Rachel Pores Director
As a young child, Rachel found music to be magical. Every chance she had, she was musical. Her family was immersed in the arts, which helped. Rachel started playing the piano at age six and found pure joy. She wrote her first song a year later and after 10 years, she was performing classical concertos and had aspirations of becoming a concert pianist. But her true passion was still centered around the voice.
Rachel attended Interlochen Arts Camp at the early age of eight, and also had the opportunity to attend Interlochen Arts Academy for her high school career as well. There she studied voice and piano as her major, and went on to attend the University of Michigan School of Music for Voice Performance. Searching out a more creative study in jazz, not available to Voice majors at the time, Rachel began performing outside of school in various bands and attended jazz courses for no credit. She found her home on stage, telling stories within her own original songs and singing her favorite genre, funk music. Soon after, she met Jeremy, a jazz drummer from New Jersey. They fell madly for each other and started playing music together in 1997.
In 2012 Rachel had the incredible opportunity to work as an instructor at her local School of Rock. She fell in love. She couldn’t believe she was getting compensated for such a fulfilling job. She knew right away she had to pursue the position, and soon after became Assistant Director at another School of Rock location. Because of the impact of School of Rock’s performance-based music educational model, Rachel even went back to school to help hone her skills at Montclair State University’s Music Education program in order to better serve her School of Rock community. Her hope is to become a steward of music, a confidant, and a guide for students to help reveal their own individuality and potential through programs at School of Rock Hoboken.
Jeremy Pores Director
Jeremy Pores’ passion in life has always been music. He started playing the drums at age 10, and quickly transformed into a professional. By age 16, he was playing in cover bands in the New Jersey music scene. He found his niche throwing down drum beats, and could always be found with his drumsticks and even with his drums in tow whenever and wherever possible. His early teachers include the great Glen Weber and Joe Morello. Jeremy went on to study jazz drum performance under Jackie MacLean at the Hartt School of Music and then transferred to the Berklee College of Music to pursue lessons with Jamie Hadadd. Jeremy’s work in the music industry has always been guided by performance. Whenever Jeremy can get on a stage, he’s there. His work in hip-hop and funk music has been extensive. For the past 25 years, his work as a professional performing artist includes national tours, house and studio work, not only as a professional drummer but also as a producer and manager for numerous solo artists and bands centrally located along the east coast. His performance experience includes playing such renowned stages as the Trenton State Arena, NYC Knitting Factory and Maritime Hall. Most notably, Jeremy toured as lead drummer for the late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame keyboardist Bernie Worrell of Parliament Funkadelic and The Talking Heads.
Jeremy’s most recent endeavor has been teaching the next generation of musicians how to perform on their instruments. He has such a great passion for teaching and helping others understand the complex rhythms of modern music. He is so excited about the next stage of his life, passing on the knowledge that was taught to him through his teachers to the next generation of musicians at School of Rock Hoboken.
Vanessa Burkly Studio Coordinator
Vanessa Burkly's background has always been centered around the arts. She holds her BFA in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a specialization in Sportswear Apparel. She also received her 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teaching Certificate in Hatha Yoga at the Bhakti Barn School of Yoga in Millburn, New Jersey in March of 2018. She strives to encourage her fellow students to be kind, present, patient and to also challenge yourself. What resonates most for her is that the concepts behind yoga can be integrated into everyday life. These life lessons translate to her work at School of Rock Hoboken as a Studio Coordinator.
Music has also been a huge part of Vanessa's life, whether as a frequent concertgoer, gaining inspiration while listening to music in the background while painting or while flowing through a yoga sequence. Working with kids, Vanessa has found they have an amazing ability to inspire. Combining music and working with kids makes working at School of Rock Hoboken a perfect environment for her to thrive.
Lisbelkis Santana Vocal Instructor, Piano Teacher
Lisbelkis Santana (Lis) is very excited to be a part of the School of Rock Hoboken family as a vocal instructor and piano teacher. Lis has always had a passion for music and imparting that passion on others. Her keys and vocal background consists of over 10 years of experience. She is a recent graduate of Montclair State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music. Her previous experience teaching music group classes makes her a perfect fit for School of Rock.
What excites Lis about teaching at School of Rock Hoboken is the opportunity to build a community through making music. She not only hopes to promote a safe and fun learning environment for her students but also looks forward to learning from them. Lis looks to implement the core values that School of Rock Hoboken emphasizes, especially the importance of embracing the learning process, and being respectful, humble and confident in what you do. In addition, Lis believes in the School of Rock approach being much more relatable and refreshing than the traditional ways of learning music, so much so that she hopes that she will have the opportunity to learn a new instrument while working at School of Rock Hoboken.
