Daniel Siles Drum Teacher
Daniel Siles is a New York-based touring/session drummer and music educator. He graduated magna cum laude from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA in the Spring of 2012.
Since relocating to Brooklyn, NY in the fall of 2012, Daniel has recorded with numerous bands and artists in the United States, Mexico and his native Bolivia. He has toured the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia with artists like Young Magic, playing in renowned venues such as The Fillmore, Fonda Theatre and Bowery Ballroom among others.
Daniel has also played in festivals like Northside Festival, Billboard Hot 100 Festival, 30 Days in LA, SXSW, NXNE, Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival, Lowlands Festival, Sweden Emmaboda Festival, Milhoes de Festa, Visions Festival and Strawberry Fields Festival, sharing the stage with artists including Portishead, Queens of The Stone Age and St. Vincent.
Sarah E. Taylor Studio Coordinator
Sarah E. Taylor is our Studio Coordinator at School of Rock New York and is a writer/actor/producer based out of Brooklyn, NY. Since 2012, she has written over 10 plays and four screenplays, all varying in length, and is currently collaborating on her first musical. Sarah has received a few accolades for her work, most notably winning First Prize in the 2016 Manhattan Reading Competition for her play "The Nemesis Effect." She strives to make audiences think, while also feeling entertained. Aside from writing, Sarah is the founder of her theatre company No Frills Theatre Collective and she is an established voiceover actor.
Russell Holzman Drum Teacher
Russell Holzman is a NYC native drummer born in lower Manhattan. Russell attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and the Performing Arts before he received a scholarship to attend New England Conservatory of Music. He has performed with artists such as Benny Golson, Lee Konitz, Miguel Zenon, Napoleon Murphy Brock and many more. After three years of teaching at the Outreach Summer Music Workshop in Austria, Russell received a full scholarship to attend the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music in Canada. Since then, he has had the privilege of performing at events such as The Firefly Festival, The Spring 2016 Marc Jacobs Show, The Fauna Otoño Festival, The POP Montreal Music Festival and more. He is a drum teacher at School of Rock New York.
Bob Jones Music Director
Bob Jones is a composer/multi-instrumentalist living and working in Brooklyn's thriving music scene. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Double Bass Performance from Michigan State University. Equally at home in the genres of rock, classical, folk, electronic and jazz, Bob has appeared on dozens of albums and has toured extensively in the United States and Europe. With two decades of teaching experience under his belt, Bob takes his role as Music Director at School of Rock New York in stride. His students have gone on to audition for performing arts high schools and colleges and pursue careers in music. He is known for the enthusiasm and patience he shows in lessons, rehearsals and events.
Jen Ter Keurst Keyboard Teacher, Singing Teacher
Multi-Instrumentalist and songwriter, Jen Ter Keurst, is a professional performing operatic soprano, cellist, and pianist based in New York City. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Stetson University and studied at the Longy Conservatory post-graduate.
Jen is involved in a variety of musical projects in the New York City area. She sings, plays piano, and cello in New York-based indie folk band, Tree Signs. She has also performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, as well as many variety shows off-Broadway.
Jen has a healthy-technique-first approach to teaching with an emphasis on open student-teacher communication that has been informed by her own professional experience, the Suzuki Method, and her studies in Alexander Technique. She believes that it is important to develop a tailored approach with every student she teaches.
Devin McKnight Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Devin McKnight is a guitarist and bassist originally hailing from the DC metropolitan area. After years of studying Guitar Performance at Berklee College of Music and touring in various indie rock bands such as Speedy Ortiz and Grass is Green, he settled in Brooklyn, NY. Since living in Brooklyn, he's started his own band called Maneka, where he writes and produces all the instruments and vocals. Musical stylings of his own music have ranged from hip-hop and rap to melodic indie rock, punk rock and even jazz. Devin has come to believe that a holistic understanding of all genres and instruments, even if rudimentary, can empower young people to start their own musical projects or discover a peaceful outlet they previously didn't know existed. He is a guitar teacher and bass guitar teacher at School of Rock New York.
