Philadelphia
School of Rock

Explore School of Rock

Philadelphia

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School of Rock Philadelphia
421 N. 7th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(267) 639-4007

Location Specifics

ON 7TH ST. BETWEEN CALLOWHILL AND SPRING GARDEN, IN THE NORTH LOBBY

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Hours
  • Monday: 3:30 PM - 9 PM
  • Tuesday: 3:30 PM - 9 PM
  • Wednesday: 3:30 PM - 9 PM
  • Thursday: 3:30 PM - 9 PM
  • Friday: 3:30 AM - 8 AM
  • Saturday: 10:30 AM - 4 PM
  • Sunday: Closed

Upcoming Special Hours:

  • 05/27/2024: Closed
  • 07/04/2024: Closed

Music programs at School of Rock Philadelphia combine one-on-one lessons with group band practices

School of Rock in Philadelphia, PA is proud to serve the Philly community with a revolutionary music education approach. Philadelphia is a great place for budding artists and many musicians and bands like Hall & Oates, Eve, Patti LaBelle, G. Love & Special Sauce, and The Roots have come out of Philly. With lessons from our expert instructors, students can learn to rock out on guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and vocals across every genre including rock pop, country, and R&B. By jamming in a band together with friends while learning to read and play music by ear, students gain the confidence to truly be a rock star. Our students perform at community-based events like South Street Festival, Northern Liberties Festival, Wit You Against Childhood Cancer, South Philly Sausage Fest, and Kids Rock Philly. Our students also play at venues like Underground Arts, MilkBoy, Ortlieb's, and at Flyers games at the Wells Fargo Center! Take the first step towards stardom and join School of Rock in Philadelphia, PA today!

Programs we offer

Rock 101 music program in Philadelphia for kids and beginners
Rock 101
Ages 8-13

Rock 101 is one of School of Rock Philadelphia's top programs for kids and beginners. Students have one weekly group rehearsal where they learn to play classic rock songs that have been simplified for beginner musicians. Additionally, Rock 101 students in Philadelphia have a weekly private music lesson with an instructor who helps them learn the concepts and skills behind their performance songs.

What To Expect
  • 1 WEEKLY PRIVATE LESSON
  • 1 WEEKLY GROUP REHEARSAL

The Path to Take the Stage

Our music programs for kids in Philadelphia are designed to get students on stage performing, with the goal of building strong musical proficiency. Younger students at School of Rock Philadelphia who have participated in the Rookies program can move to our Rock 101 music program once they’re ready. Additionally, students (typically ages 8 to 13-years-old) can begin Rock 101 without any prior experience. The goal of this rock program is to quickly develop a basic competence on students’ chosen instruments before moving on to our famous Performance Program.

Performance music program for teens in Philadelphia
Performance
Ages 8-18

The Performance Program at School of Rock Philadelphia is our hallmark music program, where tens of thousands of students enroll each year. It consists of a weekly group rehearsal where kids and teens learn by playing rock music's most iconic songs with a band composed of their peers. Students are assigned songs and parts that are tailored to them based on their age, experience and ability to learn new skills and concepts. Students then work through their parts in weekly private music lessons, refining the skills and concepts that those songs introduce. The goal of this curriculum is to prepare kids and teens for live performances. Every few months, School of Rock Philadelphia Performance Program students take the stage and play at local Philadelphia music venues in front of a live audience.

What To Expect
  • 1 WEEKLY PRIVATE LESSON
  • 1 WEEKLY GROUP REHEARSAL

The Path to Take the Stage

School of Rock Philadelphia's music programs for kids and teens are designed to inspire by getting students on stage and performing. All of our other music education programs focus on readying students for our famous Performance Program. This is where students develop incredible musical skills. Performance Program students have often gone through our Rock 101 program first or have some previous basic music experience. These young musicians will have custom development plans outlined by their instructors with key concepts reinforced during private lessons and group rehearsals, all with the goal of performing live at a Philadelphia music venue.

