Jimmi Kane
Owner, General Manager, Drum Teacher
When Jimmi Kane started bouncing on his rocking horse right on beat to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It," his dad thought quickly and put some drum sticks in the four-year-old’s hands. Without any formal training, Jimmi quickly taught himself to master the drums. By the time he was 15 years old, he was a regular on stage in and around his hometown of Saugerties, NY.
Jimmi's career as a professional drummer has allowed him to record and tour the country with artists such as Krista (RCA/Jive Records), Thieves and Villains (Victory Records) and The Morning Of (Tragic Hero Records). He currently leads the east coast cast of the award-winning punk rock drum troupe, Street Drum Corps, where you can catch him banging on oil drums and pounding on kegs in the electrifying spectacular Blood Drums every weekend in September and October at Dorney Park's The Haunt or Six Flags Great Adventure's Fright Fest.
Suzanne Kane
Owner
Suzanne's love of music began as soon as she was old enough to speak. After listening to the Original Broadway Cast recording of "Annie" on repeat for what seemed like years, her mother decided it was time to to take the five-year-old to a vocal instructor. Suzanne's show tune repertoire soon evolved beyond "Tomorrow" and, eventually, she began singing and acting in local stage productions, such as "Gypsy" and "The Music Man." Then, one fateful seventh grade day, Suzanne discovered KISS. At that moment, rock and roll seeped into her bloodstream and there was no turning back.
After graduating from Syracuse University, Suzanne worked in all facets of the music industry, from radio to publicity to concert booking, before taking time off to start a family. Now, ready to get back into the world of rock and roll, Suzanne, along with her husband, Jimmi, jumped into a business that will give them the satisfaction of teaching new generations to love and appreciate music.
Maggie Callahan
Vocal Teacher, Piano Teacher
Maggie Callahan is a vocalist with a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Moravian College, with a focus in voice pedagogy and diction. While she is trained to sing opera and art songs, she has a passion for singing rock, musical theater, folk, jazz and pop. With over five years of teaching experience, she uses her classical background to teach students how to sing any genre with proper breathing and safe vocal techniques. In addition to teaching, Maggie performs regularly in the Lehigh Valley and NJ area with bands, musical theater productions and professional choruses.
Rob Jackson
Manager, Show Director, Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Often compared to Animal from The Muppets, Rob “Action” Jackson beats on the drums
as if they were seriously misbehaving. His effortless style and showmanship shine with
each crash of his Soultone Cymbals and boom of his DC California Drum Co. kit.
Rob, a New Jersey native, was just 3 years old when his dad – also a drummer –
handed him a pair of sticks. He took them and never gave them back! Pots and pans
were no match for the tiny tot who pounded on anything that would make noise. The
drums became Rob’s true calling.
Rob ran with his natural talent, and by the time he was 12, he had won back-to-back
Jazz drumming competitions in Hershey, PA.
In 2003, Rob added to his awards by winning the Norwegian Cruise Line Talent Search.
In fall 2012, Rob Joined forces with Street Drum Corps for their "Blood Drums"
Production at Dorney Park in Allentown, PA.
In addition to the drums, Rob’s musical accomplishments include singing, playing guitar,
bass, and composing original music.
Rob is also Touring Front of House Audio for Doyle, Prong, Kobra And The Lotus and
has worked with many other artists across the country. When he’s not touring, Rob is a
firefighter and Chief Audio Engineer at Rent A Record Studios.
Matt Migliorino
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
School of Rock was the foundation of Matt’s musical career. At age 13 he began at the School of Rock in Easton, PA with Guitar and Bass as his primary instruments. He joined the performance program and performed in many shows over the course of several years. As a member of the house band he received more opportunities to perform at many community and charitable events. A few years later, he was selected as a School of Rock AllStar where he got to do his first tour and play at some legendary venues. The following year he was a part of the SOR Zappanale tour where he toured in Germany and performed at a Frank Zappa music festival. School of Rock gave Matt some amazing opportunities such as opening for Jon Anderson of Yes and performing alongside members of the Mother’s of Invention. Matt graduated from Berklee College of Music, majoring in Music Production and Engineering with a minor in Acoustics and Electronics. Matt is also a live sound engineer for concerts and a recording engineer. Matt has a passion for teaching and hopes to inspire his students the way he was inspired by his time as a student at School of Rock.
Jensen Freeman
Singing Teacher, Studio Coordinator
Jensen was involved in singing and theatre from a very young age and went on to train
in all areas of performing arts in London, UK, at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama
gaining honors in acting and musical theatre.
As a singer, Jensen was a member of UK Pop boyband 'Promise' in the mid 90’s but left
the group early on to pursue other work and in addition provided vocals on 3 Pp
concept albums under the 'Abbacadabra' umbrella, which covered the hits of ABBA.
The tracks were a huge success on the UK and EU club circuit throughout the '90s and
into the ‘00s. Working for major labels, Jensen has provided vocals for a number of
established artists and has released 14 singles and an album, and continues to perform
both as a solo artist and as an original member of classical crossover Pop group
‘Popera’ since 2010. Since their original formation, the group have gone on to perform
over 1600 live concerts internationally.
Jensen has experience working with children and adults developing vocals, working
with individuals and large performance groups for vocal performance and musical
theatre in Pop/Rock/Ppera/Jazz. Experienced in developing harmony groups and
developing shows for the stage.
