Jason Fein
Owner
Jason's musical journey started very early. He started piano lessons at the age of seven and it wasn't long after that he decided he wanted to learn how to play the guitar. Still not feeling like he had found his true musical calling he decided to give his school chorus a try when he entered high school. Things started moving fast from there. He formed his first band as the lead singer and by the time he graduated high school he went away to college on a vocal performance scholarship. While in college he formed his first touring band called Next Best Thing. They had some success including two albums and a song placed in a very popular motorcycle DVD that pressed over 500,000 copies.
After college NBT broke up and Jason was left searching for a new musical outlet. Little did he know he would soon find it in multiple forms. He co-founded The Run Around. In the ten years The Run Around has been together they have played shows all across this country, sold thousands of albums, have a successful music video and shared the stage with such national acts as Tom Petty, Bowling For Soup, Local H, Blues Traveler, Alien Ant Farm, Mest, Head Automatica, Lucky Boys Confusion, Nine Days, Gavin Degraw and many, many more. In the midst of all this, Jason was hired on as a vocal instructor at another School of Rock in the area. It wasn't long before he was recognized for his ability to direct and put on an impressive live show and was asked to direct the performance program. From there he went on to be the General Manager.
He learned that he loved the School of Rock mission and everything it represented and decided he wanted to make School of Rock his life. Geneva has always been a favorite town of his and just minutes away from where he grew up so he thought it was a great place to set up shop and start the next great chapter of his life. He can't wait to help mold the next generation of rock n' roll royalty.
Brandy B.
Regional Manager
Brandy is the Regional Manager of the School of Rock locations in Geneva, Plainfield, and Schaumburg, Illinois! She began music very young and continued her keys and vocal studies through college. She attended Loyola University Chicago where she studied English Literature, Classical Voice, and Opera Vocal Performance.
Brandy has a wide variety of musical tastes but Tom Petty will always be her favorite. You can often find her singing show tunes to herself for fun. She believes in the program wholeheartedly and can't wait for her children to be old enough to join in the magic!
Fun Fact: She is not your typical Muggle.
Tracy L.
General Manager
Initially coming to School of Rock Geneva by way of School of Rock Plainfield as the former Studio Coordinator, Tracy is undeniably excited to serve School of Rock Geneva as the General Manager! To say music flows through her blood is quite an understatement, as she is a fourth-generation musician on her mother’s side and a sixth-generation musician on her father’s side. Her earliest memory of music was plunking out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on the piano at the age of 3.
After years of studying orchestral percussion, trombone, tuba, baritone, as well as trumpet, Tracy studied applied music (opera) at Southern Illinois University and re-established the Epsilon Kappa chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon International Co-Ed Music Fraternity.
If ever you want to stop by the front office to chat about music or even need to hear some words of encouragement, her door is open!
Bailey P.
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Bailey is School of Rock Geneva's Music Director, as well as a multi-instrumentalist instructor teaching guitar, voice, bass, and piano. She sings and plays guitar for an indie rock band called Johnny Personne, and has played with various bands and groups ranging from punk to classical to rock. Some of her recent bands include Joy Shooters (guitar) and The 48s (vocals).
Bailey grew up with both classical and practical training, taking private lessons in guitar, viola, and violin, and was raised in an orchestral program at ECC. She has enjoyed her last several years teaching and directing at School of Rock, and can't imagine doing anything else!
Allyson S.
Studio Coordinator
Allyson is School of Rock Geneva’s Studio Coordinator, where she combines her eye for detail with her love of music. Allyson graduated from Northern Illinois University where she studied music performance. As a multi-instrumentalist, Allyson performs and teaches trumpet, ukulele, and piano, with experience in classical, jazz, and electronic music.
Daniel
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Dan first became interested in music when he listened to his siblings’ CD collection of alternative rock. He was also drawn to the variety of music he was hearing from video games. He was always humming tunes he heard and making his own. Dan began making his own music using GarageBand and by the end of high school, he had about ten full-length albums of songs he wrote himself, based on his personal experiences.
Dan’s dad and brother-in-law inspired him to take those a capella-riff-styled songs to the guitar and practice techniques to build speed and memorize the guitar neck. Eventually, he started playing his own shows and singing, sometimes even with a loop pedal! Dan began to study music theory, and chart building and sight reading became more and more second nature to him. Soon he was pulling off shows for Geneva’s Art Guild, performing in weekly open mics and fundraisers, and joining a handful of cover bands and original rock bands.
Dan has been a guitar teacher and a bass teacher at the School of Rock in Geneva, IL since our opening in 2015. Breaking down songs and feeling the uniqueness and togetherness of each part has always been his thing, and watching his students improve over time has been fulfilling.
Peter
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Ever since he first heard songs on the radio, Peter has loved music. He began his musical journey on the trombone and played through college, adding new instruments along the way.
Peter graduated from Northern Illinois University, focusing his time on Music Performance. He has competed nationally with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps and hopes to inspire his love of music in others.
Arick
Drum Teacher
A native of the local area, Arick has been a drummer for over 20 years. He brings an abundance of knowledge to get his students where they want to be as drummers. He currently plays for a local church along with community choirs, studio sessions, and gigs at local bars.
Arick is truly passionate about student success and guarantees each student will walk away with something new each session. Arick’s goal is to show the students how to perfect their craft and improve their technique, preparing them for the next level!