Julián Mesri Piano Teacher, Vocal Instructor
Julián Mesri is a composer, vocalist, pianist and guitarist. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he came to the United States at the age of four and has been based in New York City ever since. Trained at Hoff Barthelson in piano, composition and electronic music, Julian has been making music for more than 20 years. Julián then continued to produce music at his alma mater Williams College, where he formed part of the choir, the Symphonic Winds Ensemble, and composed music for many theater department productions. Most recently his work was seen at Stages Theater in Houston, and at the Ice Factory Festival in New York City. He is currently finishing his MFA in Playwriting with an emphasis on Musical Theater. His approach to teaching is intuitive and performative. He is a piano teacher and vocal instructor at School of Rock New York.
Adam Sapiro Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher, Vocal Instructor
Adam Sapiro grew up in Miami, Florida and attended School of Rock Miami as a student for five years before becoming a teacher at age 18. He holds an Associate’s Degree in Jazz Vocal Performance from Miami Dade College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music in Boston. Before making the move to New York City, he performed in Boston projects such as indie rock outfit Red Mill, pop songwriter Griffin Robillard and his own songwriting vehicle, Tree Signs. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Adam plays many styles of music including rock, bluegrass, jazz, metal and folk. With a deep background in writing and recording as well, he has directed a wide variety of programs at School of Rock in addition to the Performance program, such as the songwriting and recording summer camp. He is a guitar teacher, piano teacher, vocal instructor and show director at School of Rock New York.
Nick Llobet Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Nick Llobet knew music had to be in his future as soon as he’d seen his first rock show. After playing guitar for a few years Nick received a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music, where he honed his craft and played with several diverse artists. Nick moved to Denver in 2011 and worked at School of Rock for over two years directing shows and teaching guitar, bass and vocals. Nick currently resides in New York City and works as a guitar teacher and drum teacher at School of Rock New York, as well as an aspiring songwriter.
Peter Katz Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Peter Katz is a Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter who has been playing music for over a decade. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Composition from SUNY Purchase College. Aside from being a guitar teacher and bass guitar teacher at School of Rock New York, you can find him playing guitar and singing with his band, Peaer, all around the country.
Jim Bloom Drum Teacher
Jim Bloom is a Brooklyn-based drummer and percussionist. After growing up playing in garage rock bands in Philadelphia, Jim attended New York University and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Performance. At NYU, he studied with notable professors, such as Mike Richmond, Tony Moreno, Lenny Picket, and Ari Hoenig. In 2014, Jim traveled to Costa Rica as part of the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center’s Promising Artists Program, where he performed and gave masterclasses. Since graduating, Jim has worked as a freelance musician throughout New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He has toured nationally and performed in prestigious venues, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music; The Kessler, in Dallas, Texas; and The Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C. Jim also plays in NYC regularly with his bands The Academy Blues Project, Anacortes, and The Grasping Straws.
Mario Fontes Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Mario Fontes is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Miami, FL. As an obsessive music fan since age 14, he has performed and organized performances with several bands in the Miami area. During this time, he was a student at School of Rock Miami, participating in both the school’s performance and house band programs. Mario attended Berklee College of Music from 2014 to 2018, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in songwriting. While living in the Boston area, he continued performing in local bands ranging in the Indie Rock, Punk and free Jazz genres. He continues to work to challenge himself musically by playing in newer projects such as Indie-Folk artist Tree Signs and Indie-Pop singer-songwriter Annie Mullee. As a long time School of Rock teacher in Miami and now New York, his goal is to nurture students’ individual musical strengths and to help them achieve better creative expression through their chosen instruments.
Daniel Lerner Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Daniel Lerner is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer from New York City. Having studied classical piano and rock guitar from a young age, Daniel has been a practicing and performing musician for over 18 years. Daniel attended School of Rock NYC from ages 14-16, where he played guitar and sang in the Red Hot Chili Peppers/Foo Fighters show, as well as the UK2K and Pearl Jam/Soundgarden shows. He went on to graduate from the University of Miami Frost School of Music with a bachelor’s degree of music in film scoring & production, with a focus in contemporary guitar styles and songwriting. An avid songwriter, his original music combines guitar-driven Indie Rock and Pop, R&B grooves, and introspective lyric writing; in 2021 his debut album released in which he wrote, produced and released on his own. Daniel is currently writing and producing a new EP and performing at NYC venues, as well as working as a guitarist, producer and songwriter for fellow NYC acts in the DIY scene.
