Bryan S. McRay
Owner
After a lengthy career in emergency medical services, Bryan retired to follow his new passion. After seeing how impactful and powerful the School of Rock community had been for his daughter for the past 10 years he decided to purchase a franchise and open his own school.
Andrew Bonieskie
Vocal Teacher
Andrew Bonieskie is a singer and composer with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Virginia Commonwealth University where he studied classical voice. Andrew has an extensive background in rock music performing since he was 17 and has produced three albums with numerous bands and artists in the Richmond area.
Mark Buxo
Drum Teacher
Mark has 18 years of throne time. He earned a Music Performance Degree from Nyack College and has played with multiple bands in the New Jersey/New York area. He has been teaching music for several years and enjoys it when his students shine on stage!
Steven Christian
Guitar Teacher
Steven started playing the guitar when he was 13 years old, taking private lessons at a local music store. He attended Broad Run High School in Ashburn, VA, where he started playing in a metal band. Throughout high school, he played guitar with the school's jazz ensemble and indoor drumlines.
Steven went on to study classical guitar at Radford University, completing his degree in Music Business in 2015. He enjoys playing several musical styles including metal, alternative rock, pop-punk, jazz/fusion, progressive, classical, and acoustic.
George Cruz
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
George is a seasoned music educator with 19 years of live performance experience and nine years of teaching expertise. He tailors lessons to individual student needs, starting at their skill level to foster growth.
George is very proficient across various musical styles and specializes in teaching improvisation for instruments like piano, drums, guitar, bass, and more. His versatile approach enables students to learn technical skills while nurturing their unique musical expression.
Chris Dobyns
Guitar Teacher
Chris specializes in rock, metal, and blues music. The last 15 years have been focused on mastering his technique on guitar, bass, and drums. Chris has recently started working on songwriting and music production.
Jordyn Elliott
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Jordyn is what happens when you mix a passion for music and childlike curiosity. Coming from a musical household and family, she started singing at the tender age of 2 in churches. Jordyn began performing when she was 6 years old, with vocal training from her mother, who is also a singer. She started receiving music lessons at 8 followed by the flute and the clarinet at 11.
Jordyn received formal vocal lessons during her time at Appomattox Regional Governors’ School for Arts and Tech. She then started coming up with techniques to bring formal training from the classical music world into the contemporary world. She is trained and has performed certain genres including gospel, blues, soul, rock, and alt-rock during her time studying at Berklee. While she was in Boston, Jordyn taught at the School of Rock in Watertown specializing in vocal health and advanced techniques that are effective cross-genre such as harsh vocals. Her teaching and learning motto is “Since music can be infinite, as musicians so should we.”
Lauren Gonzalez
Little Wing Teacher, Rookies Lead Instructor
Lauren Gonzalez has been studying music since the age of 8, playing several instruments including piano, clarinet, and saxophone. She graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. Lauren has performed with various symphonic and orchestral ensembles in the U.S. and Japan including the Auburn University Marching Band, the Auburn University Orchestra, the Tidewater Winds, and the Kanazawa Clarinet Choir. She has been a teacher since 2009 and loves sharing her love for music and learning with young minds.
Tanner High
Guitar Teacher
Tanner has been playing guitar for seven years and has experience recording in studios and playing live on tour. He loves to play different forms of rock and metal music. Some of his influences include bands such as the Misfits, KISS, Windhand, Motörhead, and other similar artists. Tanner has played in a few different bands over the years including the group Baby Bugs.
Gabe Mayhugh
Guitar Teacher
Gabe Mayhugh moved to Central Virginia after spending time in Northern Virginia. This is where he found School of Rock and began teaching. Gabe is an aspiring folk musician with nearly a decade of experience playing the guitar. He is a rhythm guitarist first and foremost but also has a passion for teaching the craft to people looking for a channel of expression.
Gabe believes music is intimate and personal, and draws inspiration from artists such as Nick Drake, The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Wilco, and many others. As a developing musician, Gabe is currently working on his own act.
