Jason Fein
Owner
Jason Fein has had every role possible within School of Rock. He was initially hired on as a Vocal instructor/show director. Later he became a music Director and GM before leaving to open his own. Jason also practices what he preaches. His Punk Rock Band, The Run Around, has toured The States many times over. At one point he was on the road 150-200 days per year. They have had multiple Record deals and have shared the stage with some of the most iconic Punk bands in history (Descendents, Rancid, Green Day to name a few). All of this while going to college on a vocal scholarship and finishing his degree in music business. These days The Run Around still tours here and there but he stays busy with owning 3 extremely successful School of Rock locations in the Chicago area (4 with the addition of Knoxville) and a young family at home (Wife: Coleen, Son: Lennon(5), Daughter: Kona(1)). Jason is excited to help take SOR Knoxville to the next level!
Kelsey Szorc
Owner, General Manager
Kelsey is a former student at School of Rock who quickly fell in love with creating, practicing, and performing music. She was a member of the School of Rock Performance Program and House Band for four years until she graduated in 2017. In high school, Kelsey was co-founder of pop-punk group California Killers where she wrote, sang lead vocals, and played guitar.
Shortly after graduating high school, Kelsey began working at the School of Rock location in Geneva, IL as a studio coordinator, vocal instructor, and show director while attending Waubonsee Community College. She worked alongside her fellow owners of School of Rock Knoxville, Jason Fein and Owen Szorc. During this time, she also performed many gigs at bars, restaurants, and events in Chicagoland both separately and as a duo with Owen.
After completing her associate's degree, Kelsey said goodbye to her School of Rock Geneva family and moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting and a career in the music business. During her time at Belmont University studying Songwriting and Music Business, she found herself back at School of Rock and realized that her real passion was for the families, friends, and mission of the School of Rock Knoxville community. Kelsey is beyond excited to work alongside her music partner Owen and her mentor Jason to embark on this new journey with School of Rock Knoxville.
Owen Szorc
Owner, Music Director
Owen Szorc graduated from Elmhurst College with a degree in guitar performance in both classical and jazz and a degree in music business. He started as an instructor and show director at the School of Rock location in Geneva, IL. During his time there, Owen widely contributed to the culture of the students and School of Rock community through strong and organized leadership along with his signature ability to connect with students of all ages and skill levels.
Over time, Owen earned the role of music director and seasonally directed up to five performance groups including House Band, adult groups, and performance groups. Outside School of Rock, Owen has performed in many ensembles, including various rock bands, jazz, country, wedding bands, classical guitar, and solo performances over time.
Owen has many years of experience in teaching private lessons of all levels and genres, with many of his students finding success in their own groups and moving on to top collegiate-level programs. Owen is thrilled to be an owner, instructor, show director, and the music director here at School of Rock Knoxville!
Wooloughby McGreggor
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Charles' love for music first began in 1993 when he started playing bass, which led him to a deeper understanding and love of all things music. He has performed live and recorded with a variety of bands, spanning styles such as classic rock, modern rock, jazz, funk, country, folk, pop, jam band, rockabilly, punk, metal, oldies, R&B, soul and blues. Charles enjoys sharing the knowledge he has gained over the years as a musician and looks forward to helping develop the next generation.
Dustin Hurt
Guitar Teacher
Dustin Hurt is from a small farming community in central Illinois. His love of music began in fourth grade when he began playing trumpet in his school's concert band. Around the time he was 12, he picked up the guitar after hearing the sounds of Green Day and never looked back. Dustin has played in several bands and has experience as a musician, performing and recording jazz, classical, classic rock, heavy metal, punk rock, Christian rock and everything in between. He is a guitar teacher at School of Rock Knoxville.