Rookies music program for children in Philadelphia
Rookies
Ages 6-7

At School of Rock Philadelphia, our music program for children with no previous musical experience (typically ages 6 to 7-years-old) is called Rookies. Rookies students have one weekly group music lesson where they learn fundamentals like chords, rhythm and song structure. Kids get to learn and experiment with multiple instruments so they can later decide which one they ultimately want to continue pursuing in Rock 101.

What To Expect
  • 1 WEEKLY GROUP LESSON
  • USE OF SIMPLIFIED ROCK INSTRUMENTS TO TEACH KIDS TO PLAY MUSIC

The Path to Take the Stage

All of our music programs are designed to inspire students to learn and develop a strong musical proficiency. At School of Rock Philadelphia, younger students who are not ready for a more comprehensive program like Rock 101 can start in Rookies. Additionally, students who have completed the Little Wing program will progress into the Rookies music program. No prior musical experience is needed for Rookies. Once your child is ready for private music lessons (typically older than first or second graders), they will graduate into our Rock 101 program.

Little Wing music program for toddlers and preschoolers in Philadelphia
Little Wing
Ages 4-5

At School of Rock Philadelphia our Little Wing music program for preschoolers and toddlers teaches students foundational music skills by playing games and participating in other interactive musical activities. Little Wing students have one weekly group music lesson in which they use classic rock songs to learn about rhythm, song structure, melody and dynamics through play.

What To Expect
  • 1 WEEKLY GROUP LESSON
  • USE HAND PERCUSSION & OTHER TOOLS TO LEARN RHYTHM PATTERNS & MUSIC SYNTAX

The Path to Take the Stage

The Little Wing music program is the first step in a young musician's journey. At School of Rock Philadelphia, toddlers and preschoolers who show an interest in music should start with Little Wing. As they get older, they will progress into the Rookies program, followed by Rock 101 and the Performance Program.

Songwriting
Age 12 and over

Our Songwriting program for kids and teens teaches the fundamentals of songwriting, arrangement and music theory, and helps students compose original works.  At School of Rock Philadelphia, songwriting students receive one weekly private lesson where they learn concepts, technique and theory on an instrument of their choice. These principles are then applied in a weekly group lesson where students work together on songwriting exercises and lyrical workshops.  Every few months, Songwriting students take the stage to perform or band together to record their original songs.

What to Expect
  • 1 weekly private lesson
  • 1 weekly group lesson

The Path to Take the Stage

Our Songwriting program for kids and teens in Philadelphia is designed to create musical proficiency through the creation of original music. Students at School of Rock Philadelphia who have completed our Rock 101 program can move to our Songwriting program once they’re ready. Additionally, new students who have prior experience with and basic knowledge of an instrument can also begin Songwriting. The program culminates with a live showcase where students perform their original compositions in bands at a local music venue. Students taking the Songwriting Program online will remotely record their original songs to produce a demo of the class's music.

Remote student playing guitar
Online
All Ages

At School of Rock Philadelphia, our students can take online, one-on-one music instruction from the comfort of their homes. We call this program School of Rock Remote. This online music program contains weekly one-on-one instruction conducted by our expert School of Rock instructors in a safe virtual lesson room.
 
Students will receive their training using our proprietary education program, The School of Rock Method™, which couples live video lessons with our proprietary Method App™, SongFirst Approach™ and Method Books™. 

What To Expect
  • ONE WEEKLY 1-ON-1 LESSON
  • LESSONS CONDUCTED USING SECURE VIDEO TECHNOLOGY

THE PATH TO TAKE THE STAGE

All of our music programs for kids, teens, and adults are designed to help students gain amazing musical proficiency. School of Rock’s online music lesson program is no exception. Online guitar lessons, online piano lessons, online drum lessons, online singing lessons and online bass guitar lessons are all offered through the School of Rock Remote online program.

