Andrew
Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Born and raised in Park Ridge, IL, Andrew began taking piano lessons when he was around 4 years old. It wasn’t until Andrew was in middle school that he would join a band and music would become his greatest passion. He picked up guitar as a teenager, originally learning how to play classic rock songs on piano, by transcribing guitar tabs. Andrew earned a BA in Music Business from the University of Illinois at Chicago, while remaining active in Chicagoland's music scene. When Andrew isn’t writing, recording, or performing with various groups, he enjoys watching classic films and going to Sox games.
Colleen
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Colleen graduated with a BA in Music from Columbia College Chicago in 2017. Originally from California, she first picked up a guitar when she was 11 years old and has performed with several bands in various venues through the Bay Area, as well as Chicago.
Colleen likes to tell stories through dynamic instrumental music—specializing in rock, metal, ambient, and jazz. She enjoys helping students discover their unique abilities so they can achieve their greatest potential as musicians.
Joe
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Joe is a singer, pianist, and composer from Chicago, IL. In 2020, Joe graduated from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music with a self-designed degree, "Contemporary Voice and Songwriting." He also received training from the leading a cappella experts, A Cappella Academy, in 2015 and 2016. Joe now gigs around the Chicago area with multiple bands, and co-directs the Oak Park and River Forest High School Show Choir!
Michael
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Michael has been playing music since he was 7 years old. He is a multi-instrumentalist with a degree in Music Theory, double majoring in Psychology. Michael enjoys playing live and has shared the stage with artists like The Story So Far, Kingsfoil, Vic Mensa, Just Surrender, Lionheart, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck, and Stray from the Path.
Michael also enjoys producing and recording with artists around Chicago. His favorite venues around the Windy City are Reggies Rock Club, The Beat Kitchen, House of Blues, The Metro, and Subterranean. When not playing music, Michael enjoys other hobbies like writing, reading, cooking, martial arts, stocks, and learning new things!
Mike
Drum Teacher
Mike is a Chicago-area drummer that has 11 years of experience teaching private lessons, and 6 years of experience directing classes. Throughout high school and college, Mike developed expertise in jazz, orchestra, and percussion band performance. Mike works with a variety of artists and groups in the recording studio and has also toured the U.S.!
Mike plays drums for a local rock band, The Run Around, and plays keys in the band Evil Empire. His love for all music has made him an open-minded, versatile, patient, and fun teacher. He is able to work with all music tastes, but has a particular passion for rock! Students learning from Mike can expect to learn the styles of drummers like Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Travis Barker (Blink-182), Joey Jordinson (Slipknot), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Cindy Blackman-Santana (Lenny Kravitz, Santana), Neil Peart (Rush), and many more!
Morgan
Assistant Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Morgan is a singer-songwriter and actor-musician from Pennsylvania. She has an enthusiastic spirit, and a passion to create and collaborate with others! Morgan is a founding member and regular performer of the Musical Pirate Crew, “Ship Shape.” Entertaining crowds with their tight harmonies and Piratical humor, she and two of her friends travel to Renaissance Faires across the country. Morgan is currently based in Chicago and continues to write and perform her own original music.
Alyanna
Music Director, Drum Teacher
Alyanna has loved music since she was born, inspired by her father’s love for classic rock and funk music. She fell in love with playing the drums at the age of 9 and continued taking lessons until 22. Alyanna became the first student at her high school to get accepted into an arts school and pursued her educational career at Columbia College Chicago, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Contemporary, Urban, and Popular Music with a concentration in Drum Performance.
Alyanna also performs in two bands: Comfort Kills and Aurin & the Hex. She has played all around the Chicagoland area. In her free time, Alyanna is an avid record collector and cartoon enthusiast. She loves passing on her love of drums to her students and teaching them the art of music and being yourself.
David
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher
David is a professional musician with over 40 years of performance experience and over 30 years of teaching both individual and group lessons. David has played many styles of music such as rock, blues, jazz, reggae, and more. Additionally, he has had the opportunity to play with notable groups including Wood Zeppelin and Roots Rock Society. When David isn't playing music, he spends his time as a DJ for Q4 Radio's "The Roots Connection."
Ben
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Ben is a musician specializing in bass guitar and background vocals. He earned his degree in Jazz Studies from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Ben has appeared in musicals as an onstage musician at Drury Lane and the Royal George Theatre. Since then he has been working with touring artists including The Tom Fuller Band, Boyband Review Chicago, Jeanette King, Pistol Pete and most recently filling in as Paul McCartney for American English.
Ben also has taught music since 2011 and continues to write his own music.
Jacob
Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
The son of two musicians, it is unsurprising that music has been a pivotal piece of Jacob’s life from birth. Growing up, he would listen to the melodies of classical compositions reverberating through the walls of his house as his mom taught flute lessons, each night begging to learn how to play music. At the age of 8, Jacob got his wish and began formally playing piano, before switching to percussion at the age of 10.
As a teenager, Jacob played the drums for various groups and artists around the Chicagoland area, while also performing as a member of Maine South High School's drumline and wind ensemble. Inspired by the music of The Grateful Dead, he began playing the electric guitar and studying improvisational techniques.
While earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Philosophy from Iowa State University, Jacob founded multiple bands, played and put on countless shows, and continued to write and study the art of music. Currently, Jacob performs as a solo artist around the Chicagoland area, delivering high-energy, jam-based sets. In the rare times he’s not playing music, Jacob enjoys fishing, playing water polo, watching films, and spending time with his friends and family.
Richard
Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Richard grew up in the musical melting pot of Austin, Texas, where he honed his skills on bass, piano, and guitar in the bars and nightclubs of central Texas. Since 2006, he has been a gigging musician in Chicago playing nearly every weekend.
The father of four daughters, Richard loves teaching both kids and adults how to play music with joy and skill.