Brian Lee
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Brian has a solid history as a performing musician in Knoxville starting with Bad Weather Blues in the mid 1990’s which was a solid house band for Baker/Peters and other venues in Knoxville. Brian has also played with The Royal Hounds (local rockabilly band) and is an accredited guitar teacher with 20+ years teaching experience in the Knoxville/Oak Ridge area. He is completely obsessed with everything Jimi Hendrix, and he is an avid Led Zeppelin vinyl collector! The rock/blues band Brian founded, AlienLoveCharm, is active in Knoxville, and he is also lead guitarist of Soul Finger, a funk band which plays throughout East Tennessee.
Michael Peng
Keyboard Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Michael Peng is a professional performer and educator who was born in Oakridge and has known the Knoxville area his entire life. Michael started learning piano when he was 9 years old, and started singing when he was 12. Since then, he's joined a variety of professional choirs, musicals, and operas in shows such as Into the Woods, Carmen, and the local Forbidden Knoxville. These opportunities included travel abroad to perform, and Michael has studied and performed in Brazil and Hungary as part of his music career. Most recently, he has returned from China, where he performed and taught music both one on one and at an international school. Michael has a Bachelors in Vocal Performance and a Masters in Music Education from UTK. He has 9 years of experience teaching music lessons both one and one and to groups. Michael currently works as an elementary music teacher as well as a voice and keys instructor at School of Rock Knoxville.
Michael Jones
Guitar Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Michael Jones has performed in the Knoxville music scene since he was a kid. He started by teaching himself to play guitar and bass from online video tutorials and song tablature. He then began singing and performing in church, in a cover band, and in his local talent show, which inspired him to pick up marching band and, eventually, a degree in contemporary music from Bryan College. He has since performed alongside musicians such as Abe Partridge, Kirk Fleta, Luke McQueary, and Jordan Foster. He currently performs in and around Knoxville solo and as a guitarist, bassist, and backup vocalist in a variety of contexts. He also writes songs for his current project, Lazarus Lake, as well as for collaborative projects with his friends.
Lydia Barbour
Vocal Teacher, Piano Teacher
Lydia Barbour discovered her love of all things music at the age of fifteen when she started busking in downtown Knoxville with her clarinet and keyboard. This quickly developed into a passion for performance; catapulting her into a rush of open mic nights, jam sessions, and four years of music classes at the University of the Cumberlands. Growing just as emphatically as her musical knowledge, was a deep enthusiasm for teaching private piano and vocal lessons, conducting her church choir, and most importantly helping her music community thrive. Lydia has performed and recorded keys and vocals in multiple genres; rock, jazz, pop, and folk being her personal favorites. Lydia is excited and honored to teach piano and singing at School of Rock Knoxville.
Dakota Carley
Drum Teacher
After spending the last decade professionally drumming deep in central Texas, Dakota brings many avenues of expertise to the teaching staff. He draws upon various styles such as jazz, blues, country, and funk all the way to heavy metal, hip hop, and soul. Dakota has played just about every role in the musical process from bandmate, bandleader, songwriter, and engineer to producer and more recently, teacher. Hoping to change the world one student at a time, he aspires to show each student to tap into the infinite source of inspiration and creative energy that lies within them to learn and grow. Always looking ahead, he can’t wait to see what each student, each group, and the school at large is capable of achieving!
Alex Sadler
Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Alex Sadler is a professional musician and music educator from Sharon, TN. Alex has had the opportunity to play the drums and keyboards professionally in many different bands across the United States, at venues like Swampers in Muscle Shoals, AL, Beale Street in Memphis, TN, and the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.
Due to his commitment to giving back to the community and becoming an ambassador of the craft of music to others, Alex earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Tennessee at Martin. While earning this degree, Alex gained vital experience in teaching music to children of all age ranges and gained his official teaching Licensure in Tennessee.
Alex is currently continuing his education earning his master’s degree in music at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Alex also continues to work as a professional musician playing various gigs in Knoxville and the East Tennessee area.
Alex Wampler
Studio Coordinator
Alex Wampler graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in theatre. Alex has always known their passion lies in performance; they grew up listening to rock music and dreaming of being a superstar, a dream that only grew when they wrote their first song at 10 years old, called Heartbreaker. The song has since been lost to time, but Alex's dream lives on in every song they write today.
