Christian Brunelle Drum Teacher
Christian Brunelle has been performing for 20 years now and learned to play drums, vocals,and later on guitar. He attended Berklee College of Music and has played in a number of bands and musicals since then. Some of his favorite artists are Larnell Lewis, Neil Peart, Questlove, Carlos Santana and Angus Young. He is a drum teacher at School of Rock Madison.
MIKE MOLYNEUX General Manager, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Music has had a remarkable influence on Mike from an early age. He is a dedicated music admirer, teaching enthusiast, performing artist and guitarist. He earned his bachelor’s degree in music industry and technology from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY. He went on to study guitar with the highly regarded and talented guitarist Tony Lombardozzi, circa 2016-2020. Being a multi-instrumentalist, Mike is able to take interest in many musical endeavors. He is a CT native who produces original music with the band The Dive Crew. He also performs in an original band known as Strawberry Cheesesteak. He is partnered with a group of professional musicians in two different bands known as Covergirl, and After
Effect. These bands perform covers for private events, parties, and weddings throughout New England.
SOPHIE HAXHI Studio Coordinator, Singing Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Sophie has been singing since she could talk. She started playing piano at the age of six. Since then she has continued to develop her love of music. She played cello in her school orchestra, as well as in several state and town wide orchestras and smaller ensembles, before taking a more serious focus on voice. She joined the United Girls Choir at the age of twelve then went on to audition for the Elm City Girls Choir, with which she toured across the globe and had many notable performances, including a production of Bernstein’s Mass with the Yale Glee Club and the Yale Symphony in Carnegie Hall. She worked as a soprano soloist and conductor at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Wallingford before leaving for Muhlenberg College to pursue vocal performance. Her specialties include conducting, choral performance, vocal theory and world music.
WALKER DESTROISMAISONS Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Assistant Manager
Walker has been playing music for 19 years, starting out on alto saxophone at age 11before picking up guitar at 13. An avid musician throughout high-school, Walker then pursued music professionally, graduating from the University of New Haven with a bachelor’s degree in music and sound recording in 2014. While attending, he also took private guitar instruction from Nick Nasko, as well as performed with the UNH Jazz Band on both guitar and saxophone. He has played in numerous rock bands around the New Haven area and is currently performing regularly with original bands Strawberry Cheesesteak and Hatfield, as well as shoreline cover band Covergirl. Walker has also worked as a professional live sound engineer since 2016, as well as written and recorded several solo projects over the years.
JAKE HUFFMAN Drum Teacher, Singing Teacher
At the age of 14, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jake Huffman began his musical journey while traveling up and down the east coast with his rock band, McLovins. Jake’s band shared the stage with acts such as Blink-182, Jack White, BB King, and The Flaming Lips. In 2010, Rolling Stone described his band as “having the ability to harness the musical ferocity of Trey Anastasio, Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland before being able to legally drive a car.” Meanwhile on television, Jake left an imprint as a composer and lyricist for Sesame Street, writing dozens of songs for artists like Ed Sheeran and Leon Bridges. He also did a stint leading the house band on ESPN2’s Sports-Nation for a season. On stage, Jake goes from drums to keys to guitar all while communicating to an audience with deeply personal lyrics and stony vocals.
MIKE STEARNS Singing Teacher
Music has been a major part of Mike’s life from a very young age. It began with an infatuation with the musical Mary Poppins, where he quickly learned every dance number and song by heart by the age of five. From there, singing became something he did daily, whether it was in the car, around the house, or at school. By his freshman year of high school, Mike was beginning his classical training in voice and participating in the musicals put on by his high school, such as Singing in the Rain and Mary Poppins. During this time, he was also attending the School of Rock in Madison performing in multiple band programs and the House Band. Throughout his high school career, Mike became involved with multiple bands and has played rock covers at a variety of local bars and venues around the state. His most successful band, and the band he has been with for seven years (joining at the age of 15), is Presence. Presence is a Led Zeppelin tribute band and performs around Connecticut at a variety of well-known venues such as The Space Ballroom, The Acoustic, and Trinity on Main. They have been consistently compared to the other national acts covering Led Zeppelin and are seen as one of, if not, the best Led Zeppelin tribute band in the state. Most recently, Mike has graduated college at the University of South Carolina, majoring in Entertainment Management with a minor in music. During that time, Mike continued his classical training in voice, received formal piano training for two years, and spent some time teaching himself bass and drums. He has continued playing in a few bands, both in South Carolina and Connecticut, becoming known for his impressive range, powerhouse voice, and passionate performances at every show.