Adult music program in Philadelphia for students over 18
Adult Program
Ages 18+

School of Rock Philadelphia's Adult Program is for students over 18 years old who are looking to either improve their musical proficiency or pick up an instrument with no prior musical experience. As with most School of Rock music programs, the Adult Program uses a performance-based music education approach. This means the curriculum focuses on learning music concepts and applying them in a live performance setting. Our Adult Music Program includes one weekly private music lesson and a weekly group rehearsal. Every student at School of Rock Philadelphia is placed in a band of fellow adults and then assigned specific songs as a way of learning key music concepts and skills. Adult students then take the stage to play at a live show in Philadelphia.

What To Expect
  • 1 WEEKLY PRIVATE LESSON
  • 1 WEEKLY GROUP REHEARSAL

The Path to Take the Stage

All of our music programs are designed to inspire by getting students on stage and performing, with the goal of building strong musical proficiency along the way. The School of Rock Philadelphia Adult Program is open to all experience levels and each student will follow a customized learning plan developed by their instructor. Adult students will work together during rehearsal to prepare for a live performance at a real rock venue in Philadelphia.

House Band program for gigging at local venues in Philadelphia
House Band
Age 17 and Under

The School of Rock Philadelphia House Band music program gives students under 18 the opportunity to join a gigging band composed of fellow musicians from their school. These students perform additional live shows throughout the year. All students in the Performance Program have the opportunity to audition for a spot in School of Rock Philadelphia's House Band. Once selected, House Band members become leaders in their School of Rock community and perform live shows at PA rock venues throughout the year.

What To Expect
  • A GIGGING MUSICIAN'S EXPERIENCE
  • FREQUENT LIVE PERFORMANCES IN COMMUNITY

The Path to Take the Stage

Performance is the core of School of Rock's educational approach. Therefore, we create additional opportunities for students to perform on stages throughout Philadelphia and the rest of PA. The House Band music program allows each school's most talented students the opportunity to join a band and play routinely in front of live audiences. Once a member, students will gain real music experience associated with gigging musicians and will become leaders and mentors inside the School of Rock community.

The AllStars national tour features the best child and teen musicians
AllStars
Age 17 and Under

The School of Rock AllStars Tour takes the very best students from around the world and sends them on a nationwide summer tour across the United States. Less than 1% of School of Rock students are selected each year to represent School of Rock as an AllStar. All Performance Program students are eligible to audition for this prestigious program. The intensive audition process starts off with video submissions followed by live auditions. Once selected, AllStar students will have an authentic touring experience including traveling on a tour bus, doing tour publicity and starring in nightly performances at famous venues and festivals during a two-week tour.

What To Expect
  • A MULTI-CITY, COUNTRY-WIDE MUSIC TOUR EXPERIENCE
  • PERFORMING ON SOME OF THE BIGGEST AND MOST FAMOUS STAGES IN THE WORLD

The Path to Take the Stage

Becoming an AllStar is the highest level of achievement for a School of Rock student. They play on legendary stages large and small, including The Knitting Factory, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, The Troubadour and Lollapalooza. AllStar students often go on to have accomplished careers in the music industry. Former AllStars have gone on to become touring artists, star in Broadway musicals, get signed to record deals, become finalists on talent competitions like "The Voice" and "American Idol" and have other notable roles in the music industry.

Music Lessons in Philadelphia

Kid learns to play guitar at School of Rock Philadelphia

Guitar Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Guitar Lessons for Kids

At School of Rock Philadelphia, we offer beginner guitar lessons for kids. Our expert guitar instructors guide your child from start to finish with private instruction and weekly group band rehearsals. Every instructor at School of Rock Philadelphia is an experienced musician, and they emphasize foundational music theory and technique when teaching guitar lessons to kids. Unlike other Philadelphia guitar lessons and programs, School of Rock is designed to get students performing in a band.