Alex's history of performance began in middle school with cheesy musicals, continued into high school with choir competitions and self-written plays, and grew even further in college, where they led teams in UT's Mock Trial program as both a witness and an attorney for all four years. Alex is excited to work at School of Rock Knoxville as the Studio Coordinator and to help create a safe space for kids who have dreams just like theirs.
Lila Satterfield
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Rookies Teacher
Passionate about strings, chords, and the magic of music, Lila is an accomplished guitarist with a flair for teaching. For nearly a decade, she has played with a multitude of bands and in many venues both in Knoxville and around the Southeast!
Lila is a former student of School of Rock Knoxville and continued her musical journey at the University of Tennessee. She embodies a fusion of rock, jazz, R&B, and an eclectic array of guitar styles. Her knowledge of music theory combined with practical, hands-on experience has shaped her into a versatile and effective music instructor.
Kame Reidy
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Kame Reidy began playing music at the age of 6, and by 10 years old, he was deeply invested. Over the next several years, he dedicated himself to learning as much as possible about guitar and music as a whole, with a particular focus on music theory and harmony.
After high school, Kame attended Middle Tennessee State University, where he studied Jazz Guitar under their exceptional faculty. In the summer of 2021, he discovered his passion for teaching while working at AICL: a summer camp for creative learning. The following year, Kame merged his two passions and started teaching guitar and bass at the School of Rock in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Kame has performed bass and guitar in various bands around Knoxville, specializing in rock, jazz fusion, and country. Today, working with the students at School of Rock Knoxville remains one of his most fulfilling endeavors!
Joe Wilaniskis
Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Joe is a local freelance drummer, keyboardist, and composer from the Knoxville area. He is well-versed in many styles including rock, jazz, funk, and country. With over a decade of performing experience, Joe has been immersed in several musical scenarios that will give his students a unique perspective.
Joe earned a music performance degree from the University of Tennessee where he served as a teacher’s assistant coaching small ensembles. Since then, Joe has been hard at work further developing his musical skills, writing music, and fueling his fiery passion for teaching and inspiring the next generation of musicians.
Liym Wyatt
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Liym is a guitar, bass, drum, and vocal teacher at the School of Rock in Knoxville. He has been playing guitar and bass since he was 10 years old when he would spend hours trying to learn Black Sabbath songs that his dad played consistently. Eventually, Liym discovered pop-punk and hip-hop and would spend days listening to everything from blink-182 to Snoop Dogg.
Liym is a successful recording artist with a passion and talent for ear training and strives to teach others how to enjoy music and be comfortable with themselves.
Rudy Valero
Drum Teacher
Rudy Valero is a professional drummer formerly based in Austin, TX. With a love for many genres ranging from salsa and jazz to electronic and metal, Rudy is dedicated to the exploration of rhythm and groove with an open ear and adventurous spirit.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Percussion Performance and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Computer Science from Texas Lutheran University and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Percussion Performance at the University of Tennessee.
Rudy’s performance experience includes performing with the TLU Choir as a guest percussionist on their Spain tour, performing with the National Intercollegiate Band as Principal Percussionist, performing as a show drummer at SeaWorld, and gigging around the Austin/San Antonio music scenes for the past two years. When not at School of Rock Knoxville, you can currently find him performing with the UT Percussion Ensemble and Wind Ensemble.
Emma Combs
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Emma is a vocal and keyboard instructor with a background in jazz, rock, and contemporary styles. A graduate of East Tennessee State University with a degree in Contemporary Music Performance and Production, Emma combines formal training with real-world performance experience. In addition to teaching, Emma writes and performs with a local Knoxville band, bringing the energy of live music into lessons. Passionate about helping students discover their unique musical voice, Emma creates a supportive and engaging environment for learners of all levels at School of Rock Knoxville.