Maddie
General Manager
Maddie started out at School of Rock Memphis at the young age of 12, where she was always being influenced by jazz, blues, country and the ever-classic rock n’ roll of Memphis in the early 2000s. When she made her way to Texas in 2013, she found herself living down the street from School of Rock Frisco, and the rest is history.
Over her 4 years in high school she participated in Show Choir and also performed with several different cover bands, all while recording for her own personal musical endeavors. She spent over 6 years as a student at School of Rock Frisco, performing in Performance Bands and House Band. Though a classical vocalist at the core, Maddie’s tried several other instruments, including piano, bass and guitar.
Maddie started working at School of Rock in 2016, first as a camp intern and then as a Studio Coordinator. Over the years she has worked her way up to the role of General Manager. She is so grateful for the opportunity to work with all of the amazing students and families at School of Rock Frisco!
Saxon
Music Director
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Saxon started learning music at the young age of 8. Like his father, he started out as a brass musician. However, he picked up many other instruments as the years went by like bass, guitar, and vocals. Saxon came from a classical background that spread to tastes in Jazz and Rock ‘n’ Roll.
After high school, Saxon went to college at The University of Nevada at Las Vegas. There he earned a bachelor’s degree in music performance. UNLV gave Saxon many interesting opportunities to perform, including performing with a marching band at the Electric Daisy Carnival, performing on two of the UNLV Wind Orchestra’s albums, founding a Progressive Rock band, and traveling to Austria to perform with his tuba quartet.
After graduating, Saxon moved to Dallas and discovered School of Rock, and he has been hooked ever since. In 2018, Saxon was made music director of the Frisco location. When Saxon is not teaching at School of Rock, he writes, records and performs in multiple bands in the DFW area like his progressive rock trio, Ether After. Saxon is also currently pursuing his master's degree in music education at Texas Woman's University with an emphasis on music composition.
Cole
Assistant General Manager
Cole was born and raised in Plano, Texas. After showing an affinity for music at a young age, he was put into piano lessons at the age of five. Although he stuck with it for three years, the constant practice without sparking nearly any love for music caused him to get frustrated easily, and led to quitting. That was when he found School of Rock Frisco.
Cole’s parents actually had to trick him into attending his first lesson at School of Rock due to his laziness and introverted nature. Afterwards, he fell in love. Cole spent four years enrolled at School of Rock, a few seasons in House Band (known then as Dean’s List), before he became too busy with the choir program at his high school. Cole is very fond of his years in choir as it has helped shape his understanding of musical fundamentals from a singer’s perspective.
After graduating in 2019, Cole spent a year studying vocal performance at UNT before deciding to take a gap year. During this gap year, Cole saw that the school which taught him to love music, School of Rock Frisco, was hiring. Luckily, Cole landed the job and now takes great pride in helping bring new students into the community he was, very fortunately, forced into. Cole is still studying music with the help of being surrounded by the very talented musicians and teachers he has come to know.
Zack
Assistant Music Director
Zack has always been involved in music in one way or another. He started playing music in middle school where he played the upright bass. After doing that for two years he joined the jazz band at school where he started using electric bass, and that is when he came across School of Rock. He started taking lessons at age 14 and stuck with it through high school. He was in the House Band for most of his time there and went on the National Senior Tour.
After graduating, Zack moved to Denver, Colorado to start his degree in audio production. He was there for a year and then moved back to continue taking online classes to complete his degree. He works on side recording projects as well as his own music. Zack helped with camps at School of Rock while he was a student and is now working as a guitar teacher and bass guitar teacher.
Nick
Studio Coordinator
As the son of an audiophile and classic rock fan, it is only natural that Nick would be heavily involved in music. Born in Allen and raised in Frisco, Nick began his interest in music when he got a second-hand Yamaha keyboard in middle school. While he did dabble in guitar the following year, it wouldn't be until his sophomore year in high school where he began to really teach himself to play. Not long after, Nick joined his first band in 2019 as a self-taught guitarist.