Cooper Mullins
Drum Teacher
Cooper has been playing and producing music for about nine years. His passion started in middle school and has grown since then. He has a background in several formal groups including symphonic bands, jazz ensembles, and marching percussion. Cooper has 6 years of experience in WGI and AIA groups as well.
Naomi Pike
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Naomi is a student at Arizona State University, majoring in Psychology. She has been singing and playing keys and guitar for most of her life and is excited to use her educational background to help teach music.
Naomi has performed in local shows and has onstage and classical vocal training. She primarily helps with our Little Wing and Rookies programs.
Jordan Reinecke
Guitar Teacher
Jordan Reinecke is a seasoned working musician and artist. He started playing extended sets at the age of 16 and has played hundreds of them across the East Coast. Jordan has also cut his teeth in the recording industry as a producer and songwriter. Now, he spends most of his time working under his own artist project, REIN, where he explores combining his heroic guitar influences and modern pop songwriting.
Andrew Rohlk
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Andrew Rohlk is a singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Richmond, Virginia. He is returning to the School of Rock community to share his knowledge and experience. His singular blend of soul, jazz, pop, and indie recalls the smooth, dance-worthy sounds of Prince and Stevie Wonder, while his production style remains attuned to today’s sonic innovations.
Andrew's love for live performance becomes evident from the moment he steps onstage, as the energy he brings to the microphone infects audience members and makes for a showcase of love and devotion to music that crowds won’t soon forget. His performance credits include appearances at The National in Richmond, Washington DC’s U Street Music Hall, as well as countless other venues in and around the Mid-Atlantic. Andrew released his full-length debut, Lost & Found, in the fall of 2018 and continues to perform his songs and the songs that inspired them all over Virginia for audiences large and small.
Madison Tifft
Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Madison Tifft is an experienced performance pianist. She started playing early as a 4-year-old and has been performing publicly since the age of 8. Madison advanced quickly through the levels of piano performance, playing a college-level audition song for her eighth-grade recital. She has also performed with multiple age choirs, orchestras, bands, and solo violinists. Now, Madison is looking to spread her love of playing piano by teaching those of all ages.
Thalia Tymowski
Vocal Teacher
Thalia was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia where she began singing at a young age. She participated in musical theatre and show choir but fell in love with the School of Rock program. She immersed herself in lessons and the performance program, and even joined her school's House Band, giving her the opportunity to perform at many music venues throughout Virginia.
In 2017, Thalia got to experience what it was like to tour as a musician when she toured with School of Rock AllStars. She played at the Black Cat in D.C., the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and the MOPOP Music Festival in Detroit. Thalia then moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music to further her studies as a vocalist.
In Boston, Thalia studied Music Production and Engineering and explored metal music, joining a progressive metal band called Among the Stars. Since graduating from Berklee, Thalia has moved home to Richmond to continue pursuing music in the kind and supportive community she grew up in.
NiKo Vargas
Vocal Teacher
NiKo is a disabled Afro-Latine nonbinary vocalist, voice actor, musician, producer, writer, and audio engineer. Growing up in New York City, they’ve had a passion for entertainment from a young age, taking part in many artistic endeavors such as show choir, musical theatre, and drama.
Driven by creativity and determination, NiKo began doing freelance work for music and voice acting in March 2015. Having self-taught themselves everything they knew at that point (from audio engineering to music composition), they used their passion to drive them forward to continue learning more about their craft. Their dedication to the arts has driven them to be a knowledgeable, reliable, and energized talent.
Now residing in Richmond, Virginia, NiKo has honed their skills as an actor, vocalist, and audio engineer at a professional level through vocal coaching and university.
With more than 8 years of experience under their belt, they are devoted to their career and eager to help bring life to your project!
Austin Washington
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Austin has been playing music for over 18 years and has been an RVA resident his whole life. In 2014 Austin joined the School of Rock program and in 2015 was the first RVA student to be selected to the AllStars program.
After graduating from School of Rock as a student, he began teaching music for a couple of years before various other jobs. He returns to teaching as part of our School of Rock Midlothian staff as a guitar and bass instructor while also pursuing his own music opportunities.