Andrew
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Andrew has been teaching and performing professionally for a decade. He went to Millikin University for his undergraduate degree and majored in Commercial Music and then went to graduate school at Northern Illinois University where he specialized in Studio Music and Audio Engineering.
As a singer, Andrew has a strong background in performing various types of music from jazz, blues, and rock to musical theater, classical, folk, and pop. He has also performed as a Bass II in the elite professional choral ensemble Cor Contiamo and can teach any student any style of music they are interested in.
As a pianist, Andrew specializes in performing jazz, blues, and rock and teaches his students how to improvise in these styles. He also has a strong background in music theory and music literacy for students interested in learning how to read and fully understand the music they are performing.
Chase
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Chase is an accomplished guitarist and a dedicated educator who brings a unique perspective to his students. Chase is passionate about helping guitarists excel. He has taught lessons to players of all ages and skill levels.
Whether it is classical guitar, acoustic, electric, or bass guitar, Chase's musical excellence and practical teaching approach make him a true mentor to all of his students. His dedication to both music and education shines through and he is incredibly proud to be part of the School of Rock community in Geneva, IL.
Neema
Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Neema is a jazz, blues, and rock musician! He has had professional training and plays these styles on the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and piano. He can adjust his teaching style per student to allow for advanced and simplified techniques, focusing on keeping the main elements constant and accurate, such as melody, rhythm, and harmony.
Neema has over 15 years of experience performing and teaching music. He puts time and effort into teaching and sharing the gift of music.
Cory
Drum Teacher
Cory has been playing drums for over two decades! He found his passion for drumming at a young age when he got his first drum set for Christmas. His brother was learning to play the guitar and he wanted to be in a band with him. He learned the introduction to "Bawitdaba" by Kid Rock and hasn't stopped since.
Cory has been in bands of almost all genres and has had the privilege of learning from some of the greatest over the years. He currently plays for the band Embers Rise, a modern rock band that has been around for nearly two years and has released three original singles. Most recently, he took the opportunity to fill in on the drums for the band Lines of Loyalty during the first half of their tour with Pop Evil. Cory says, "It was an amazing and unforgettable learning experience that has really sparked my desire to help other drummers build up their skill set as much as possible."
Allison
Vocal Teacher
Allison fell in love with singing when she was young, after going to see musicals in her hometown. She grew up performing in musicals and choir before getting her bachelor's degree in Theatre from Michigan State University, where she also sang in a vocal jazz ensemble.
After moving to Chicago, Allison graduated from Second City’s Music Improv Conservatory and has taught musical theatre and voice to kids in the city while she performed in many sketch, improv, and musicals in Chicago. On the side, she also is a voice-over artist. Allison's passion for music is something she loves to share with kids, and hopes she can inspire them!
Kit
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Kit is a multi-instrumentalist from Tinley Park, Illinois who has been surrounded by music for as long as he can remember. He has always had a passion for learning new instruments, starting with the piano at age 8 and continuing to learn other instruments such as the guitar, bass, and various brass. Throughout his childhood, he has been involved with many scholastic musical programs, including the marching band, jazz ensembles, choir program, and musical theater. In 2014, Kit was selected to sing in the ILMEA Honors Choir.
Outside of school, Kit performed in many different bands, covering and writing music of all genres including pop-punk, indie rock, funk rock, rhythm and blues, and singer/songwriter. He has enjoyed performing in venues all around the Chicagoland area since he was 12 years old and still enjoys it to this day.
Kit has a quite eclectic taste in music inspired by musicians such as Chance the Rapper, Daniel Caesar, H.E.R., Paramore, Snarky Puppy, Tori Kelly, and Vulfpeck. Kit truly enjoys being a teacher at the School of Rock in Geneva, IL, and aspires to spread his passion for learning and performing music to kids and students of all ages.
John
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
John is a guitarist with a background in rock, alternative, and indie music. Although the guitar is his main instrument, he has been playing music for over 15 years and has some experience with drums, keyboards, and bass guitar.
When he was growing up, John took piano lessons for a few years before focusing his effort on being a percussionist in the band at school. While playing in the concert and marching band in high school, his interest shifted to alternative rock and he began focusing on guitar, bass guitar, and drum set.
John has played in many rock bands since school and has been honing his craft on guitar, singing, and songwriting. He currently writes and performs with the indie rock band The Darling Suns in which he plays guitar and synth.
Jim
Drum Teacher
Jim began playing drums at 10, joined his first rock band at 13, and went to the Berklee College of Music. He plays styles from reggae to bebop, with a lot of heavy metal and blues in between.
Mikey
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Mikey has been playing guitar for over 20 years. He began his musical education as a self-taught musician learning songs by some of his favorite bands including AC/DC, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, and The Ramones. Mikey did not undergo any formal training until he attended college, earning an associate's degree in Fine Arts Music from Harper College (under Peter Aglinskas) and a bachelor's degree in Music (under Fareed Haque) from Northern Illinois University.
In addition to playing guitar, Mikey also plays a bit of piano, bass guitar, and drums. He also composed and recorded original works of music and played lead guitar with the progressive rock band Seet for over a decade.
Currently, Mikey plays bass guitar with a new project called Inverted Temple and has plans to form a new metal groove project, as well. Mikey is still heavily influenced and enjoys artists such as Pink Floyd, The Doors, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, and Pantera.