Alexis Babini Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
A versatile teacher and performer, Alexis Babini has toured the U.S., sharing the stage with artists like Blues Traveler, Howie Day, Boz Scaggs, The Verve Pipe, Cody Simpson, & Sister Hazel. His songs have appeared on VH1, MTV, E!, and UPTV. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, where he won the school’s “Performer Songwriting Award,” and is able to offer students of all ages and levels a tremendous amount of knowledge and passion for numerous different styles. Alexis also is the frontman of a Disney cover band called The Little Mermen.
Chris Veliz Drum Teacher
From Miami, Florida, Chris brings 9+ years of School of Rock teaching experience to the lesson room and rehearsals. A former School of Rock student himself, he brings a fun and exciting teaching style that puts progress and interest front and center. Inspired by drummers like Ringo Starr, Stewart Copeland, Jon Bonham, Neil Peart, and many more, Chris focuses on musicality as well as technical playing for his students. Chris provides insight from his own experience playing in bands with a wide range of musical styles and genres to give his students versatility and confidence in their playing. Some of his favorite groups include The Beatles, The Police, Elliott Smith, Elvis Costello, Frank Ocean, Bob Dylan, Wilco, and so much more.
Christian Cail Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Christian Cail is a guitarist, composer, and improviser from Mount Airy, North Carolina. He attended UNCSA for high school, studying classical guitar, and then attended UNC Chapel Hill, where he studied music composition and history. His musical interests range from jazz, rock, free improvised music, country, folk, extreme metal, etc. Aside from music, Christian enjoys lifting weights and reading (especially about political economy). He taught at School of Rock Chapel Hill for three years prior to moving to New York, and is excited to continue teaching the good youngins of the world.
Sophia Masterson Singing Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
Sophia is originally from Sarasota, Florida and has been passionate about music as long as she can remember. Sophia is a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, where she earned her BFA in vocal performance and a minor in theatre. While at conservatory, Sophia studied piano, music theory, vocal pedagogy, foreign languages, ballet, and acting. Prior to and during her time at CMU, she performed with many organizations, including the Sarasota Opera, Opera in the Ozarks, Opera Steamboat, Scotch & Soda, and Carnegie Mellon School of Music.
Sophia has taught a wide variety of beginner to advanced voice and piano students, ranging from 4 to 80 years old. She is so excited to be in New York City and teaching with School of Rock. Her goal for teaching is to make her studio a warm and welcoming place for students to learn and grow.
Josh Plath Drum Teacher
Josh Plath is a New York based drummer from Rochester, NY. Josh started taking drum lessons with Jeff Welch and also learned through Hochstein School of Music and started studying under Rich Felice.
In 2008, he joined the Army Band and studied at the Armed Forces school of Music. Shortly after was sent to Fort Drum, New York and became an Army Bandsman of the 10th Mountain Division Band. Over a two year period he performed in Jazz, Funk, Rock, and Orchestral bands across New York and other states in the U.S. Josh was honorably discharged from the military and started attending the New School for Jazz and contemporary music. He studied with such greats as Mike Clark, Shawn Pelton, Mark Guiliana, Adam Deitch, Steven Wolf, and Thomas Pridgen.
During his time in NYC, Josh has been a studio/freelance drummer. He’s played with artists such as Oba, Monroe, The Sweet things, Gas House Gorillas, and Ginger Minj. Now he currently plays in his own bands. First, Civilians, playing a mixture of hip hop, rock, and contemporary jazz music. They’ve released their first studio album named “Look Cool,” with another album soon to be released. His other band, Flowmingos started by playing in the subways and in parks throughout NYC. They eventually gained 1000’s of instagram followers, started gigging at venues and private parties all around The City, and Miami. Also, made several recordings with artists such as Justin Starling, Cash Sinatra, Mic Ruiz, Og Picasso, Synead and Leah Rich. And the list isn’t stopping there.