Melissa Birchett
Owner, General Manager
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Melissa had an interest in music at a very young age. Her dad exposed her to a variety of musical styles, but she decided she was born to be an opera singer. She started vocal and piano lessons at 5 years old and performed in many musicals and plays across Texas until she strictly studied classical music.
Melissa moved to sunny Malibu, California, and attended Pepperdine University where she received a B.A. in Vocal Performance. During her time at Pepperdine, she had the opportunity to live in Heidelberg, Germany, while traveling and performing in Bizet’s Carmen. She furthered her education by moving to San Francisco and received a master’s degree in Opera Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
After graduating, Melissa moved back to Texas and continued singing classical music and performing in the area. Melissa switched from classical to rock and has worked for School of Rock for the past decade, teaching vocals, and keys, and becoming a music director of the program. Her passion has always been music and helping others find their voice and their joy in it. Her dream was to eventually own and operate her own School of Rock and she is so excited to bring that dream to Coppell!
Tim Harman
Music Director, Drum Teacher
Tim was destined to be a musician. Growing up in a musical family, he was exposed to music early on via his mother’s Beatles records and the marching bands directed by his father. He did the typical beating on books, pots, and pans until his parents accepted their fate and relented, buying him a snare drum one Christmas, eventually leading to a full drum set soon after.
After cutting his teeth in Deep Ellum clubs in his early teens, Tim embarked on his first national tour at the age of 14 and essentially hasn’t stopped since, save for a couple of breaks to go to music school and establish a drum shop on the Denton Square. Currently touring with San Francisco-based rock and roll band The Atom Age, his real-world musical experience continues to broaden every year.
Tim began teaching in drum shops in 2008 and has taught thousands of lessons since then. There is nothing he loves more than to pass whatever knowledge about the instrument and music he has accumulated to anybody willing to listen, and that means you!
Loren Moreland
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Loren is a vocalist who was a former School of Rock student for six years. As a student, she became a multi-instrumentalist and toured across the United States with the School of Rock Continental Tour. At 16 years old, Loren was a contestant on American Idol and made it to Hollywood Week.
After her time at School of Rock, Loren graduated with her degree in Psychology and Child Development from the University of North Texas. Currently, Loren teaches the Rookies and Little Wing classes, in addition to the Adult Band. Loren continues to practice music and play at local venues in the area.
Matthew Martinez
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Matthew Martinez is a guitar player from Arlington, Texas. He was inspired from a very young age by all things music with some of his favorite artists being Snarky Puppy, John Mayer, and Jeff Buckley.
Matthew became a School of Rock student at the age of 15 and worked his way up to the House Band, attended the Continental Tour, and was even accepted into Berklee College of Music.
With over a decade of experience playing guitar, Matthew has returned to School of Rock to help lead those on a similar path. He dreams of nothing but performing and inspiring others to do the same. Matthew is a guitar teacher and bass guitar teacher at School of Rock Coppell.
Alex Poulos
Drum Teacher
Alex Poulos is a drummer and percussionist from Dallas, Texas. He started his musical journey in his elementary school percussion program, moving on to middle school percussion, and finally spent his high school years in the drumline as the top marching bass during his freshman year, and marching snare during his sophomore through senior years, all providing him with a technical education geared toward performance which allowed him to flourish once he found musicians to play with on a stage.
Alex started playing live music at the age of 19 in a metal band called Our Tragic Hero, then co-founded a folk-punk band called Hats & Statues, which formed into the Dallas surf-punk band Sealion, gaining a certain level of notoriety over 12 years that amounted to a special place in the DFW music scene. Currently, aside from Sealion, Alex plays in the Dallas indie-rock band FIT, releasing singles and playing live shows across the Denton, Dallas, and Ft. Worth areas, and Dead Beat Club which is a B-52's tribute act.
Music has brought Alex so much in the way of life experience and taught him patience, acceptance, and self-motivation. Having the opportunity to pass that knowledge on to successive generations of musicians, regardless of age, means so much to him. If luck resides at the intersection of opportunity and preparation, Alex would consider himself extremely lucky to be a musician and a member of the School of Rock Coppell staff!
Jerry Geizentanner
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Jerry started playing guitar at 8 years old at a guitar shop in Arlington. There at the studio, he discovered his love for rock and metal music.
As the years went by Jerry wanted to take things to the next level and start performing live music. This eventually led him to enroll in the School of Rock Performance Program. With the help of Music Director Nick Tittle, Jerry added bass, drums, and vocals to his arsenal. He was also able to meet the members of his first band Bishop.
Following his time as a student, Jerry taught guitar lessons at School of Rock, which taught him to love teaching music. Since then, he has consistently been performing in multiple bands in the Fort Worth area, including Trash Puppies and an Alice in Chains cover band.
Gabe Roth
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Gabe is a music lover with the dream to perform and surround his life with music. Born and raised in a musical family in Fort Worth, music inevitably guided him down the path, and he got his first guitar at age 10. Gabe later joined percussion in middle and high school as well as jazz band with electric and upright bass. When he was 16, he joined the indie/jazz rock band, Cherry Mantis, which introduced him to the Arlington music scene and the many bands he has gotten to work with.
In 2019, Gabe moved to Carrollton to attend Recording Connection Audio Institute, getting his certification in audio engineering/music production. There he was exposed to the amazing range of the synthesizer and the wonders of textures. Gabe’s musical influences include disco, funk, jazz, and electronic dance music.
Now with over a decade of experience, Gabe is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter who lives for the power of music and helping others seek the same.