Steve DeNola Drum Teacher
Originally a student of School of Rock, Steve began his professional music career in 2006 while touring with the School of Rock AllStars. Steve has had the honor and pleasure of sharing the stage with rock icons such as Jon Anderson (vocalist of YES) John Wetton (bassist and vocalist of King Crimson), Metal Mike (guitarist of Rob Halford), Bakithi Kumalo (bassist of Paul Simon) and Andrew WK. Steve currently tours nationally with the alternative rock project States and Capitals, plays drums for pop artist Sophia Messa, and plays locally in cover bands Yada, Yada, Yada and A Day in the Life. Steve is looking forward to bringing his experience with School of Rock and the professional music industry to all of the aspiring students here at School of Rock Hoboken as a drum teacher.
Dylan DiLella Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Dylan DiLella is a New York City based guitarist and teacher. He earned a BA in Music from NYU in 2009, and since then has been avidly teaching private guitar lessons, releasing his own music, and touring internationally. Dylan's main creative vehicle, Pyrrhon, has released 7 studio recordings, and has received critical acclaim from noteworthy publications such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. Dylan also records and performs as a solo-guitarist, and has released several recordings under his name.
Lena Abraham Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Lena started playing music at 9 years old, beginning with guitar and quickly picking up drums and bass along the way. Since graduating high school, she has been in 5 bands, releasing 2 albums and 3 EPs, an addition to touring across the country. Lena holds a BA in Music and Film/Video from Hampshire College where she started her current band “Nemesister”, a punk trio in which she performs guitar, drums, and vocals.
Lena has been teaching music for 6 years and is psyched to continue that journey at School of Rock! She is deeply passionate about music education and dedicated to offering her knowledge and expertise in a way that is inclusive to all. She considers collaborating with others to be the most fulfilling part of being a musician.
Matt Ruff Singing Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Matt Ruff is so excited to be a part of the School of Rock team! Matt works in the musical theatre industry as an actor/singer and a multi-instrumentalist. He earned his BFA degree in Musical Theatre at the University of Florida. He then made the move to NYC to pursue his childhood dreams of being on Broadway. Now, Matt has performed musicals at professional regional theaters all over the country, and has earned his place in the Actor's Equity Association. Along the way, he has found a passion for teaching music on a variety of instruments. Matt grew up listening to Led Zeppelin with his mom in the car and has always LOVED rock 'n roll. He's so ecstatic to be sharing the gift of rock music with the Hoboken community!
Allison Arana Singing Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Allison Arana is a musician, actor, and improviser from St. Louis, Missouri. She received her bachelor of fine arts in musical theatre from Lindenwood University in 2020. She teaches private voice, piano, and guitar. Allison's been working professionally and teaching music for 6 years. She's been playing in local rock bands and gigging out for just as long, both as a vocalist and keyboard player. Some favorite credits include singing with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, singing alongside Patti LuPone, and performing at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, FL. Allison's prior teaching credits include working at School of Rock, Ballwin where she directed several performance groups including Heart, Fleetwood Mac, and Women of the 90's. Allison takes an unconventional approach in teaching, making all kinds of material, be it advanced or not, accessible to musicians and singers of all ages. She takes a slow, measured, vocal-health forward approach to voice lessons to ensure longevity while approaching rock/metal style singing. She's loves sharing her knowledge of the industry with her students as well as introducing them to new genres of music to encourage a life long love and pursuit of music.
Mario Padrón Bass Guitar Teacher
Mario Padrón is an electric bassist raised in Miami Florida's "Little Havana"- surrounded by the sounds of Latino-Caribbean culture, rock and dance music. These influences affect his big sound and approach to electric bass guitar. Early in his career, Mario was active in the Miami music scene working in and co-founding various groups ranging in diverse styles, from latin jazz, funk and blues, to noise, punk, and electronic music. Leaving Miami and eventually relocating to Hoboken, NJ Mario continues to work in NYC, Hoboken and surrounding areas.
SoR Hoboken is Mario's home where he can share his experience and knowledge as a musician. He is grateful for and recognizes the impact his mentors and music education has had in his career, as well as the experiences gained as a working musician. "Being able to teach at SoR is inspiring. I enjoy seeing the spark in a students eye as they start to gain confidence in their ability, then they share that spark on stage with their SoR bandmates. It's brilliant how SoR brings real life experiences of a musicians journey to the the classroom."
Paul Crocker Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard Teacher, Drum Teacher
Paul Crocker is a versatile musician and a passionate teacher. He offers lessons for guitar, piano, bass, and drums. Paul has toured as a lead guitarist with several bands and most recently played piano for pop singer, Andreah, at the Neon Lights Festival in Singapore. He also earned a certificate degree from Carnegie Mellon University in audio engineering and has extensive experience in recording and production.
Additionally, Paul has a great deal of experience as an educator. He has taught English and music in Thailand. He also spent several years leading weekend music workshops for under-privileged teens from the Pittsburgh area. Paul is excited and grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of School of Rock. He has a great passion for music and loves spreading that joy and excitement to others.