Emily McCreight
General Manager
Nashville native Emily McCreight just recently graduated from Belmont University in May 2021. Earning her degree in entertainment industry studies and public relations, she loved nothing more than to come back and be the General Manager for the School of Rock Nashville. Emily is also an alum from our sister school, School of Rock Franklin. During her time, she was a 4-time School of Rock AllStar and also had the opportunity to open for Knight Ranger, play on multiple cruise lines, and perform at multiple Nashville Predators games. Some of her biggest inspirations are John Paul Jones, Laura Lee, and The Main Squeeze. Now, she finds success with her up-and-coming band Juke of June who has performed at the Tennessee Titan’s halftime show as well as open for Moon Taxi.
Caroline Atkerson
Assistant General Manager
Originally from Memphis, TN, Caroline moved to Nashville in May of 2018 after growing up in Bowling Green, KY. Music has always surrounded her in some way, from the local music scene in Bowling Green to going to family members shows growing up. Caroline started taking piano and singing lessons at age 11, and fell more in love with everything music. She continued her music education by completing the audio engineering and music business courses at The Darkhorse Institute. Nowadays Caroline enjoys going to local gigs, playing piano, singing, and trying her best to keep up with her engineering skills. Aside from music you can most likely find her taking pictures of her cats. Caroline’s favorite part about School of Rock is seeing how music can bring together total strangers.
Angie McCreight
Owner
Angie has loved music her entire life. One of her earliest memories is listening to artists like Elvis Presley, Elton John and more with her parents as a toddler. Angie started singing at the age of five, joining her church choir at the age of eight. In middle school, Angie was a member of the Ketron Singers who performed at the World's Fair in Knoxville, TN and continued to develop her vocal skills with private lessons. Angie continued to perform in high school with her jazz band and performed in the Tennessee All-State Choir, as well as at the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts.
Angie continued her vocal training in college and participated in activities that allowed her to continue to perform. She went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Medical Technology and worked in pharmaceutical research for over 20 years. In 2011, after leaving her career in the pharmaceutical industry, she and her husband Kelly decided to open the first School of Rock in Tennessee in the Franklin/Cool Springs area and opened the Nashville location two years later. Angie is very passionate about providing this outlet for young musicians and has also seen her own children participate in the program and become School of Rock AllStars. Every day is a gift when she sees the students get excited about their music and performing in live music venues, even when they get excited about just being in the building.
Steve Rossi
Regional Music Director
Steve Rossi brings many years of experience to the School of Rock as a seasoned performer. Steve has performed on stage with Rock legend and guitar virtuoso, Peter Frampton on his North American tours, as well as other well-known artists such as vocalist extraordinaire Taylor Dayne, 80s Rock legends Cinderella (North American tours), 60s Rock n' Roll pioneer Gary U.S. Bonds, and many other high profile bands and artists across several continents. He has appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The Arsenio Hall Show" and NBC's "A 70s Celebration" with Taylor Dayne. Steve has also appeared with headliners The Bee Gees and other notable 70s artists. Other appearances include Solid Gold with Gary U.S. Bonds and on MTV's "The Grind." Steve's album credits include Stevie Wonder, John Kay, Steppenwolf and various other artists. He is an independent composer/producer of music for television multimedia. Clients include ABC/Disney, AE, Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon Networks and The Travel Channel, as well as various other corporate and independent clients. Steve scored two seasons of "Surprise by Design," hit home improvement series on Discovery Channel, and is currently composing and producing original, in-program music for "Good Morning America." He is a guitar teacher, bass guitar teacher and piano teacher at School of Rock Franklin and serves as the Regional Director of Music Programming for our Franklin, Nashville and Mt. Juliet locations.
Drew Kohl
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboard Teacher
Drew is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He has taught lessons on piano, bass, acoustic and electric guitar for over nine years. He graduated with honors from the guitar program at the Atlanta Institute of Music. He was also accepted into the classical piano and music composition program at the University of Georgia. After studying at UGA he moved to Nashville, TN to pursue songwriting, performing and teaching.
Drew enjoys teaching beginners of all styles and intermediate to advance students on songwriting, music theory, rock, indie, folk, bluegrass and country styles. He has studied and transcribed songs from a variety of artists for students including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and CCR, as well as contemporary bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, The Avett Brothers, Ryan Adams and Modest Mouse to name a few. He enjoys working with students and helping them play the songs they love.
