Jef Shaffer
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher, Rehearsal Director
Jef Shaffer is a live musician, recording artist, producer, and podcaster. An Ohio native, Jef moved from Cincinnati to Columbus when he was 13 years old and has been proud to call Central Ohio his home for over three decades. Additionally, Jef is a father to two amazing adult children.
Jef started singing and theater at a very early age, adding piano and trumpet to his musical repertoire at age 12. When he was 14, Jef began learning guitar and within a year, started a small rock band with school friends as the guitarist and lead singer. He has never lost his passion and excitement for live performing since.
Jef is multi-instrumental, proficient with every instrument offered by School of Rock, which can be evidenced by his 2020 EP solo release, "Ghosts," for which he performed all instruments/vocals in addition to engineering and production of the album.
Notable accomplishments include performing on The Buckeye Cruise for Cancer (2015-2020), performing the national anthem for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Crew, and Clippers, as well as appearances on Good Day Columbus and the Wags & Elliott Show.
As Music Director, Jef brings a passion for both music and instruction to School of Rock, always striving to challenge and motivate his students with structured lessons, clear expectations, positive and constructive feedback, and just the right amount of fun.
Ben Canton
Assistant Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Vocal Teacher, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Rehearsal Director
Music has been an integral part of Ben's life since childhood, from the days of grade school orchestra up until the present. Ben has played some of the biggest stages in the world, shared bills with the likes of The Smashing Pumpkins, Cold War Kids, Kiss, and many more, and has been a part of almost every form of ensemble a musician can be.
Ben's passion for performing in as many settings and styles as possible is matched only by his love of sharing the craft and helping others turn the sounds they imagine into reality.
Andrew DeCord
Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Rock 101 Director, Rookies Director
Andrew DeCord is a professional musician and recording artist from South Jersey who moved to the Columbus, Ohio area when he was 18 years old. Specializing in guitar, he also plays drums, piano/keys, and bass guitar. Andrew became a professional musician at the age of 15, playing in multiple bands but ultimately being the drummer in the band Us+Them, a Pink Floyd tribute act. He played at many venues in Philadelphia and the surrounding area. He currently plays locally in the band Unseen Keys with Miles, another instructor here, and you can find Unseen Keys on Spotify.
Andrew was a student at School of Rock Cherry Hill for three and a half years and was part of the first advanced team there. Andrew enjoys teaching younger students while helping them develop their own career paths and guiding them to success. He is a multi-instrumental teacher at School of Rock Gahanna.
Glen Siggers
Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Glen Siggers was born in Frankfurt, Germany but was raised in Mobile, Alabama. He began his musical journey at the age of 16. Throughout his musical career, Glen has played with a plethora of seasoned musicians and opened for B.B. King, George Clinton, Three Dog Night, The Wailer, Mitch Rider, Flock of Seagulls, and Herbie Hancock just to name a few. Glen was also the touring drummer for Frankie Goes To Hollywood for 15 years. After moving to Columbus, Ohio, he played with Clutterhouse, Za Unitt, The Angry Men, and The Lovebenders. While with The Lovebenders, they were the feature band of The Buckeye Cruise for Cancer pediatric cancer organization. Glen is now starting a new journey with acoustic performances.
Miles Harris
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Drum Teacher, Rock 101 Director, Rookies Director
Miles has worked as a professional musician for over a decade and has traveled the world playing music festivals, walking for fashion week, and meeting so many amazing people.
Miles is proficient in guitar, piano, vocals, drums, and bass, and has a passion for teaching the next generation of rock stars how to turn emotion and thoughts into something to share with the world.
“In a world full of bitterness and tragedy, sing your heart out, kid.”
Jon Upchurch
Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher, Rehearsal Director
Jon Upchurch has had a passion for music from a young age. He began taking piano lessons when he was 8 years old before moving on to drums at the age of 10. During his teens, Jon played in a couple of different bands in high school, where he not only played drums but was also a keyboard player and lead singer.
Jon originally joined School of Rock Gahanna as a parent, with his daughter taking vocal lessons. After seeing how excited his daughter got about the school, however, he joined as an instructor to share his passion for music with others.
Augustus Gabriel
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Rehearsal Director
Augustus is a music nerd who won his first guitar from an arcade and hasn’t been without one since. Initially scouring every song he came across for a guitar part he could learn, Augustus has now taken a deeper focus on music theory and song structure.
Today, Augustus finds the same joy in expanding his musical knowledge as he does in sharing his understanding with others.