Majoring in media arts, Nick now attends The University of North Texas with the goal of working in a recording studio and as a sound tech.
Some of Nick's influences include The Voidz, The Smashing Pumpkins, Ovlov, Ought, Squid, Djo, Arctic Monkeys, and The Strokes.
Conner
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Conner started his venture into the world of music through singing in garage rock bands he formed with some friends from school. One of these friends would later introduce him to School of Rock Austin, where he would eventually enroll as a student. It was at the Austin school where Conner picked up bass and guitar as instruments alongside his passion for singing. During his time spent at School of Rock Austin, Conner was a part of his high school's choir program, which is where he first began studying classical style voice. By his senior year, he was singing in three different choirs on top of singing solos, and performed with School of Rock Austin's House Band. Conner currently studies at the University of North Texas and happily is a guitar teacher, bass guitar teacher and vocal instructor at School of Rock Frisco.
Gabe
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Gabe was born in Fresno, California, and raised on an eclectic mix of music from every genre. He first picked up the guitar at the age of 10 but was initially disinterested due to a teacher that didn’t create engaging lessons. It wasn’t until revisiting the guitar at the age of 12 that Gabe's love for the instrument was born.
In middle school, Gabe would spend hours playing along to records from his father’s collection, ranging from Van Halen to Funkadelic to Black Flag. Throughout middle and high school he would start several bands with his peers, and in high school, he began playing jazz. Eventually, his high school started a jazz band, which he promptly joined. After high school, Gabe attended UNT and studied the music of artists like Jim Hall, Oscar Peterson, and Miles Davis. He completed a B.A. in Jazz Studies in the spring of 2023.
Gabe inherited his broad music taste from his father and sought out artists and techniques that create new sounds and experiment with the boundaries of genre, harmony, and rhythm. These artists include Feed Me Jack, Black Midi, and Machine Girl. Currently, Gabe plays guitar all over the DFW area on country, rock, church, and cover band gigs, as well as his original math rock project, Broadbent.
Alan
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Alan began his musical journey when he was 9 years old. Born into a musical household, the guitar propelled his musical obsession. Shortly after, he began taking guitar and vocal lessons in various music schools around the Dallas area. During his teen years, Alan participated in a wide variety of ensembles and bands. He was in his high school's Varsity Choir and also played guitar in the Honors Jazz Band where he frequently got sweepstakes in UIL ensemble and solo competitions. Additionally, he gigged with local mariachi bands, flamenco groups, and progressive rock/metal bands.
Alan is currently working on a Music Pedagogy degree and he primarily studies jazz/classical guitar, jazz voice/harmony, and Cello/classical counterpoint. He has over five years of experience teaching guitar and music lessons on top of volunteering/teaching at local music schools since 2016, while still in high school.
Alan likes to teach using techniques derived from cognitive neuroscience. Having studied Cello/Music Theory/Ear Training with a mentor who was both a Cognitive Neuroscientist and Orchestra Director, Alan loves to apply what he has learned about this fascinating subject. He believes teaching is its own art form and loves to help his students reach their full potential.
Teaching Philosophy: Music education should be guided by the purpose of crafting independent musicians, capable of performing, evaluating, and creating various styles of music. In Alan's music classrooms, he aims to help students achieve both an aesthetic and academic understanding of music, as well as practical music skills.
Collin
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Collin took a liking to music at an early age, constantly listening to his parents’ CDs and playing toy instruments. His first music lessons were on piano, though he was always fascinated by the guitar.
After getting a guitar for his 10th birthday, Collin started taking lessons at the School of Rock in Frisco. Loving the program, he picked up bass and drums as well so he could play on as many songs as possible.
Through School of Rock, Collin played in the Honor Roll and Dean’s List throughout middle school and early high school. Collin went on to play in multiple bands around the DFW area.
