Rik Alison
Music Director, Guitar Teacher
Rik has over 20 years of professional performing experience and taught 65+ students a week for over 15 years. From traveling the Midwest in a road cover band, to playing his own music in some of the top venues on the eastern seaboard, including The Middle East in Boston, CBGB's and The Continental in NYC, Rik has played thousands of gigs and brings this real world experience to the classroom. As an alumnus of the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he majored in Performance and Music Education, Rik has devised a program to solidify student's understanding of harmony, arranging and ear training as it pertains to their instruments and the music they love. In addition to all the road work and studying, Rik has also logged hundreds of hours of studio time in everything from 8-track demo studios to fully automated 48-track facilities and uses this experience to help prepare students for the different situations that can arise in live performances and studio sessions. Rik believes in continuing education and is always trying new things and looking for time to study new concepts.
Claudia Terry
Vocal Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Claudia began playing music at the age of 11 at the School of Rock in Easton, PA. She joined the school’s house band for vocals when she was 12 years old and was a student there until she was 18. After graduating from the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts as a vocal major in 2018, she began teaching lessons and directing shows at School of Rock Easton. Since joining the team at School of Rock Main Line, Claudia has been named Director of Rock 101 as well as Assistant Music Director. She has a strong passion for teaching and looks forward to connecting with new students each season.
In addition to her passion for rock music, Claudia is a classically trained vocalist and majored in both Music Education and Music Theory at West Chester University. She has been regularly performing for over a decade and currently plays in an acoustic duo and as a member of the Dan May Band.
Wally Smith
Piano Teacher
Wally Smith's experience covers over 40 years of live performance and recording session work in Philly, NYC, Europe and Japan. His studies included rock, classical and jazz piano and Hammond organ along with ARP Odyssey synth training. In the late 70s he recorded and toured with CBS recording artist Quincy, then managed by CBGB's owner Hilly Krystal. Wally then became the house keyboard player for JC Dobbs' legendary Last Minute Jam Band. Throughout the 80s and 90s they backed up artists like Ace Frehley, Scott Henderson, Gerald Veasley, Frank Gambale, Chris Squier, Bo Diddley and many others. He also became a regular session player for producer David Ivory at Philly's Sigma Sound Studios. Current studio work has been with Grammy-winning producers Phil Nicolo at Studio 4, and Mike Tarsia. Wally has recorded and/or performed with a variety of rock, blues, and jazz artists, such as Greg Davis, Johnny O, Essra Mohawk, Laura Mann, Vernon Reid, Ben Arnold, Philly 76ers House Band, Soul Survivors, Will Lee (Fab Faux), Jeannie Brooks, Kenn Kweder, Richard Bush, Tommy Conwell, Clarence Spady, Calvin Weston, Byard Lancaster and many others. Wally's long term jam band project, Crosstown Traffic, has done three tours throughout Japan. Other current activities include playing keyboards in power pop band Smash Palace, funk band Loose and Alright and Hooter's drummer David Uosikkinen's band In the Pocket. Wally also runs School of Rock Main Line's Adult Jam program and has been a piano teacher and directed student shows at School of Rock Main Line for over 10 years.
David Uosikkinen
Drum Teacher
Drummer David Uosikkinen is one of the founding members of Philadelphia’s own, The Hooters. In 2010, David formed his own band, David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket, to bring awareness to music education and to pay homage to all of the great music that has come out of Philadelphia. In The Pocket brings together all-star Philly musicians to cover classic Philadelphia tunes.
David has played drums with The Hooters for almost 40 years. He has also recorded and performed with Alice Cooper, Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper, Taj Mahal and Patty Smyth, as well as with many other emerging artists. In addition, David has performed on extensive international tours, including Live Aid, Amnesty International and Roger Waters’ The Wall in Berlin. When David isn’t on stage, he returns to his first love of teaching and mentoring his students. He is a drum teacher at School of Rock Main Line.
