives to give the best education he can and believes in teaching his students creativity and improvisation alongside traditional techniques to make his students true artists, not just musicians.
Evynne Stitely
Drum Teacher
Evynne began her drumming journey in 2011, studying with drummer Kevin Connelley with a focus on jazz. She continued throughout high school playing a plethora of styles including jazz, rock, hip-hop, funk, r&b, punk, and classical percussion. She received several awards during her high school career including Birch Creek’s “exceptional musician” award, and ETHS jazz festival’s “exceptional soloist” award.
After graduating high school, she attended The New School Of Jazz And Contemporary Music in NYC, studying with a diverse group
of teachers including Amir Ziv, Kendrick Scott, and Buster Williams. She spent her time studying drums, rhythm, and music theory while playing with as many artists as she could, hungry for learning, improvement, and the creation of creative inspiring music.
After spending a year in NY, she decided her calling was with teaching, and she now lives in Chicago with the intent to pass on all the knowledge she’s accrued throughout her career.
Ryan Sander
Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Ryan Sander is a drummer and percussionist from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He has been playing drums since he was 9 years old and started playing professionally in 2013 in local jazz bands and pit orchestras. Musical theater has been a large part of Ryan’s life as he has gotten the chance to work with many talented actors and musicians such as Leslie Carra-Rudolph, Caitlin Kinnuen, Caitlin Galaglie, Fergie L.Philippe, Peter Hodgson and David Kornfeld.
Along with performing, teaching is a passion that runs deep for Ryan. Passing on the knowledge of being a professional performer to the next generation is something any musician dreams of. Ryan truly strives to connect with each student and fuel their interest in discovering the joy of music.
Michael Salgado
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Michael discovered his love for music at the age of 13 when he listened to “Master of Reality” by Black Sabbath. From there, he bought his first guitar and started learning songs by ear until high school. Michael then went on to start a jazz trio, which exposed him to the great musicians in the Chicago scene under the guidance of Victor García.
In high school and college, Michael played in the top bands focusing on double bass with a major in composition. While studying at Loyola University New Orleans, he immersed himself in the jazz scene while balancing an intense gigging schedule. Since then, Michael has toured multiple countries in South America and Europe along with various U.S. states and has played with Grammy nominees and winners.
Daniel Jackson
Guitar Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Daniel Jackson is a multi-instrumentalist who hails from Birmingham, AL. He spent the first seven years of his career traveling in musicals like Green Day’s American Idiot, Rock of Ages, and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story in the titular role.
As a songwriter, Daniel has worked with artists like Blondie Chaplin, Jason Robert Brown, Tom Kitt, and Scott Weiland. Daniel feels honored to get to teach the next generation about the ups and downs of the performing industry at School of Rock Evanston.
Randy Payne
Drum Teacher
Randy comes to School of Rock Evanston as a seasoned veteran of the Chicago rock scene. He has performed, recorded, and toured with such notable Chicago acts as The Cells (Orange Recordings), Box-O-Car (Veronica Records), Scott Lucas & The Married Men (The End Records), and most recently, Cisco Pike.
Randy’s rock & roll career includes experience as a talent buyer, booking agent, and stage manager with prominent event companies like Duff Entertainment and Legacy Marketing Partners. Randy has also worked as a tour manager and album and merchandise designer for several of his bands. His experience provides a broad understanding of the professional rock & roll experience.
Randy often wishes School of Rock was available when he was a young player. After seeing his daughter’s growth as a musician by taking lessons and performing at School of Rock, he felt compelled to bring his experience and knowledge to students at School of Rock Evanston to help them grow as players and people.
Daniel Jonak
Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Daniel Jonak is an enthusiastic world-music composer and multi-instrumentalist specializing in guitar and piano, as well as being deeply steeped in rhythm and percussion. At 9 years old, Daniel began his adventure on the baritone euphonium which gave him a first-hand appreciation of brass and orchestral music, all the while fiddling on his older brother’s guitar with great intrigue. By his sophomore year of high school, Daniel had joined the jazz band, HP jazz trio, and the band “Xazz” playing guitar. During this time he displayed a strong interest in fusion music, and would later delve into the Indian Carnatic tradition.
At the age of 18, Daniel received a platinum scholarship to Berklee College of Music for writing a rap song and studied under Jack Pezanelli for chordal jazz guitar. Daniel’s teaching style focuses on elements of the Suzuki method, literacy in reading music, jamming with our instrument, and music theory supplemental material.
Daniel has worked with names such as Frank Catalano, Artur Wnorowski, and Justin Boyd, as well as various artists around Chicago. Daniel looks forward to playing, teaching, and investigating more types of music from around the world!
Mitch Galgan
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Mitch Galgan is a songwriter and string-instrumentalist, whose main instrument is the bass, but also plays guitar and piano. They studied classical and jazz music from elementary school to graduation at Illinois Wesleyan University and explored pop, rock, and more playing in a variety of bands independent of their schoolwork. This varied experience led Mitch from playing virtuosic concertos to improvising in jazz groups to theater productions, to jamming Hendrix songs on stage.
Mitch currently plays in several bands around Chicago: the Righteous Sound, the Noble Bautista Band, and Jared Jones & the Wild Ride. Mitch is also gearing up to release an album in 2024 of original songs under the moniker Silje Sweets.
Just having moved to Skokie, Mitch is thrilled to begin teaching at the School of Rock Evanston and to help cultivate each student’s love for music.
Jackson Foellmer
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Jackson started his musical journey at the age of 5 with piano lessons from his mother. His focus turned to the guitar at age 9 when he received lessons from his father's friend, bluesman Detroit James.