Chris
Drum Teacher
Chris has been playing drums since he was 6 years old. Throughout junior high and some high school, Chris played trumpet and was first chair for a couple years. After graduating high school, Chris studied at Richland Community College, where he started and joined a few bands with genres ranging from Blues to Gutter Punk. After college, he joined the Dallas blues scene and played in venues all around Dallas and Deep Ellum with acts such as Reverend K.M. Williams, Janky, The 1969’s and Robert Kimbrough Jr.
Chris currently stays in the DFW area and works at School of Rock Frisco, as a drum teacher. His main band is an Alt-Pop five piece called Matchstick Ghost. They’ve played at venues such as Andy’s Bar, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, J&J’s Pizza, 3Links, The Ridglea Room and M.A.S.S. Chris has put out several EP’s and albums and is currently working on releasing more.
Marisa
Drum Teacher
Marisa has been playing drums since she was 11 years old. She was section leader her senior year of high school and played on the snare line for six years. She also played in her school's concert bands, orchestras, jazz bands and percussion ensembles. Marisa has played with several different bands in the metroplex and at numerous venues/events, including House of Blues, Cowboy's Stadium with Sherill Douglas (international celebrity
impersonator), Trees, and Fair Park Coliseum. She also toured in LA and Colorado with Nate Hancock and the Declaration for a few years.
She currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and works at School of Rock Frisco as a drum instructor. Her main project is an all girl, heavy-hitting, 4-piece original indie rock band called The Roommates. They have played several venues and events, including Dallas Pride, Waco Pride, Deep Ellum Arts Festival, and headlined Trees and Gas Monkey Bar & Grill. They have even had a song featured in “Gloria in te Domine”, an indie film which has won Best International Film by Birmingham Film Festival.
Cheyenne
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Cheyenne expressed an interest in music at a very early age, inspired by her dad who was the best guitarist she knew. Shortly after, she begun taking piano lessons at age 5. Being inspired by symphonic metal bands like Nightwish and Epica, Cheyenne always wished she could sing like them, and even dyed her hair black to fit the look.
Cheyenne uncovered her passion for singing at School of Rock. After participating in the 80's show in 2009, Cheyenne set her sights on becoming a member of House Band (known then as Dean's List). In Dean's List, Cheyenne had the opportunity to tour several venues from Arkansas to Illinois at age 12. Two years later, Cheyenne began writing and recording her own original songs. She has had a few songs featured in movies as well.
With a background in literature and composition, Cheyenne is now pursuing a Masters degree in Music Therapy, hoping to bring more attention to the field. Currently, she is working on recording an album and becoming a better producer.
Hunter
Drum Teacher
Growing up before learning to play the drums, Hunter would listen to whatever CDs his parents had; he just loved music. While going to grab food after school, Hunter would drum along to whatever band was playing through the car speakers while breaking the straws he used as drumsticks following along with the drummer on the track. That started when he was 6.
Hunter started to commit to playing drums ever since his 14th birthday when he got his first drum kit, after receiving Rock Band 2 as a Christmas gift the year prior. From the moment he played the drums, he knew that was what he wanted to be. From there, he went on to attend a local music school in Wylie, Texas. After starting to lose interest in playing recitals, he stumbled on to School of Rock.
Hunter attended the McKinney location for about a year and a half and became one of the first “Dean’s List” drummers for that school. Once he finished high school, he went on to join the Adult Band at the Frisco location for about three years. After a little bit of time, he joined VeiN, a 4-piece modern thrash metal band. With this group, Hunter has recorded and released an EP working with notable producer Sterling Winfield.
Lawson
Drum Teacher
Lawson started out playing bass when he was 11, and quickly fell in love with music. In middle school, he joined the band expecting to play trumpet but was wrongfully placed into the band's percussion class. The school never corrected the scheduling mistake so Lawson stuck with percussion, which would end up becoming his main area of focus. Throughout high school, he would play in numerous bands around his hometown of McKinney, as well as his high school jazz band.