CHRISTIAN SACCO Bass Guitar Teacher
Christian S. started performing as a clarinet player in his middle school concert band. He began studying bass as a student at School of Rock Madison when he was 16. He remained in the student program for 2 years while also taking part in other musical endeavors such as his high school rock ensemble. In 2020, Christian took up a music studies major in Manchester Community College, with the aim to transfer into a 4-year state university and major in music education.
JEREMY COONEY Guitar Teacher
Jeremy Cooney started playing guitar at age 12 and quickly became attached to the instrument. His first musical influences were John Lennon and The Beatles. Since then he has branched out into various genres such as blues, jazz, bluegrass, folk, reggae and even punk rock. He started his first band at age 13 and has played in six different groups since then. He also makes music as a solo musician. Jeremy is a recent graduate from the University of New Haven with a B.A. in music. In addition to playing guitar he taught himself the slide guitar, banjo, mandolin, piano, bass and drums.
BILL D’ANDREA Keyboard Teacher
William (Bill) D'Andrea was born and raised in Greenwich, CT. He studied at Berklee College of Music and graduated in 1977 with an instrumental performance major in piano. Bill started playing piano at the early age of 13. Throughout his career, Bill has had the unique opportunity to play in various musical ensembles. From musicals to rock bands, jazz bands and more, he has acquired an incredible ability to play many various styles and instruments. Bill has taught himself guitar and has been coaching vocals as the director/accompanist for over 30 musicals such as "Godspell," "Kiss Me, Kate," "Fame," "Barnum and Nunsense," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Mame" and more. He has been performing, arranging and teaching for over 50 years in the tri-state area. Bill loves music and especially enjoys sharing the language of music through teaching students of all ages. He is a piano teacher and guitar teacher at School of Rock Madison.
KYLE AUSTIN Drum Teacher
Kyle started playing drums at the age of 8, taking lessons after school and rehearsing with jazz bands and orchestral groups in middle school, high school and college. He attended Eastern Connecticut State University for percussion performance. Outside of school Kyle played drums for indie rock and punk bands in Connecticut and taught drum lessons. His musical influences include jazz, metal, punk, and indie-rock. Kyle also enjoys playing keyboards and guitar.
MARCUS DIPOLLINA Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Marcus has been playing in southeastern CT for over a decade. His love of music started in 8th grade when he asked for drum lessons. He wasted no time finding his first real band, Defenders Of Pluto. In which he was the manic pop punk drummer playing once or twice a month in high school. Defenders released their debut album in 2012. Since then, Marcus has stayed true to his passion of music. Taking him all over the state of Connecticut and also to NH, VT, MA and ME. Marcus plays drums, guitar, bass and has a bachelor's degree in music performance. Marcus’s most recent project was joining the band Fleet in 2017. Marcus' four year tenure with the sextet provided him with immense growth as he made the transition to lead guitar and recorded as a guitarist for the first time. In 2019 the band won the Mohegan Sun's “Locals Live” battle of the bands. When the pandemic hit, Marcus released his first Solo EP called “Lock Down Quarantunes” in late February of 2020. The following spring, Marcus started the most recent chapter of his musical life by becoming an instructor at School of Rock in Madison, CT. Marcus looks at music as a trade and a job that he loves doing. He hopes to impart this passion to his students and all the projects he is a part of.
JAKE SHAKER Guitar Teacher
Jake is a guitarist and songwriter with over 18 years of experience playing, writing, and recording music. He uses songwriting as a vehicle to explore psychology, philosophy, and to navigate personal experiences. As a musician, Jake has a love of harmony and is a lifelong student of jazz theory. His current songwriting and recording project, Skating, has released three full length albums which blend indie, pop, rock, and jazz for a unique and sincere sound.