Adam I. Owner- Regional Director
Adam Instefjord is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. He first picked up a guitar at the age of 12, immediately started his first band in the eighth grade and has been performing both locally and nationally ever since. Over the years he has decided to expand his musical prowess and learned how to sing, play bass guitar and drums. Another concentration that Adam has pursued is audio recording and production. He chose to continue his education at The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, OH, where he received certification in Audio Recording and Production.
Adam currently plays in multiple bands, including playing bass and singing in Chicago-based cover-band The Student Body. Adam started his career at School of Rock Oak Park in 2013. He started his tenure as an instructor, was promoted to Music Director and is now the Regional Director of both School of Rock Oak Park and School of Rock Glenbrook. During his years with us, he has taught guitar, bass guitar and production, directed countless shows, taught Rock 101 and Rock 201, and taught Project Studio and Oak Park’s House Band.
Alex J. Guitar Teacher
Alex Johnson has a passion for music that was nurtured and further developed during his eight year tenure as a School of Rock student. A multi-instrumentalist covering bass, keys and vocals, his primary gig instrument is the guitar. A member of multiple local bands including Summer Drive and Space Cake, he also works as a local session musician creating guitar parts for original music. Having spent several summers as a production assistant for an award winning kids musical theatre camp, working as an instructor at School of Rock has brought his love of music, performance and instructing youth performers together. Alex teaches guitar!
Amy R. Owner
Amy Renzulli, former corporate marketer, is the owner of School of Rock Oak Park and School of Rock Glenbrook. Starting at an early age, Amy recognized a tension between art and business. It began when her doctor dad left his medical practice to pursue a career in art and her stay-at-home mom went off to law school and started her own successful career. As a result, Amy has spent most of her work life blending the two sides, building her career in sales and marketing at Blue Cross and Blue Shield and, at the same time, pursuing artistic interests. While she developed her business skills in web marketing, sales strategy and technology adoption, she also hosted art shows, crafted and sold jewelry in local boutiques and galleries, and generally sought opportunities that would enable her to marry her business skills with her love of art. When her daughter, at the time only 12 years old, attended summer camp at School of Rock Chicago, Amy suggested that they should consider opening a school in Oak Park. Amy learned that School of Rock was a franchise opportunity and a light bulb went off. She knew that she would be the person to make it happen. In early December 2012, Amy and her ever-supportive husband, Bob Miller, converted a 50-year-old combination warehouse and office building into the vibrant home of School of Rock Oak Park. After having built the largest School of Rock in the world in Oak Park, she is setting her sights on bringing the same magic, energy and passion to the communities of Northbrook and Glenview with School of Rock Glenbrook.
Ben K. Drum Teacher
Ben Kremer is a drummer, producer, audio engineer, and former School of Rock Oak Park student. During his tenure at the School of Rock Oak Park, Ben was in the house band and was a three time School of Rock AllStar. The School of Rock AllStars Tour takes the very best students from around the world and sends them on a country-wide summer tour across the United States. Less than 1% of School of Rock students are selected each year to represent School of Rock as an AllStar.
Ben operates and engineers at Picture-Minded Studio in Oak Park, and is currently working with multiple groups as a drummer, songwriter, and producer. These include indie rock groups Idioglossia and Mock Nine, as well as R&B fusion group Space Cake. When he isn’t teaching, Ben spends his time honing his craft as an audio engineer and producer. Having mixed and engineered for over 10 bands and artists before the age of 20, Ben isn’t stopping making music any time soon.
Brent R. Drum Teacher
Brent Roman is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, instructor, dance accompanist, recording artist and an avid Chicago-based professional free lance performing musician. Mr. Roman has performed throughout the US and abroad and has worked and toured with a multitude of professional performing companies, including Cirque Du Soleil, Trinity Irish Dance Co., Chicago Sinfonietta, along with various choirs, theaters and dance companies. Brent is also a founding member of the Chicago circus-punk-gypsy marching band, Mucca Pazza, who have performed at Lalapalooza, Montreal Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center, Conan O'Brien and NPR’s Tiny Desk. He currently serves as Musical Director for the Chinese Fine Arts Society of Chicago and serves as resident composer, choreographer and instructor for the Chinese Cheng Da Drum Team, and is founding member and band manager of Tuvergen Band. He works at New Trier High School in the Dance Division as Accompanist & Head of Sound, and continues educational outreach with masterclasses and workshops stateside and abroad.
Chris A. Drum Teacher
Chris Avgerin is a drummer/percussionist based in Chicago. He holds a degree in music education from Western Illinois University and teaches percussion ensemble, marching drumline, and private lessons at various schools throughout the Chicagoland area.
In addition to his teaching, Avgerin keeps a busy performance and recording schedule. He can regularly be seen performing with groups ranging in styles from Jazz, Country, singer-songwriter, Indie-Pop, Punk, Metal, Hard Rock, and Classical.
