Mackenzie
Music Director, Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Mackenzie Miller has been performing since she was three years old in church choir. Mostly self-taught and picking up various instruments over the years, she has played keyboard, guitar, and sang in bands, duos, and solo all over the world. From the world-famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, UK - where she got her BA in Songwriting and Vocal Performance from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts - to busking on the streets of Paris, to local wineries right here in Seattle. Mackenzie has been performing with her own original music for over twelve years and has spent many years organizing bands and performances in a variety of genres and venues through work as a writer, promoter, music director, and performer. Mackenzie’s favorite thing about music is the ability to connect with others, and she loves teaching because it gives her the opportunity to be the person she always wished she had for others in the community.
Wayne
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Coming from a musical family, Wayne picked up the guitar in 1977 at 10 years old and played his first gig in 1981 in the 9th grade for a school event. Since then, he's performed in too many bands to count, ranging in styles from punk to acoustic jazz to progressive to bluegrass. He also worked as a studio guitarist “for hire” in the Puget Sound area, mainly providing guitar solos for pop music demos. In many words, he is no stranger to performance.
Over the years, he's learned to play the bass, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, and most other fretted instruments to varying degrees. As a certified audio engineer, he is also well versed in studio production: recording and post-production, drum and other midi programming, analog and digital synthesis, editing, etc.
He has 2 daughters that were heavily involved in musical theater, and now that they are grown, he wants to continue helping kids discover the electricity, the camaraderie, and the sheer fun of live performance.
Brian
Bass Guitar Teacher, Studio Coordinator
Brian is a multi-faceted musician with experience playing in various projects on bass guitar, electric guitar, and drums, as well as recording, which he learned through Seattle Recording Arts, an academy run by local studio Orbit Audio. At the start of the pandemic, Brian, alongside the rest of The Narcotics, a Utah-based hard-rock band, wrote and recorded a full-length album, Papaver Calfornicum.
Soon after, Brian relocated to the Seattle area to pursue more music opportunities compared to what was available in his home state of Utah. Soon after moving, he joined Kuwaisiana, an Arab Grunge band, and was enchanted by the unique rhythms and challenges this project presented. Searching for a push to the next level, Brian sought out a year-long mentorship from Steve Jenkins of Screaming Headless Torsos fame. Soon thereafter, starting both a System of a Down tribute band, Sugar of a Down, and a bass-lead hardcore punk band, Decentralized Disobedience. Brian is driven by furthering their musical understanding and distilling it down to be shared with students at School of Rock Kent.
Brandon
Drum Teacher
Brandon (he/him) is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Kent, WA. You may have seen him with an acoustic guitar at your local coffeehouse or perhaps supporting other local bands and artists on the bass, drum set, or cajon. If not, you've undoubtedly seen him on the street corner in an ushanka hat and fingerless gloves, raving madly about "the end times." Besides teaching kids how to rock and recording music at home, Brandon also loves to play video games and take his dog to the park.
Joshy
General Manager
Joshila's artistic journey began with dance and evolved into a deep commitment to creativity and education. Now a resident of Auburn and a member of the Auburn School District, Joshila combines her love for the arts with a desire to help individuals of all ages realize their potential. She sees this new venture as a chance to strengthen the community through music.
Phil
Director of Operations
With nearly a decade of experience as a School of Rock franchise operator, Phil Gustavson has been a cornerstone of Seattle’s music education scene. As a performer, teacher, and sound engineer, he has mentored thousands of musicians and organized hundreds of concerts. His impressive background spans punk rock, jazz manouche, and executive production at renowned studios. Phil also actively contributes to community events as an executive board member of the Alki Art Fair.
Chris
Operating Owner
Chris Wilson has spent the last 24 years touring the world as a production rigger, working behind the scenes with legendary artists like Elton John, Avenged Sevenfold, Avril Lavigne, Halsey, Nickelback, Iron Maiden, Linkin Park, Green Day, Michael Bublé, and The Weeknd. With a deep passion for live music, Chris is committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians. He believes in the power of performance to build confidence, creativity, and lifelong skills, helping young artists thrive on and off the stage.