Beginner Guitar Lessons for Adults

It’s never too late to learn to play the guitar. Similar to our kids guitar lessons, School of Rock Philadelphia's beginner guitar lessons for adults utilizes a performance-based curriculum. Our experienced instructors teach adult students through popular rock songs, and teach students to play guitar in a way that’s challenging and fun. We believe the best way to learn is by doing, which is why we combine weekly private guitar lessons with group band rehearsals. At School of Rock Philadelphia, we teach beginner guitar lessons for adults in our Adult Program. This program gets students performing onstage at a local Philadelphia venue.

Key Concepts
  • Technique
  • Solos
  • Chords
  • Theory

Intermediate to Advanced Guitar Lessons

As students gain skills and experience, we move them along to more challenging programs at higher skill levels. Intermediate and advanced students take the skills they learned in beginner guitar lessons, and layer on more difficult techniques and concepts. School of Rock Philadelphia offers advanced guitar lessons for kids and adults that teach by playing challenging classic rock songs and emphasize playing the guitar in a real music venue. Our Philadelphia guitar teachers will work with each student to develop a custom learning plan.

Kids learn to drum at School of Rock Philadelphia

Drum Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Drum Lessons for Kids

School of Rock Philadelphia is the best option for anyone looking to learn the drums. Our beginner drum lessons get kids behind the drum kit and on their way to taking the stage. That’s why at School of Rock Philadelphia we combine private drum lessons for beginners with weekly band rehearsals—it prepares students to perform live. With years of experience teaching drums in Philadelphia, our drum instructors teach beginner drum students core techniques, including how to groove, play rudiments and more.

Beginner Drum Lessons for Adults

Our drum lessons for adults are designed to accommodate all skill levels. At School of Rock Philadelphia, our beginner drum lessons for adults are built for musicians with little to no experience. We teach adults using the same core performance-based education philosophy as our drum lessons for kids—performing with a band accelerates the learning process. Adult students will perform live at a venue in Philadelphia. Unlike other Philadelphia drum lessons for beginners, School of Rock combines private drum lessons with weekly band rehearsals so students are ready to play in front of real, live audiences.

Key Concepts
  • RUDIMENTS
  • TIME SIGNATURES
  • TECHNIQUE
  • GROOVE

Intermediate to Advanced Drum Lessons

More experienced to advanced drum students need a drum lesson curriculum that builds upon foundational skills and continues to grow musical proficiency. That’s why at School of Rock Philadelphia, our drum lessons are customized for each student and his or her goals. Our Philadelphia drum instructors integrate more complex techniques and concepts—intermediary grooves, shifts, meters and more—into a student's individual lessons and group band rehearsal, and will also select more difficult songs for his or her live performances.

 

Kid learns to sing at School of Rock Philadelphia

Singing Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Singing Lessons for Kids

School of Rock Philadelphia offers beginner singing lessons for kids. Our unique, performance-based approach develops students' musical proficiency by preparing them to perform live. At School of Rock Philadelphia, our vocal coaches are practicing musicians who integrate key music fundamentals—breathing, posture and more—into a curriculum based on performing with a band. Each week, beginner singing students participate in a private singing lesson and a band rehearsal.

Beginner Singing Lessons for Adults

School of Rock Philadelphia teaches adults how to sing in our innovative Adult Program. Students develop vocal skills at a challenging pace designed to help you see results with every singing lesson. Adult vocalists learn how to keep tempo, stay on-key and master advanced vocal techniques for a powerful and healthy voice. Our curriculum teaches students how to sing by using popular rock songs that emphasize key concepts. Each week, Adult Program students have a private singing lesson for beginners and group band rehearsal.