Christina D. Singing Teacher
Christina Michelle is so excited to be joining the School of Rock Family. She grew up on 70s classics, R&B, gained an appreciation for classical music through her grandparents, and was a teenager in the 80’s, which says it all right there. From the coffee table “stage” with a hairbrush mic, where she sang to the imagined packed arena, to the stage with live humans, Christina took every chance she could to sing in choirs, as the lead in her high school musical, and was classically trained through high school. That training served her well and, meshed with her rock voice, created a National Anthem range. She has sung at major and minor league, and local games. Her classical voice also found her singing in the church choir for 10 years, and currently serves her as a sound healer.
Christina teaches yoga and has come to discover how breathing techniques and physical poses contribute to an increased breath capacity overall, improving performance.
Over the last 20 years she has performed in small local bands. Her own influences include the power houses of Janis Joplin, Susan Tedeschi, Linda Ronstadt, and Joanna Cotten. Current projects include The Island of Misfit Toys and her newest project, Christina Michelle & the Badass Muthas, both with friends in the Grad School program. She has also recently begun learning guitar. Music is where she is meant to be. It is Home. Christina has discovered how to become one with the music, because it lives in her soul.
Colin R. Drum Teacher
Colin Rambert is a Chicago-based percussionist and drummer who actively performs in a multitude of contemporary and classical music settings. He began his musical journey at age 10 by joining the band program at school. As he got older, he played in various punk, rock, and indie bands throughout high school and eventually decided to pursue music as a career. Colin went on to receive a Bachelor of Music degree in Commercial Music from Millikin University (2012) and a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2015). He can most regularly be seen playing with The Phantom Broadcast, an experimental rock outfit that pushes the boundaries of indie, post-rock, classical, and jazz, and can be heard on their latest full-length album Antiquities. He can also be found playing drums for the Chicago pop-rock band King Mixer.
Colin also enjoys teaching young musicians of all ages throughout the Chicagoland area. Aside from his work with School of Rock, he serves as a percussion teaching artist with the Chicago Arts and Music Project and with Sistema Ravinia in Waukegan. He also teaches privately and instructs marching percussion at a handful of public schools, most notably John Hersey High School, Buffalo Grove High School, Elk Grove High School, Glenbrook North High School, and Homer Jr. High. Colin believes that learning music can be fun, inspiring, and lead to growth in all aspects of life and hopes to share his passion with all of his students.
Dave V. Owner- Music Director
Dave Vazzano’s passion for music and performing developed at a very early age. His musical journey began in grade school when he joined both concert and marching band. He continued in both performance groups throughout grade school and college at Western Illinois University. Dave bought his first drum kit at age 12 and his passion for rock music grew. This journey then grew as Dave and his best friend and School of Rock coworker Adam Instefjord started a band that specialized in 90s punk rock covers. Dave and Adam also write, produce and record their own original music and continue to release albums. Currently Dave is playing with multiple Chicago-land area bands. He is a founding member of the Chicago punk rock trio The Mizzerables, who have released their third album "Whatever... This Sucks." One of the projects that takes up most of Dave’s time is The Student Body, a high-energy rock cover band that specializes in party rock anthems. You can catch The Student Body at festivals, casinos, weddings, corporate events and more. Dave currently teaches drum lessons at School of Rock Oak Park and is the Music Director for School of Rock Glenbrook.
Erica V. General Manager
Erica grew up in Michigan and her passion for music began at a young age when her mom and two older sisters were constantly playing classic and 80’s rock records in their home. This eventually led to an obsession with MTV and music videos as a kid and then attending tons of rock shows and festivals as a teen and adult. After graduating from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor’s degree, she started her career in Project Management and Technology Sales, working her way up through several global IT organizations. Then in 2014, Erica was introduced to School of Rock when her now fiancé, Dave Vazzano, who is also the Music Director in Glenbrook, invited her to attend a School of Rock performance that he directed in Oak Park.
Ever since then, she has been inspired by the extraordinary talent and continued growth of the kids, and has wanted to be part of the sense of belonging and community that School of Rock brings to everyone involved. Erica was lucky enough to have the opportunity to make a career change and recently joined the School of Rock family as the General Manager of Glenbrook. She is so excited to be surrounded by music everyday and to potentially make a difference in the lives of young musicians! Outside of work, Erica enjoys traveling the globe, hiking, gardening, hanging out with her French Bulldog Silvio Dante, true crime books and podcasts, and of course, going to as many rock shows as possible!
Jack D. Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Zeljko (Jack) Divjak is from Bosnia and Hercegovina. Jack is a musician. Even though classically trained in piano, he always leaned toward rock music and the electric guitar.
Jack loves to share his passion for rock/pop music or any genre which offers an interesting approach to music.
For many years he has collaborated with musicians (recording sessions, gigs) and has taught guitar and piano, as well.