Madison Yannatelli
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Madison has been entertaining people since the age of 2 and could make friends with any person in the room. Her mom took notice of her outgoing personality and put her in theatre when she was 5 years old. Madison did theatre for a decade, and she flourished on stage as a performer. At 14, she found School of Rock Main Line in Berwyn, PA. Madison immediately picked up guitar and vocal lessons and she found where she belonged. In the School of Rock program, she did over twenty shows and was a part of House Band (Delta Squad) for two years.
With School of Rock Main Line's House Band, Madison had the amazing opportunity to go on tours all over the United States, including cities like Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland where she played at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Since graduating School of Rock in 2018, Madison has attended school at the University of South Florida for Psychology and a music minor. She is so excited to be back in the School of Rock program as an instructor and Music Director where she can give kids the same experience of belonging that she had as a student.
Paul DeSanctis
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Paul DeSanctis is a former student of School of Rock Main Line. He has written and recorded two full-length albums and an EP for his band Malphas, for which he is the guitarist, vocalist, composer, and lyricist. He has toured extensively, including Canada and Europe.
Paul's domain is symphonic death metal, but he’s adept at teaching students proper technique and setting them on the path to being excellent guitarists. His teaching philosophy is predicated on hard work, patience, and persistence in helping his students realize their potential and musical goals.
Aubrey Blount
Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Aubrey Blount is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and performing artist living in Philadelphia. Aubrey started playing music at the age of 4 when his parents put him in a preschool music class. Aubrey participated in school band throughout elementary and middle school, playing everything from trumpet to standup bass, and in that time took private lessons on guitar and piano. In high school, Aubrey started playing in bands with friends and found a love for the drums, which has been his primary instrument ever since.
Aubrey moved from his hometown of Alexandria, VA to Philadelphia in 2021 to pursue music in the Philly scene. Aubrey spends most of his time away from School of Rock touring with his band Friend, and creating other art. Aubrey loves getting to see his students perform in shows and absolutely cherishes the opportunity that working at the School of Rock in Berwyn, PA has given him to spread his love for music to the next generation.
Kira Lokay
Vocal Teacher, Piano Teacher
Kira started her School of Rock journey at 9 years old when she joined the School of Rock Easton, PA. During her time at School of Rock, she took voice and keyboard lessons and was a part of the school’s house band, (Bank Street Band) where she and other students had the amazing opportunity of touring across the east coast and executing hundreds of local gigs. Kira is currently studying both Vocal Performance and Music Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Alongside her love for rock music, she is also heavily influenced by jazz and soul music, including artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Lawrence, and Hiatus Kaiyote. She has always had a desire to work with School of Rock because of the school’s unique approach to music education and the emphasis on live performance. Along with lessons, she also is a co-director of the Rock 101 program and an assistant director in the seasonal show programs.
Terry Conrad
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Piano Teacher
Terry Conrad has worked at School of Rock Main Line since its opening in 2009. He is a guitar teacher, bass guitar teacher, drum teacher and piano teacher. He holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree from the University of the Arts in Jazz Performance and a Master's Degree in Music Theory and Composition from West Chester University.
Max Glazier
Drum Teacher
Max Glazier is a Philadelphia-based drummer with over a decade of experience. He is originally from Montgomery County and his musical origins include attending summer camps at the School of Rock location in Fort Washington.
Max is a graduate of the University of the Arts with a degree in Jazz Drum Set Performance. In addition to his jazz training, Max spent much of his time at UArts studying Afro-Caribbean percussion and playing in the salsa ensemble. He is very active in Philadelphia’s indie music community, having performed and recorded with a long list of local rock/pop/folk projects including Vague Positivity, Maax Power, Black Opal, and more.
More recently, Max has started performing free jazz and improvised avant-garde music, both as a soloist and in groups. He draws from an eclectic mix of influences and inspirations, with some of his drumming idols being Glenn Kotche, Brian Chippendale, Milford Graves, and Max Roach. Max is excited to be back at School of Rock as a teacher and hopes to guide his students into becoming lifelong musicians and music lovers.