Lawson is currently pursuing a degree at UNT, as well as playing and writing for his band Midnight Session, who released their debut album in 2023.
R.G.
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
R.G. started playing guitar on the mean streets of Frisco, TX back in the days when there was only one high school and one blinking light in town. After moving to Austin to play trombone in the UT Longhorn marching band, R.G. began his rock-n-roll journey in earnest by playing in a series of garage bands including the infamous proto-grunge outfit Amish Rage.
R.G. went on to co-front pop-punk power trio The Knievels, who were signed by Sweatbox Records, releasing their critically acclaimed debut Que Sabor! The band went on to tour the Eastern US and played a showcase at SXSW before splitting up.
Stark’s next project, Blue Diamond Shine, featured R.G. as the main songwriter and vocalist, recording three albums, touring, and playing some of the legendary dive bars of central Texas. The BDS album Shrimpboat Town was listed as a top ten pick of 2006 by Christopher Gray of the Austin Chronicle. R.G. also worked as a sideman touring and recording with Eric Hisaw, Bonny Holmes, and Ron Flynt of 20/20.
After working as a musician for over twenty years, R.G. became a certified Texas educator, teaching middle school science; eventually moving back to North Texas to be closer to family. R.G. is very excited to be able to combine his passion for educating young folks and his love of rock n' roll here at School of Rock!
Lee
Vocal Teacher
Lee’s story starts in Frisco, TX where he would practice guitar, alone in his room, and dream about being a powerful rock frontman like Julian Casablancas of The Strokes. Shy and terrified of the stage, he tried singing at open mics but nothing quite worked.
As fate would have it, on the very day that School of Rock Frisco was holding its grand opening celebration, Lee happened to be walking down Main Street. Curiosity told him to peek his head in and ask the then-music director what the school was all about. That fateful decision would turn into 15 wonderful years of live performances, lifelong friendships, and vocal training as the lead singer of several rock bands.
Lee's career has taken him from being an Actuary at UT Dallas to building lunar robotics at Carnegie Mellon and, finally, attending Berklee College of Music for a Masters in Songwriting.
Lee believes that there is no greater feeling than being on stage with your best friends and nailing that live performance you always dreamed about. His goal is to teach others how to stand and deliver the greatest version of themselves vocally and to dream as big as possible for their futures. To embody the rockstar confidence on and off the stage.
Noah
Drum Teacher
Noah started out playing the drums at School of Rock Frisco when he was 7 years old, being influenced by classic rock and various metal and jazz groups at an early age. He made the House Band when he was 13, and stayed in the program playing drums and piano until high school.
Noah participated in his high school's marching band playing quads for four years. He competed in various marching quad solo competitions, earning first place at the Percussive Arts Society's national individual competition and first place at the Lonestar Drumline Classic solo competition in 2021. He has played among the likes of Greg Bissonette, Lalo Davila, and Jim Riley before graduating high school.
After that, Noah marched in the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps in the summers of 2022 and 2023, traveling and competing all over the country, receiving 12th and 10th place respectively. He currently studies at the University of North Texas, and participates in the competitive drumline's Quad Ensemble, and studies under renowned percussionists such as Paul Rennick and Mark Ford.
Nan
Vocal Teacher
Born in China, Nan embarked on a remarkable journey that led her to pursue her passion for music on international shores. She ventured to the United States and earned her master's degree in Jazz Voice from UNT. With a rich background in vocal ensembles, bands, combos, and big bands, she has delivered captivating performances with Three O’clock Big Band, UNT Latin Jazz Big Band, vocal ensembles, JCM band, and others.
Since 2014, Nan has been imparting her musical knowledge and expertise as a dedicated music educator. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes that vocal students should not only understand their voice but also the music itself. In her classes, she integrates music theory, music arranging, and improvisation to provide a comprehensive musical education. Nan is passionate about nurturing well-rounded musicians and guiding them toward a deeper understanding of both their voices and the art of music.