K.C. Harris
Guitar Teacher, Show Director
K.C. Harris moved to Nashville in 2018 to continue pursuing a career in music. He graduated from Berklee College of Music earlier the same year with a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Music, with focuses on music business and American roots music. His music combines aspects of his favorite genres, including: rock and roll, country, jazz, bluegrass, and others. K.C. attended School of Rock in Vista, California from age 11 through high school, and is a first hand witness to what this program can do for someone that is passionate about music.
John O'Brien
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
John O'Brien has spent most of his life making music. At the age of 10, he began learning the saxophone and started playing music through school programs. Picking up guitar by the age of 13, he knew that music would always be an important part of his life and sought out every opportunity to perform. School programs provided performance opportunities in wind ensembles, jazz ensembles, marching bands, pep bands, pit orchestras, jazz combos, show choir combos and saxophone quartets. Still needing more, John would form his own bands outside of school. These bands would emphasize original material and range in styles from blues and jazz to rock, pop and metal. Over the years he’s played hundreds of shows all over the Midwest, recorded several albums, and had his music played on commercial radio stations in Chicago and elsewhere.
Joey Burcham
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Joey Burcham started playing bluegrass guitar at the age of 4 in a small music shop in Southern Virginia. After moving to the suburbs of Washington, DC in 2011, he developed a love for live music and quickly expanded his arsenal of instruments and musical ideologies. Now, almost 20 years later, he uses his talents as a multi-instrumentalist both in the studio and on the road. After 5 years of living in Nashville, Joey has toured with notable nationally recognized country, pop, and rock acts, as well as engineered, mixed, and produced for dozens of bands, both domestic and international. Outside of music, you can find Joey playing PC games and watching videos on Youtube.
Mike DeVito
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Mike DeVito is a current student at Belmont University studying Audio Engineering, and a former long-time School of Rock Princeton student. His interest in guitar was sparked after playing Guitar Hero 2 for the first time, feeling inspired to pick up the instrument after hearing the bonus track Jordan by Buckethead. Mike began taking guitar lessons soon after through School of Rock in 2012, going on to play live shows across the country and refine his skills on guitar and bass in the process. Through the program, he grew a love for classic rock, metal, progressive music, funk and soul. Mike believes that there is always something to be learned from every genre of music on any instrument, from different ways to play an instrument to the music theory behind something that may sound strange or different. Mike’s favorite band, Hiatus Kaiyote, is a prime example of this. They combine elements of soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop and anything psychedelic to make music that is truly unique. Mike’s band, GIRLS NIGHT, follows the same philosophy in order to create the funkiest music in Nashville, drawing inspiration all the way from Japanese City Pop to Funkadelic.
Blayne Dillon
Guitar Teacher
Blayne Dillon is a guitar teacher and show director at the Nashville School of Rock. Blayne is originally from North West Florida but moved to Nashville with his family when he was 14. Upon moving to Nashville, Blayne enrolled in the Franklin School of Rock. Studying at School of Rock helped Blayne improve his skills as a musician and performer, having attended the school for 4 years and as a member of the Franklin/Nashville School of Rock House Band for 2 years. While a senior in high school, Blayne also interned at the Franklin School of Rock where he assisted with Rock 101 rehearsals. After graduating high school, Blayne began attending Belmont University where he is currently studying music business.
Blayne takes influence from a wide variety of genres including rock, blues, jazz, country, and bluegrass. Some of his favorite artists are the Allman Brothers, Brent Mason, Tony Rice, Tedeschi-Trucks band, Doc Watson, and Jimi Hendrix. Blayne also plays mandolin, harmonica, and slide guitar in addition to standard guitar.
Laura Clough
Keyboard Teacher
Laura Clough is a pianist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from a small town in Upstate New York. She recently graduated Berklee College of Music with a degree in professional music with concentrations in songwriting and production. Although Laura grew up playing classical and jazz primarily, her influences include rock/pop/soul/R&B artists such as Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, the Beatles, Jazmine Sullivan, and Earth, Wind & Fire. New to Nashville, Laura is getting her footing and playing in several bands (as well as her own) and continuing to write and produce for others. Growing up shy and quiet herself, Laura strives to help kids and teens open up their minds and creativity with music and have a great time doing it.