Key Concepts
  • TECHNIQUE
  • HARMONY
  • POWER
  • READING

Intermediate to Advanced Singing Lessons

At School of Rock Philadelphia, our singing lessons for kids and adults are designed to help our students reach a high degree of musical proficiency. Intermediate and advanced singers take skills learned from previous singing lessons and layer on more difficult techniques and concepts. Our advanced singing lessons teach students to sing by performing popular rock songs that illustrate a specific vocal concept or technique. We pair weekly private singing lessons with weekly band rehearsals with the goal of getting musicians to perform live in Philadelphia.

Kid learns to play bass at School of Rock Philadelphia

Bass Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Bass Lessons for Kids

School of Rock Philadelphia offers beginner bass guitar lessons for kids that blend weekly private instruction with weekly band rehearsals. This performance-based approach results in a high level of musical proficiency because it engages and inspires students. Every School of Rock bass instructor is a practicing musician in Philadelphia and teaches bass lessons for kids that get great results. Beginners learn to play bass guitar by using popular rock songs that illustrate key concepts and techniques.

Beginner Bass Lessons for Adults

Adults looking to learn bass guitar can enroll in School of Rock’s Adult Program. No experience is necessary in our beginner bass guitar lessons for adults. At School of Rock Philadelphia, our experienced, local bass guitar instructors have the patience and skills to help adult students gain musical proficiency. As with all School of Rock music programs, our bass guitar lessons for adults ciriculum is performance-based, and include both weekly private instruction and weekly band rehearsals.

Key Concepts
  • GROOVE
  • TECHNIQUE
  • THEORY
  • TONE

Intermediate to Advanced Bass Lessons

Our intermediate to advanced bass guitar lessons teach Philadelphia students the skills they need to become the backbone of a band. Students take skills from previous bass lessons and layer on more difficult techniques and concepts. At School of Rock Philadelphia, our bass instructors use popular rock songs as a way of teaching students advanced concepts and techniques. We pair weekly private bass lessons with weekly band rehearsals to inspire and engage students throughout the learning process.

Kid learns to play piano at School of Rock Philadelphia

Keyboard Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Keyboard Lessons for Kids

At School of Rock we teach differently than other music schools in Philadelphia. Our curriculum is performance-based, meaning that we prepare students to perform. Our piano lessons for beginners combine weekly private instruction with weekly band rehearsals. At School of Rock Philadelphia, our beginner keyboard lessons for kids take key concepts and music fundamentals—finger placement, scales, key differentiation and more—and teach them through popular rock songs. This approach inspires and engages students, which results in attaining a high level of musical proficiency. Our piano teachers have years of experience teaching music in the Philadelphia area, and know how to coach and motivate students of any skill level to play the keyboard.

Beginner Keyboard Lessons for Adults

The School of Rock Philadelphia Adult Program puts beginner keyboard students in a band. Adult Program students in the Philadelphia area learn to play piano through a combination of weekly private beginner piano lessons and weekly band rehearsals. At School of Rock, our piano lessons give adult students the chance to perform in a band at local Philadelphia music venues, taking them out of the classroom and onto the stage.

Key Concepts
  • TECHNIQUE
  • TONE
  • THEORY
  • READING

Intermediate to Advanced Keyboard Lessons

At School of Rock Philadelphia, our keyboard lessons for kids and adults are designed to help students get results. Intermediate and advanced students take skills learned from beginner keyboard lessons and layer on more advanced piano techniques with concepts. Our local keyboard instructors are all practicing musicians in Philadelphia, and use popular rock songs as a way of teaching complex skills. We pair weekly private piano lessons with weekly band rehearsals to inspire and engage students throughout the learning process.

Our Experienced Music Teachers

All of School of Rock Philadelphia’s music teachers are experienced musicians devoted to helping students attain musical proficiency. Our instructors guide students one-on-one to personalize learning, inspire confidence and build social skills.

Owner Lisa Riley
Lisa Riley
Owner
Lisa and her husband, Neville, have lived in Philadelphia since the 1980s. They live in the Queen Village neighborhood and their children go to Philadelphia public schools. Needless to say, as long-time residents and parents in Philadelphia, Lisa and Neville have a deep commitment to the city and a great understanding of Philadelphia as a community. Music has played a key role in their lives since they were kids. They have also seen the positive effects that School of Rock has had on their children.