Nathanyel
Show Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Music has been a part of Nathanyel’s life for as long as he can remember. Originally starting on the piano at age 5, he eventually learned drums before hearing Eddie Van Halen for the first time and falling in love with the guitar. Before teaching, Nathanyel played in professional original bands and in the tribute band scene, and he has an undergraduate and graduate degree from Berklee College of Music. Some favorite states/countries he’s played in include Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, Vegas, and Belgium. Now along with teaching, Nathanyel uses music and his guitar to spread awareness about Puerto Rico and other issues that he cares about.
Callan
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Callan has been performing since he was seven7 years old, when he first started out at a local youth theater company. By the age of 12, he had soon become professionally acquainted with a variety of musical theater companies in the Pacific Northwest such as the 5th Avenue Theater and Seattle Children’s Theater. However, these opportunities soon led him to School of Rock Kent as a student, when he had to try to master guitar in a week for a Broadway callback.
After that experience, Callan found an affinity both for performing rock music, as well as School of Rock itself, and decided to enroll as a student. Throughout his tenure at School of Rock, Callan chose to involve himself in nearly every program the school had to offer such as the Performance Program and House Band, filling in on any instrument that needed playing on a particular song. This eventually culminated in him being accepted into the School of Rock AllStars program in 2021, which selects students internationally based on a rigorous audition process.
While participating in all of these programs and learning new skills amongst his peers, Callan found that he felt not only empowered as a musician, but as a person. A feeling that cemented itself in him as he began performing his own original music in a number of original bands performing bi-coastally. Recognizing that this was a feeling he could give back to his community, Callan decided to become a teacher at the same school that had made him the musician he is today.
Rebecca
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Beginning in 2023, Rebecca pursued her ambition to join a band, inspired by the creativity and connection inherent in musical groups. After initially learning guitar, Rebecca found her niche with the bass guitar, developing a deep passion for the instrument. Fulfilling a long-held dream, Rebecca recently joined a band and is gaining confidence in her abilities as a singer and musician. Rebecca enjoys musical exploration and finds fulfillment in expressing herself through sound. Looking ahead, she is eager to delve deeper into the music community and to combine her musical talents with educating children, fostering their creativity at School of Rock Kent.
Mark
Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Mark A. Smith (also known as M.A.S.) born and raised in Seattle Washington has been a music industry professional for 40 years. He has predominantly worked as a recording producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and music teacher. Mark was able to learn several instruments playing by ear at an early age, but his first paid gigs were as a drummer. As he networked with other musicians, he quickly expanded to working in various top 40 cover and original funk bands as a keyboard + piano player, bass guitarist, or guitarist playing locally and touring internationally.
During the late 1980’s and 90’s he started producing several R&B and rap artists and spent most of his time in pre production or commercial recording studios. The sound he developed grabbed the attention of music executives at Tommy Boy Records, which led to his productions being released and distributed on major record label recordings and film soundtracks.
Currently, he is the founder of the independent label Triumphed Recording Company. Along with his wife, they have been conducting workshops geared towards guiding and instructing youth in the various career fields of music and arts. M.A.S also teaches keyboard + piano at School of Rock Kent.
Paul
Drum Teacher
Originally from Michigan, Paul (they/them) is a musician living in Tacoma. A graduate of the University of Puget Sound, Paul is advancing their career in the music industry, focusing on everything from artist booking and event production to live sound and studio recording.
Paul is a musician first, with years of gigging experience and a strong musical background. Starting with the violin in the third grade, their passion grew to include upright bass, bass guitar, guitar, and of course, drums. Paul is no stranger to School of Rock Kent’s music-first approach, having learned the fundamentals of timing and groove from Aerosmith, Deep Purple, and System of a Down songs at a young age.
Since moving to Washington, Paul has gigged with many bands across a diverse range of genres, including funk, rock, indie, grunge, and jazz. Besides music, their passions include tabletop RPGs and classic science fiction.