Dillon Johnson
Drum Teacher
Kansas City native Dillon Johnson is a drummer, producer, and educator based out of Nashville, TN. Born into a family saturated by drummers it was only fitting that he would follow in their footsteps. At the age of 5 he discovered his passion for drumming and began his predestined musical journey. During his formative years, he studied under Dr. Dennis G. Rogers, Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at MWSU where he would learn the key fundamentals that would help shape the rest of his music career. Since moving to Nashville in 2020, Dillon currently maintains a busy teaching, playing, and session schedule.
Scott Soifer
Drum Teacher
Scott began taking drum lessons in Dayton, OH when he was 9, and didn't stop until he attended Berklee School of Music at the age of 21 as a performance major. He moved back to Dayton to teach full time, moved to Nashville in 2010, and taught at School of Rock Franklin. Scott toured nationally in American Pink Floyd, and performed in the Blues Rock duo Two Bit Charlie. He is currently drumming for the Grammy nominated artist, Jamie Floyd, and teaching martial arts. Scott prides himself on individualizing lesson plans for students in a way that is challenging and fun, while helping them find their own voice on the drums, learn versatility and achieve their goals.
Brandon Gick
Drum Teacher
Brandon Gick just recently moved to Nashville, TN in pursuit of new musical endeavors. He first joined School of Rock at the Zionsville location in Indiana, teaching various styles of percussion and drum set and we are so happy to now have him with our Nashville family. Brandon has been playing drums and percussion for the last fourteen years. He spent time in the music department at Ball State University studying orchestral percussion, as well as latin and jazz drum set. Brandon has played throughout the Midwest with rock fusion group Porch Kat (2018-2022) and looks forward to working with Nashville's youth.
Sydney Jackson
Show Director
Sydney is a Nashville Native and is currently studying music business at Belmont University. She has had the privilege of working at School of Rock after 8 years as a student at the Franklin location. She first joined School of Rock at the age of 11 as a singer and piano player and immediately fell in love with music. She hopes to make lessons exciting and make an impact on all of her students as her teachers have done for her.
Sydney hopes that in the future she will be able to focus on building a professional solo career and release music of her own. After graduating she hopes to work hands on in a studio as she develops her skills in producing and songwriting.
Dermot Berg
Guitar Teacher
Dermot Berg first picked up the guitar at 8 years old after being inspired by playing Guitar Hero 3, and began taking classical lessons in Princeton, New Jersey. However, he became more interested in the Rock and Roll he was exposed to in Guitar Hero, and discovered the Princeton School of Rock, where Dermot became a longtime student. While there, Dermot was introduced to many of his influences such as Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen, as well as a wide array of classic and iconic music.
In 2018, Dermot moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University. In 2022, he graduated with a Commercial Music Degree as a guitar principal, with an emphasis in Music Technology. Dermot also enjoys hip-hop, jazz, funk, and a variety of other genres. When not playing guitar or listening to music, he can be found playing video games and watching movies.
Maxx Blois-Rosetti
Guitar Teacher
Growing up in New Jersey, Maxx picked up a guitar at the age of seven and never put it down. Maxx is known for his precision, speed and accuracy, while maintaining feel and musicality. He specialized first in rock and metal styles and later incorporated more sophisticated styles such as fusion and progressive genres into his playing. Maxx has placed highly in many solo competitions and received accolades from notable guitarists such as Tom Quayle, Sarah Longfield, Rich Henshall, and Jack Gardiner. Lessons with Maxx focus on developing technique, learning and applying theory as well as correcting bad habits and improving form.
Annalee Condiles
Singing Teacher, Rock 101 Director
Annalee Condiles is currently a student at Belmont University majoring in Music Business (live event management) and minoring in dance. She first got involved with singing through musical theater and to this day can call myself a proud theater kid, although the School of Rock program is really where her love grew. She attended the Mainline School of Rock in PA where she was a House Band member and National Allstar in 2019 and 2020. Her rock inspirations range from Earth Wind and Fire to No Doubt to Black Sabbath and is so excited to share my passion for singing with the Nashville School of Rock community.