For the past 25 years, Lisa worked in the field of mental health. The majority of her career was spent working in an outpatient setting as a psychotherapist treating adolescents and adults. She has also created and managed programs in the behavioral health field.

Neville has spent the past 25 years working in a range of businesses and creative sector organizations and is now a professor at Drexel University in the Department of Arts & Entertainment Enterprise, where he teaches the business of arts and entertainment. He serves on the board of directors for several arts organizations and has cultivated valuable relationships in Philadelphia’s creative community. While Neville is not involved in the daily operations of School of Rock Philadelphia, he serves as an excellent resource by guiding strategic planning in the execution of ideas and fostering connections and potential collaborations with other arts/music/creative organizations.
Music Director Michael Kowalski
Michael Kowalski
Music Director
Michael Kowalski has been involved with School of Rock for over 20 years. He was first a student and performed in nearly 40 seasonal shows and was invited into his school's House Band at the age of 11. Michael soon started working at the Philadelphia and Princeton locations at 18. Within that time he has directed over 80 shows and camps.

Michael graduated from the University of Arts with a degree in Stage Design and Technology. He started as the full-time Music Director at School of Rock Philadelphia in 2021.
Keyboard Teacher Michael Kordish
Michael Kordish
Keyboard, Vocals Teacher
Since the age of four, Michael Kordish has been composing and performing at the piano. His prolific performing career has included a wide array of genres and styles including classical, jazz, hip-hop, R&B, trance, fusion, Eastern/Indian, rock, progressive, avant garde and free-form. In addition to performing solo, Michael has performed with (or as a member of) The People, Digable Planets, Planet 22, Satchmo Filter, Saigon Slimm, I Yahn I Arkestra and Sfogato.
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher Yanni Papadopoulos
Yanni Papadopoulos
Guitar, Bass Guitar Teacher
Yanni first got involved with SoR back in 2003 and quickly became a favorite among students for his dynamic guitar lessons and fantastically directed shows. Yanni graduated from St. John's College with a BA in Classic Literature before embarking on his unique music odyssey. He has composed, performed, produced, and toured with his legendary Philly-based genre-bending band Stinking Lizaveta for the last 20 years in the US and Europe. Along with also playing hip-hop, space rock, and jazz, he has also accompanied modern dance companies and belly dancers. Most recently, he's gained more traction in the music world playing with Mark Morton (of Lamb of God) and J.P. Gaster (of Clutch) in Mark's solo project.
Guitar Teacher Ryan O'Grady
Ryan O'Grady
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Keyboard Teacher
Ryan is a SoR alumni coming from Downingtown, PA. There he was in the House Band and toured in All-Stars playing across the US, including Lollapalooza. He graduated from Drexel University with a BS in Music Industry and currently works on his own music, audio engineering, and producing.
Drum Teacher Hoagy Wing
Hoagy Wing
Drum, Ukulele Teacher
Passionate performer and devoted teacher Hoagy Wing specializes in Middle Eastern Percussion, Popular Percussion and Rudimental Drumming on Dumbek, Snare Drum, Drum Kit as well as playing and teaching Ukulele and Banjo. Hoagy has more than four decades’ experience as Teacher/Artist in Residence/Visiting Artist to schools, camps and private students in Philadelphia, surrounding counties and beyond. Hoagy’s first live show attended was AC/DC in 1977 at the Tower Theater in Philly.

Hoagy Wing founded the fun and funky, folky educational kids’ band Better’n Recess, in which he plays percussion, banjo and writes original music. He produced the Better’n Recess EP, which receives airplay on WXPN’s Kids’ Corner (at least on March 14th (Pi Day)) when you may hear “Pi is a Transcendental Number.. Better’n Recess appeared at the 2014 & 2015 Philadelphia Folk Festivals. and is on the soundtrack of PBS/WNET special Remembering Slavery.