Jackson built his musical foundation on blues improvisation, playing in several bands around Chicago from age 9 through 18 when he moved from Chicago to Montreal. There he majored in music at Canada's top music school, McGill University. It was in Montreal that Jackson started music production and produced records for many artists around the Montreal and Toronto areas. These artists performed his productions all over Canada and one even opened for Imagine Dragons on every stop of their Canadian tour.
Jackson returned to Chicago and is excited to play with his band here and teach at the School of Rock in Highwood, Illinois.
Andrew Pridmore
Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Andrew was born and raised in Park Ridge, Illinois, and began taking piano lessons around the age of 4. It wasn’t until he was in middle school that he joined a band and music became his greatest passion. Originally learning how to play classic rock songs on piano by transcribing guitar tabs, Andrew began picking up guitar as a teenager.
In the years since, Andrew has remained active in Chicago’s music scene and earned a BA in Music Business from the University of Illinois at Chicago. When Andrew isn’t writing, recording, or performing with various groups, he enjoys watching classic films and going to Sox games.
Andie Williams
Vocal Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Andie Williams (she/her) is a soul, blues, and jazz-inspired songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and bandleader of ANDIE & The Bandits. She has been involved in Chicago’s music scene for over seven years, having attended Columbia College Chicago for her bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Music while playing at venues across Chicago.
In 2022, ANDIE’s NPR Tiny Desk Submission for her song “He’s Not What You Need Blues” garnered national attention and an article highlighting her work on NPR’s website. ANDIE & The Bandits recently concluded their 4-month-long residency at Golden Dagger and have just begun their 2024 residency at Epiphany Center for the Arts.
Lin Hart
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Lin Hart is 50% music nerd and 50% theatre kid. She began playing piano in restaurants and bars at age 13 in her hometown of Bloomington, IN. There, she joined Indiana University's Jacob School of Music before heading to Ball State to pursue a degree in Musical Theatre.
Since graduating, Lin has worked in a wide array of musical and theatrical capacities. She has helped develop new Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and plays, gigged professionally across the country, taught at the university level, served as the music director for dozens of events and productions, and written music for film and other media projects.
Lin's greatest joy, however, has always been working with her private students—watching them grasp a new concept, hit a note they never knew they had, or step onto the stage brimming with confidence. Some of her students have begun professional music careers of their own as Broadway performers and recording artists. Watching her students' growth and development as performers and as people—seeing them fall in love with music the same way she has—will never cease to be the best part of Lin's career.
Nick Fleury
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Nick Fleury is a guitar, bass, keyboard, drum, and vocal teacher at the School of Rock in Evanston and Highwood.
Born and raised in Highland Park, IL, he is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist who emphasizes the importance of music theory and ear training.
Nick began a new life the moment he got his first guitar at age 11. Growing up listening to his dad blasting classic rock and country radio in the garage, Nick was inspired to pick up the guitar after discovering Led Zeppelin and the three-guitar attack of Lynyrd Skynyrd. He began his first band Sad Panda in sixth grade debuting at the sixth grade talent show in a rebellious performance of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. He went on with the band to win Battle of The Bands at Highland Park High School for three of the four years there and self-produce an original debut LP record they released in 2005. Additionally, he took classical voice lessons in high school, played trumpet in band, participated in all the school musicals, and sang in many years of choirs ranging from middle school through college at the University of Pittsburgh in the prestigious Heinz Chapel Choir a cappella ensemble.
During his Pittsburgh days, he joined the audacious glam rock band Dazzletine and swept the city with fellow rocker Dan Koshute, where they graced the cover of the local arts newspaper ahead of what would be their sold-out debut record release show. Nick went on to open for bands such as Foxy Shazam, touring PA, NY, and OH, and touring the US and Europe with Dan as a duo in 2017 and 2022.
Nick continues to play lead guitar and keyboards/backing vocals in the Chicago band Head, with oldest friend Derek Weber formerly of Sad Panda. He looks ahead to producing his original solo music project with an upcoming debut album and forming a new band line-up
Luis Vera
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Growing up in South Jersey, Luis started off playing cello in both high school and regional orchestras. After buying a copy of The Beatles' “A Hard Day’s Night", Luis switched from cello and classical to guitar and rock n’ roll. Studying jazz bass initially at Lebanon Valley College, Luis finished with a Bachelor of Science in Music Production and Technology from Rowan University. A deep love for the Beatles and Iggy Pop led to songwriting and a passion for performance. A deeper love for connecting and sharing music led to a multitude of bands, cities, and now to teaching bass and guitar at the School of Rock in Evanston!
Connor Bohn
Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Connor Bohn is a composer, pianist, and educator originally from Albany, New York. He studied classical piano from elementary school through to high school and began to focus on improvisation and composition when he arrived at Columbia College Chicago. Connor has recorded on various folk and rock projects with his friends in Chicago and has performed at venues such as Empty Bottle, Sleeping Village, and the Logan Square Arts Festival. Along with working as a bandmate and musical director, Connor also composes music for film, TV, theater, and video games. He loves everything about music, from jazz to electronic music, from writing to teaching, and everything in between. He is always looking for something new to listen to and discover, and he believes this constant learning process is important for any musician at any stage. Connor has always known that he would be writing music and playing piano for his whole life, but he discovered his love for teaching and guiding others towards their own goals while working as a music theory tutor at Columbia. Here he solidified his philosophy that every student is different, and the key to an effective teacher is listening and being flexible, This individualized attention is something Connor always missed in his music education and it is now his passion to give others the tools they need to take control of their own musical journey.