Jared Tuitel
Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher, Drums Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Singing Teacher
Jared Tuitel is a music teacher who enjoys sharing his passion for music while meeting his students where they are with understanding, empathy, and compassion. He attended Berklee College of Music right out of high school to study music and guitar graduating with a Bachelor's degree in professional music. During his time at Berklee, he played in a band with his schoolmates who played shows all around Boston and the east coast. After graduating, he worked for a daycare that put on mini concerts for families and their kids. This propelled him into his teaching career which he began shortly after when he moved back to his hometown of Grand Rapids Michigan teaching at local music academies. During the pandemic, he was brought into the world of teaching on zoom and began teaching for an online company on top of the local academies. Jared has most recently relocated himself in Nashville Tennessee to continue teaching and expanding his music career.
In his free time, Jared enjoys working on his personal music endeavors. He also enjoys running, swimming, meditating, and spending time with his family and friends. He was lucky enough to study abroad in Valencia Spain during his last semester at Berklee.
Angel Leiser
Bass Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Angel Leiser has been involved with the School of Rock for 13 years. She started learning guitar and bass at the North Palm Beach School of Rock in Florida when she was 11 years old. From then she played in multiple bands in high school, and was a 2016 School of Rock All Star for bass. She continued learning music at a local college and also learned jazz bass while attending! She moved to Philadelphia with her band in 2019 and in 2020 started working at Mainline School of Rock. She enjoyed her time in Pennsylvania, but decided she wanted to pursue audio engineering in Nashville. She’s now enrolled at Blackbird Audio school and will graduate next year! She loves music with a passion and is excited to be teaching at the Nashville School of Rock!
Sierra Torres
Singing Teacher, Songwriting Teacher
Sierra Torres is an Indie Rock singer/songwriter hailing from Nashville, TN. Her musical influences are Wilco, Fontaines DC, Stella Donnelly & DIIV to name a few. Sierra started writing her own songs and playing live shows in Nashville while she was still in high school. She would play clubs and writers' rounds which helped hone her skills as a live performer. During her high school days, Sierra was a runner-up in the SCAP Jason Mraz songwriting contest. Sierra's passion for music started at a very early age. She was singing and taking violin lessons by the age of seven, and shortly after she started studying piano with a local private teacher. As she started finding her own voice and style, she studied under the illustrious vocalist/educator Roz Thompson from the Nashville Jazz Workshop. Currently, Sierra plays around town and travels for her band Geez Louise, formed in 2019. They've released 3 singles and an EP so far, go listen on your favorite streaming service!! Sierra is so excited to work with aspiring vocalists, bringing all of her technique and talent along with her!
Ryan Venable
Singing Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Ryan Venable is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has just recently moved back to Nashville after spending 8 years performing and teaching music in LA. He is a classically trained pianist, but his main instrument is the guitar. Ryan has played for a few bands as the guitarist and lead singer and also performs solo acoustic shows. He also has an album and a couple of EPs out on all streaming platforms. The projects are all self-produced. Ryan currently teaches guitar, piano, and vocal lessons at School of Rock Nashville!
Stephen Ellison
Drum Teacher
Stephen Ellison is a lifetime lover of music. He’s been playing drums professionally since 2014 starting in local bars in his home state of New Mexico. In 2018, he moved to Boston to study drum set performance at Berklee College of Music. While in Boston he began recording and performing with alternative punk band Pigeon Man, as well as other groups. Upon graduation, he and his band mates relocated to Music City. His passion for drums and experience in the industry is what he strives to share with every student at School of Rock.
Garrett Goodwin
Drum Teacher
Garrett is a drummer and percussionist from central New Jersey. He graduated from Berklee College of Music with a drum set performance degree in 2021 and moved to Nashville shortly thereafter to pursue a career in music.
Garrett loves teaching and performing and feels most at home when behind a drum set. His influences include Carter Beaford, John Bonham, and Steve Gadd. He believes that anything is possible to learn if you start really slow and build up muscle memory. Garrett loves helping students achieve their goals and is honored to teach at School of Rock!
Tom Linkas
Keyboard Teacher
Tom Linkas was born and raised in Larchmont, New York before studying Music Performance at Bates College up in Maine. During his four years there, Tom played out regularly all over Maine with his band, The Wharf Cats. He is inspired by all sorts of musicians from Ray Charles to Getty Lee. Having just arrived here this fall, Tom is thrilled to be in Nashville and teaching at School of Rock!