As a performer, theatre credits include: Jafar in Aladdin, UK tour , Corinthian
Woman/Ensemble in Medea, Count Vladimir/Dracula in Dracula, Italy Tour, Riff in West
Side Story , Sasha in Fiddler on The Roof, Bobby C in Saturday Night Fever. Mr Mouse
in Give a Dog a Bone, The King in The King and I, Woodey Mahoney in Finians
Rainbow, Asher in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Lumiere
in Beauty and The Beast, Saturday Night Live at Her Majesty's Theatre.
Film and television credits include: Worzel in Worzel Gummidge (2020) pilot, Charlie
in Mary Poppins Returns (2018), William Roberts in Forbidden War (2017), Dr Paul
Stewart in Humshakals (2014) German Officer in Rush (2013), Jonathan in The Look Of
Love (2013) Jones in James Bond:Skyfall (2012), Bright young in The King's
Speech (2011), Russian Soldier in Anna Karenina (2011), Newsreader in The Hour,
BBC (2011), Forensic Officer in Thorne:Sleepyhead (2010), Housefull (2009), StreetDance (2009), several episodes of ITV1's Midsomer Murders. Dancing On ice Ident Series (2011 & 2012), Art Dealer in Blu Tack commercial (2010), Poker Player in Sky Sports Ident (2010) Dorito Mate in Doritos Collisions (2010) Jason in Oscar Charlie, BBC (2001)
Matt Thompson
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher
Matt has helped to instruct and guide musicians at School of Rock in Randolph, NJ since September 2018. He has been a musical artist, composer and performer for over 33 years. Matt's primary instrument is his voice, although he is also well-versed in guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion and ukulele.
Matt is also an experienced studio musician and live performer and is knowledgeable in live sound and sonic engineering. He has a passion for sharing his love of music and inspiring future generations of composers and performers to attain their dreams and express themselves sonically.
Joe Juliano
Guitar Teacher
Joe first started playing guitar at age 8 when he heard Green Day’s album American Idiot and hasn’t put the instrument down since. He was always driven by a passion for music and guitar and started playing professionally by the age of 14. He often works now as a guitarist for hire doing recordings for artists and live performances as he is known for his versatility and ability to add energy and excitement to any group. He attended Stevens Institute of Technology where he studied audio engineering and music production, graduating at the top of the program with high honors. Over the years, Joe has studied with many great teachers, most notably Carlos Alomar (David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney) and Al Pitrelli (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Alice Cooper, Megadeth). Joe strives to share his passion for music with his students since it has been so important to his life.
Liz Vex
Singing Teacher, Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Liz Vex is a recent graduate of the University of Delaware School of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Education with a Minor in Music Industry. She has been studying voice and piano for many years and is a self-taught guitar, bass, and ukulele player. As an educator, Liz focuses on student-centered learning and giving her students the tools to develop their musicianship so they can make and create music that is meaningful to them. She has years of teaching and performance experience in the NJ and DE areas, and is so excited to be able to work with your student(s) at the School of Rock in Randolph!
Stu Ottenstien
Drum Teacher
Stu Ottenstein has been a musician since early childhood. Music runs deep in his blood. His father was a professional musician who played in a very well known NJ Wedding Band for over 30 years. From elementary school, all the way up through college, Stu studied both piano and drums. At the age of fifteen, he started performing on drums regularly with his father’s wedding band gaining a tremendous amount of experience playing all styles of music ranging from Big Band, Funk,Rock,Latin and everything in between. He has been featured in Modern Drummer magazine in a section called “On The Move” and his drumming skills have been utilized on recordings for independent films and television.
For nearly a decade, Stu was the Drum Department Manager at Sam Ash Music in Springfield,NJ. His knowledge on drumming, drumming gear, and what it takes to be a successful musician is extensive from all of his years in the business both as a player and as a salesman.
He continues to perform regularly with some the top bands in New Jersey, playing all types of venues and events. Some of the bands that Stu plays with are: Brian Kirk and the Jirks, Moroccan Sheepherders,The Jonzes, Joe Baracata Band, High In The Mid 80’s, Carnival Dogs, The Main Event Big Band, Guilty Pleasure, From Jersey With Love.
Stu’s passion, technique, positive energy, and love for what he does shines through every single time that he sits down behind his drums. He loves sharing his knowledge, skill, and passion with all who want to learn how to play.
Patty Turse
Piano Teacher
Patty Turse is a pianist, harpist and board certified music therapist who believes in the power of music to heal. She graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in music/ music therapy and has maintained a private teaching studio in harp and piano. She performs locally in shows with the harp, also playing for weddings, events, local orchestras, and parties. You can purchase her harp cd, "This is My Father's World" online at amazon.com or cdbaby.com. Proceeds go to fund an orphanage and medical clinic in West Liberia. Her duo, "The Diamond Blue Duo" (flute and harp) performs in the tri-state area and she often plays with string players a variety of pop, rock, classical, Big Band, Bollywood covers.
Alec Hay
Piano Teacher
While composing music is his first love, Alec has worn many hats in the music industry. In addition to teaching piano, he is a performer, musical director, and audio engineer. Alec’s arrangements and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files have been used both in the United States and internationally by various theatre groups. Among his original works are the contemporary opera King David and Danse Macabre, a collection of eclectic pieces for choreography.
Throughout his musical career, Alec’s love of teaching has remained constant. For the last few years he has worked with students ranging in age from five through seventy. Alec combines a traditional approach to piano instruction with a personalized lesson plan to meet the needs and interests of each individual student. With a strong background in composition and arrangement, Alec frequently provides custom arrangements of pieces that both appeal to the student and incorporate techniques the student needs to master. Alec also has extensive experience working with special needs students. Alec keeps his piano skills honed by performing with Hollywood Nights, a Bob Seger tribute show. Alec shares his home with his Steinway and two cats.