Ellie Perez
Vocal Instructor, Piano Teacher
Ellie Perez is a School of Rock Main Line alumna with several years of experience teaching in contemporary styles. After earning a degree in Music Writing and Production from Berklee College of Music, she spent two years performing with touring acoustic folk group Kismet while simultaneously working in the music publishing industry at Universal Music Group. Currently, she is a vocal instructor and piano teacher at School of Rock Main Line and composes/produces music for television with the production music library Velvet Green Music.
Darren Ellis
Drum Teacher
Darren Ellis has been playing for over 25 years and teaching for more than a decade. He studied drums and percussion in college and his experience encompasses a wide variety of styles with many different artists and bands in Ohio, Tennessee, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Some acts he has performed with include The Dave Landeo Band, Stonewater Groove, Jagstar, Jason Allen Phelps and Donald Brown. Darren also played with American Speedway. He spent two years studying at The Drummers Collective in New York City. Drums are his primary focus, however beginning in 1998 he worked as a systems tech/engineer for a pro concert sound company in the southeast. Darren worked on the sound crew for Bob Dylan, The Black Crowes, James Brown, Slayer, Herbie Hancock, Merle Haggard, Dark Star Orchestra, Keith Urban, Wilco, Brad Paisley, Cassandra Wilson and many more. Darren holds a BSC in Audio Production from Ohio University. He is a drum teacher at School of Rock Main Line.
Elliot Garland
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher
Elliot Garland is a multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Philadelphia. His music education began at Settlement Music School, where he studied classical piano for 12 years. Elliot participated in orchestra and jazz ensemble at Friends’ Central School and in the jazz ensemble at Drexel University. Since becoming a professional musician, Elliot has worked with a number of amazing artists such as John Medeski, Lauryn Hill, Jef Lee Johnson, Geoffrey Owens, Dice Raw and many more. In addition to being a guitar teacher, bass guitar teacher and piano teacher at School of Rock Main Line, Elliot plays over 200 events a year with a variety of musical projects.
Joe Baldacci
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Joe Baldacci is a multi-instrumentalist/producer based out of Philadelphia. After studying classical piano from second grade through high school, he picked up guitar, bass and drums simultaneously, remaining largely self-taught until he attended University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He graduated in 2008 with a BA in Jazz Performance with focus on drum set. Joe has performed and recorded with many diverse musical acts including Drgnking, Early Ape, Ben Kenney and Elevator Fight. He has also been hired as a side man for recording and performing for every genre from jazz to modern metal, and his production work has been used commercially by the likes of Vera Wang and the CW. He has produced/mixed several local recording projects.
Currently, you can find Joe playing locally and touring the east coast with his original band, Muscle Tough, as well as with Nik Greeley and the Operators. Joe is a strong believer in individuality, creativity and diversity in musicians, and he tries to transfer these qualities to his students. His goal is to teach students to play with passion and musicality, and with the technical facility to execute whatever they hear in the moment. He is a guitar teacher, bass guitar teacher and drum teacher at School of Rock Main Line.
Bryan Connolly
Drum Teacher
Bryan Connolly is a drummer and educator based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, and was exposed to a wide variety of music from a young age. He holds a bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University.
As an educator, Bryan caters his teaching to the needs and interests of each student. He has experience teaching children of all ages. You can expect to learn rudiments, rhythm reading, and most importantly, how to play as part of a band when studying with him.
Bryan enjoys performing a variety of musical styles including R&B, jazz, rock, and pop. He has shared the stage with Virginia music icons Michael Hawkins, Desirée Roots, Tennishu (Butcher Brown), and Jason Jenkins along with Grammy Award-winning musicians jazz pianist Lee Musiker and Afro-Latin percussionist John Santos. He is also a frequent collaborator with singer/actor Scott Wichmann aka Mister Showtime.
Photo Credit: Peter McElhinney