Molly Hendricksen
Drum Teacher
Molly is a drummer from Northern California. She graduated from the Musicians Institute with a degree in drum performance in 2022 and shortly after moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music.
Molly has been playing for various artists since she was 16 years old and has a background in playing different styles of music. Her influences include Max Roach, Jojo Mayer, and Steve Gadd. As a teacher, Molly wants to see her students thrive and encourage them to be the best drummers they can be!
Alex Tompkins
Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Hailing from the magical land of Great Britain, Alex fell in love with music at a very early age. As a teenager, he moved around the states with his family from New York to Illinois. It was in Illinois that Alex finally found a place where he belonged as a student at the School of Rock. In 2008, they encouraged him to try teaching guitar lessons, and when he moved down to Nashville in 2012 it led him straight to a teaching position at School of Rock Franklin!
Alex stayed on as a guitar and piano instructor in Franklin and Nashville for a few years and then left to wait tables and pursue a songwriting career. He signed a publishing deal in 2020 (the same day the Nashville tornado hit his house on Holly Street!) and since then, Alex has been lucky enough to have songs in TV shows, get to play and assist on records by Lana Del Ray and James Bay, and tour as a guitarist with Joy Oladokun, Marren Morris, and My Morning Jacket. He’s recently back at School of Rock after 7 years because he loves the community so much and Rock & Roll is his one true love.
Jason Powers
Guitar Teacher
Jason began playing guitar at the age of 15 after seeing a solo by Eddie Van Halen. That was and is the catalyst that has inspired his pursuit of the instrument to this day. At the age of 21, Jason attended the Atlanta Institute of Music with an emphasis on performance and theory. After school, he performed and taught guitar full-time for years. Most of his experience was as a studio musician where he was blessed to have worked with many notable artists in the R&B, Jazz, Rap, and Christian industries in Atlanta at that time. After years of studio work, Jason decided to pursue engineering, mixing, and production. He was blessed to have worked in many of Atlanta's flagship studios during that venture. Jason's passion now is to continue to press on to become the best musician he can and to invest himself in others to help them to fulfill their musical goals.
Jenna Hunts
Vocal Teacher, Keys Teacher
Jenna Hunts is a singer/songwriter, performer, and recording artist from New Orleans, Louisiana now residing in Nashville, Tennessee. Jenna has been a School of Rock instructor for five years. Since age seven, she has performed locally around the New Orleans area at events such as Family Gras, Freedom Fest, and Gretna Fest as well as venues including The House of Blues and The Howlin’ Wolf Den. At the festivals listed above, she has opened up for artists such as Clint Black, Kellie Pickler, Maddie and Tae, Jessie James Decker, and more. Starting at eleven years old, she began composing and releasing her own music, which can be found on all music platforms. In 2020, Jenna graduated from Loyola University of New Orleans majoring in Popular and Commercial Music. Jenna has competed in nationally televised series, including American Idol, and in 2020, received the Golden Ticket to Hollywood. She is known for her powerful vocals and has been compared to artists such as Christina Aguilera and Amy Lee, who are some of her top musical influences.
Maura Streppa
Vocals Teacher
There is a place where country meets soul meets pop. That sweet spot exists in the heart of singer and songwriter, Maura Streppa. Heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, John Prine, Lowell George, Levon Helm, Amy Winehouse, Kacey Musgraves, and more, Maura uniquely and effortlessly creates a home for lovers of the old and the new alike. Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, Maura discovered her love for music at a young age. After a move from the city to the south lands of North Carolina, Maura found that her mother’s piano keys helped her express her deepest emotions. It was from that moment on that she decided she wanted to share these cathartic songs with the world.
Since making the big move to Nashville, Maura has been performing almost every single night, sharing her soulful songs with those who cross her path. Maura has been featured on Sirius XM “The Highway” and iHeart Radio Women of Country. Her song “Singer and The Song” landed her a finalist spot at the 2022 Tennessee Songwriters Week, giving her the opportunity to play the iconic Bluebird Cafe. The eclectic artist has a strong conviction to create music with authenticity, love, and purpose and works hard to carry out that calling every day.
Maura has been teaching music since she was 16 and loves to share her knowledge with her students!