Joe D. Singing Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Joe Dennis is a singer, composer, and actor from Chicago, IL. Joe graduated from Lawrence University: Conservatory of Music in 2020 with a self-designed degree called contemporary voice and songwriting. He has also received training from the leading a cappella experts at A Cappella Academy in 2015 & 2016.
Joseph M. Singing Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Joseph teaches beginner to advanced voice and beginner piano. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance from Viterbo University and a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana University - Jacobs School of Music. Joseph’s love of singing and playing the piano began as a child when he first started taking lessons as a second grader.
Joseph says that he loves teaching because it brings him joy to help students work on technical or musical puzzles that they encounter on their own musical journey. His goal as a teacher is to help students find a passion for music and to help facilitate that passion so that it stays with them for their life.
Kara S. Singing Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Kara is a great teacher to rock out with! They focus on creating life-long musicians with vocal stamina. Kara loves to sing and teach funk, 80s power ballads, folk, and much more. When they aren’t at SOR, you can catch Kara performing children’s theater, caring for houseplants, or recording voice over. Kara has a degree in music theatre from Viterbo University in LaCrosse, WI. Kara is an LGBT+ friendly teacher. Kara brings their infectious excitement to every lesson; they want you to do your best!
Kyle T. Guitar Teacher
Kyle was captivated by music at a very young age, listening for hours with his father to the artists of XRT. Inspired by the rock ‘n roll of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, he picked up a guitar and took lessons throughout his childhood. In high school, it was the attitude and rebellious nature of pop punk bands like blink-182 that led him to form a band with his friends and begin performing music for others. Being a quiet natured kid from the suburbs, the stage allowed him a platform of self expression unlike any other. He pursued this creative outlet in college, earning a degree in Music Performance from Columbia College Chicago. It was here that he first heard The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, forever expanding his conceptions of music and songwriting. Since then, music has continued to be a central part of Kyle’s life, whether it was repairing and building stringed instruments, or performing the sounds of funk, soul and Motown with the Chicago based Second Hand Soul Band. Now a guitar and bass instructor at School of Rock, he is excited to share his lifelong passion with others.
Michael B. Singing Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Michael Brooks has been studying music since the age of four, when he started piano lessons and first heard his parents' vinyl copy of "Pet Sounds." While being trained in classical piano, Brooks eventually found himself drawn to Billy Joel, Ben Folds and rock operas. He studied music, theatre and voice at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI before moving to Chicago with his indie pop/piano rock band Common Shiner. In his 12-year tenure with that project Brooks charted nationally in the AC format (thanks to major support from Midwestern radio stations), toured the continental US and made a slasher movie parody music video that went viral across the globe with over 12 million views. Brooks has also voiced radio commercials and characters nationally, and won a Kennedy Center Special Award for Theatrical Sound Design in 2006. Current endeavors include Otter Finn, Foster, Front Runners and solo projects.
Michael M. Keyboard Teacher
Michael has a passion for teaching piano to the point you don't want to walk away. He began playing the piano at eight years old. The piano is a way to express feelings and ideas. What is so amazing about Michael is that he brings you into the vortex of the musical idea. He designs his teaching to fit the needs of each student. For example, if a student is good with numbers, he relates math and music together on the keyboard. He makes learning music fun. Michael has taught over 75,000 lessons. He has accompanied Toni Tenille, Ray Price, & Francois Clemmons from Mr. Rogers. While studying Music in college, he jokes he Majored in The Who and Minored in Duke Ellington.
Michael is known for being a piano whisperer.
Nick F. Guitar and Bass Guitar Teacher
Nick grew up in the west suburbs of Chicago, and started his life in music by picking up a bass guitar at age 15. Influenced by bands like Rush, The Who, Tool and Soundgarden, he became immersed in every element of the musical process, from songwriting to music production and beyond.
After earning his Bachelor's of Music from Columbia College Chicago in 2013, he spent four years with the Nick Moss Band, an internationally known blues/rock band. Pulling on experience gained from years of touring the continental United States, northern Europe and beyond, he works with his students to fully enrich their musical lives, as well as make them better players.
Max DiFrisco Studio Coordinator
Max DiFrisco is a vocalist, guitarist, and former School of Rock student. During his tenure at the School of Rock Oak Park, Max was in the house band and was a two time School of Rock AllStar. The School of Rock AllStars Tour takes the very best students from around the world and sends them on a country-wide summer tour across the United States. Less than 1% of School of Rock students are selected each year to represent School of Rock as an AllStar.
Max is currently working as a songwriter and producer under the name Westhead collaborating with multiple artists. He has performed with several other groups over his tenure as a multi-instrumentalist at venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and Lollapalooza in Chicago. Not only is Max involved in songwriting but he is a founding member of indie rock groups Jonnycatland and Idioglossia. Max's dedication and passion for music has also led him to be the touring guitarist for Computer Science, a North Carolina dream pop outfit. Max is currently pursuing an electrical engineering degree with a focus in audio, writing music, working at the School of Rock Glenbrook and continuing to pursue his musical passions.