Hoagy has played at the Spectrum in Phila. with Moloko PLUS as well as with Ointment. With the Lauren Hart Band, Hoagy got to open for Philadelphia's own Hall & Oates during Monday Night Football's Eagles / 49ers game in 1997. He has appeared on NBC's Today Show with the Colonial Phila. Fife & Drum Companie, and on Wheel Of Fortune (2016) with The Philadelphia Fife & Drum,on the LIVE broadcast of the Opie & Anthony Show from the TLA, on Fox’s Good Morning Philadelphia with Slo-Mo (2010) and The Roddenberries in 2016. Hoagygot to play his rope tension snare drum on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno during his “Jay Walk” segment in Olde City Philadelphia in the summer 2000. Hoagyjust got to ring in the New Year 2022 and play a percussion kit with DJ Desmond at New York City’s famous Tavern on The Green. The New Year was rocked in!
Vocal Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher Maddie Ruhoy
Maddie Ruhoy
Vocal Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Maddie has been performing and growing her love of music since she was 5 years old, and her taste varies between grunge, pop, rock, and indie-rock. She is originally from Seattle, Washington, and moved to Philly last year to pursue a Music Industry degree at Drexel University.

Maddie is passionate about making her own music and performs around the Philly area as Mirriam. She also performs for Henry Sullivan as well as in bands such as Ledge. She attended high school at Interlochen Arts Academy for songwriting and was a School of Rock student in her hometown, playing in the House Band for three years.

In addition to singing, Maddie plays bass, piano, and guitar. She is excited to be surrounded by so many like-minded and passionate musicians at School of Rock Philadelphia!
Drum Teacher Tyler Romeo
Tyler Romeo
Drum Teacher
Tyler Romeo is a drummer and percussionist originally from North Jersey. Currently studying music production at Drexel University, he has been gigging frequently with many bands and artists in the greater Philadelphia area. On top of that, he is involved with several musically diverse ensembles at Drexel, spanning Latin fusion to experimental and avant-garde compositions. While Tyler is known for his aggressive playing style and stage presence, often incorporating gospel chops into otherwise hardcore or metal genres, he plays with indie, emo, electronic, and other contemporary acts as well. His diverse musical tastes lend himself to being an equally as versatile drummer.

At the age of 12, he joined the School of Rock in Tenafly and consistently joined seasonal shows. For four of his seven years at School of Rock, he was in House Band, and toured nationally with them three times. As a former School of Rock student, it is important for him to impart the same love of drumming and music into his students that blossomed in him as a student. He believes that there is no “right” age to start learning an instrument, and there is no reason to not pick up a pair of sticks and try. Now, after years of experience and training, he hopes he can impart the same love for music into his students that he discovered when he was a kid at School of Rock.
Drum Teacher Izzy Ross
Izzy Ross
Drum Teacher
Izzy is a musician from Northeast Philadelphia who started playing drums at the age of 13. After four years of taking private lessons at Settlement Music School, Izzy decided to pursue music at a collegiate level at the University of the Arts where they have been a part of numerous ensembles ranging from Rock to Jazz. Izzy is currently involved in a local punk/alternative band, Cigarettes On Sunday, and also plays at various open jams around Philadelphia. For Izzy, it is essential to have students find what they enjoy playing and find their own sound. They also believe anyone can play the drums—there is no right age to start playing. While drums are Izzy's first instrument of choice, they also play piano, bass guitar, and electric guitar—and they enjoy making their own compositions in their free time.
Bennett Hamilton guitar, bass, drums, keys teacher
Bennett Hamilton
Guitar Teacher, Bass Teacher, Drums Teacher, Piano Teacher
Bennett is a multi-instrumental producer, composer, and performer originating from Northern Virginia. Seeking a lively music scene, and with an insatiable sense of adventure, he relocated to Philadelphia to discover a new world of artistically-minded people. Bennett has taught dozens of students of all skill levels and all ages, and has a passion for teaching his students to be successful artists and stage performers. He has played the drums, bass, and guitar since he was four years old, collaborating and performing with local artists throughout the years. Bennett is an energetic addition to the SoR Philly community, always excited to teach!
Singing Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher Christian Raimonde
Christian Raimonde
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Christian is a multi-instrumental artist and School of Rock alum originally from Long Island, NY. His father, a former songwriter, sparked Christian’s passion for music and encouraged Christian to join School of Rock, which ignited his love for music even further.

