Ben K.
Music Director, Drums Teacher
Ben is a drummer and audio engineer who started his journey as a musician as a School of Rock student and has continued as an instructor. During his tenure at School of Rock Oak Park, Ben was in the House Band and was a three-time School of Rock AllStar.
In addition to teaching, Ben owns and manages Picture-Minded Studio, which is co-located with the school. When he is not teaching at School of Rock Lemont, Ben operates and engineers at the recording studio, working with multiple groups as a drummer, songwriter, producer, and audio engineer.
Matthew P.
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Matthew has been a professional performer and musician since the age of 14. Even today, he still finds time to go out and rock in the smallest venues to some of the biggest.
Matthew has been teaching multiple instruments for over 20 years including guitar, bass, piano, mandolin, banjo, uke, drums, vocals, and sitar. He is very well-versed in the history and content of modern music and his palette of styles is eclectic, but usually finds its way back to where it all began—rock and roll!
Max D.
Vocals Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Max is a multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, and producer from Chicago, Illinois. After spending years as a School of Rock student (including being a three-time AllStar), Max went on to get his audio engineering degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
Max has been producing and writing records nonstop since he was 16 years old, and he brings that same love of music creation and appreciation to his students at School of Rock Lemont. Whether it is with his own musical project, Westhead, or dozens of other bands around Chicago and Indiana, you can hear his influence on many recordings in the Midwest.
Duncan K.
Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Duncan is an audio engineer and multi-instrumentalist who specializes in rock, jazz, and live sound. He began music studies at age nine, became drum captain of his high school marching band his senior year, and cut his teeth playing and working gigs in the Indy area.
He earned his B.S. in Audio Engineering at the IU Jacobs School of Music with a minor in music production and has since produced and recorded singles and albums from local Bloomington bands. He has skills in live sound and FOH mixing, working for the likes of Robert Mitus and Carrie Newcomer as well as bands like Hawktail and Humbird. When not teaching at School of Rock Lemont, he is currently an intern at Gravity Studios, where he assists in large studio recordings as well as mixing and mastering sessions. He has a passion for local music and for cultivating talent with his knowledge of music and audio.
Braeden J.
Drum Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Braeden is a drummer, audio engineer, music entrepreneur, and graduate of the School of Rock in Carmel, IN. He started his first business at the age of sixteen - a small recording and rehearsal studio out of his family home. He went on to study audio engineering at the IU Jacobs School of Music for three years, and in that time dedicated himself to playing as many shows and sessions as possible. It’s there he founded the independent record label Hum Drum Press with Max DiFrisco. Today, he’s drumming for and managing Westhead, teaching at the School of Rock in Lemont, and engineering at Picture-Minded Studio.
Abby K.
Vocal Teacher
Abby is a singer/songwriter originally from the Chicagoland area. She began performing in hometown venues and church at age 14 singing and playing the guitar. With much passion, she continued her career performing in Nashville, TN at age 19 covering country, rock, and pop covers on Broadway.
After her time on NBC’s “The Voice” Season 16, Abby continues to travel and perform at various venues, release music, and share her love for the stage with her students! Abby is fueled by inspiring others to step into their presence and experience the same love for the stage she has gained from performing.
Ryan R.
Bass Guitar Teacher
Ryan has been holding down the rhythm section for nearly 20 years. The bass guitar was love at first sight, and he’s been slappin’ it ever since. In 2015, he co-founded the three-piece Chicago psych-rock band, Dead Lucid. Together, they released three EPs and played countless shows around the Chicago-land area. He’s a dynamic player, able to adapt and meld seamlessly with any group. Ryan has done studio and live bass work for various artists ranging from hip-hop to punk. He has a great passion for teaching, and it’s been a staple of his professional career over the last decade. Ryan is thrilled to combine his passions and teach you how to SLAPPA DA BASS
Lani R.
Studio Coordinator
Lanisa (Lani) has been singing since before she could even talk and grew up surrounded by the environment of music. Her parents were both very musically involved and her dad even brought her to his shows when she was very little. Anytime anyone asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer would always be “a famous singer” or “a rockstar.”
Lanisa has been involved in every music class she could throughout her school years and is currently a Music Production student at Elmhurst University in addition to working at School of Rock Lemont. Lanisa has performed multiple gigs for her high school’s MME band (Modern Music Ensemble) including C2E2, outside the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and was even able to perform her originals for each concert. She’s been creating and releasing her own music since 2020 under “Lanisa Eriana” and plans on continuing doing so as time goes on.
Caio C.
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Caio is a guitarist, bassist, and dedicated music educator with a passion for helping students of all levels grow as musicians. While he specializes in jazz guitar, Caio is well versed in a wide variety of styles—from rock and pop to classical and beyond.
When he’s not teaching at School of Rock Lemont, Caio can be found performing gigs around the Chicago area or composing his own music, often inspired by the rhythms and colors of Brazilian styles like samba and bossa nova. His well-rounded musicianship and creative spirit bring energy, depth, and inspiration to every lesson.
Alex J.
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Alex is a session musician who specializes in live performance. Starting on keyboard at the age of seven and learning singing from and theatre, he soon discovered School of Rock with a desire to learn guitar. After seven years as a student, and three years in the house band (guitar, keyboard + piano, vocals), a strong emphasis on versatility, reliability, and the details of live performance was developed. Upon graduating, he moved directly into teaching and playing all types of gigs around the Chicagoland area and beyond.
His playing has brought him to venues and studios ranging from Nashville to London. When not at School of Rock Lemont, Alex has recently been touring with indie band “Runner and Bobby”, as well as top-level gospel gigs and cover shows.
Maeve S.
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Maeve performs and teaches a myriad of repertoire, including opera, classical, music theater, CCM, folk, and rock. She has studied voice from a young age and has a wide variety of performance experience, ranging from performances internationally in northern Italy, The Republic of Ireland, and Germany, as well as performances domestically in the United States in Chicago, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, New Orleans, and beyond. Before bringing her expertise to School of Rock Lemont, Ms. Sullivan has also garnered directing experience with OCU’s student-led opera company, OPERAtions, where she served as an Executive and Artistic Co-Director.