Christian became a touring guitarist after high school and played alongside a myriad of artists including Hobo Johnson and Oliver Tree. On top of being a musician, he is also an audio engineer who has produced and written songs for dozens of artists including Stand Atlantic, ericdoa, and glaive.

Christian is a friendly instructor who believes anybody can play music at any age and encourages them to do so. His biggest teaching philosophy is to meet students at their level and incorporate visual art as a creative learning tool during lessons. Christian has diverse tastes in music and is willing to give any genre a try.
Singing Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher Carrie Gobreski
Carrie Gobreski
Vocal Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Carrie (they/them) is a singer and musician from Philadelphia. Raised to appreciate music, they were always singing along to the radio as a child and soon began to learn their favorite songs on piano and guitar. Carrie performed in their school’s musical productions and was a part of the choir in middle school and high school, growing to love the feeling of communal singing, and becoming fascinated with the rich harmonies created by so many different voices coming together.

Carrie's love of music turned into a passion when they picked up the bass in high school and became a School of Rock student! They were part of the House Band and formed a band with classmates soon after. Carrie has been obsessed with performance and creating music with others ever since.

As a student at School of Rock, Carrie learned leadership and discovered a passion for musical education, inspired by all the musicians in their life who have taught them how to create and appreciate music. Carrie loves working and hanging out with kids and currently works as a music teacher at Schwartz Preschool and as a nanny. A fan of pop, indie, rock, R&B, and soul, they appreciate all genres and love discovering music outside of their scope of reference.
Guitar Teacher Kenny Rosario-Pugh
Kenny Rosario-Pugh
Guitar Teacher
Kenny Rosario-Pugh (a.k.a. Kenny RP), a Philadelphia native, is a graduate of Roman Catholic High School and has realized his goal of entering the University of the Arts as a Guitar major. He expects to graduate in 2019 with a degree in Music Performance. Kenny began playing electric guitar by ear at the age of 12. One of his inspirations for learning the instrument came from playing the video game, Guitar Hero. Essentially, Kenny has advanced from playing a plastic toy music instrument at home to playing the real thing on stage. Under the instruction of the great Yanni Papadopoulos, Kenny developed his guitar technique and love of performing live on stage while attending the Philly School of Rock (SOR), from which he graduated in 2015. Playing for 7 years with his fellow Philly SOR musicians in different venues around Philly and Jersey was a hugely fun and unforgettable learning experience that the very dedicated and enthusiastic Philly SOR faculty helped to create for him and all the music students. That he could really pursue music as a career was realized when he was accepted into the University of the Arts as a Guitar Performance major. Kenny plays jazz, rock, hip hop, blues, salsa, and is always open to learning other music genres. Kenny is very dedicated to developing musically and inspiring youth through teaching, and hopes it will make a difference wherever his hard work and determination take him.
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher Simon Bhatia
Simon Bhatia
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Simon is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, audio engineer, and School of Rock alum originally from Virginia. He has a strong passion for creating various genres of music, including indie rock and even house, and has released several of his own tracks under the names The Drivers Club and Symxn.

Simon moved to Philadelphia to work towards a B.S. in Music Industry at Drexel University. He is passionate about teaching music and loves to be around other motivated and like-minded musicians. He is driven to teach aspiring musicians to play various instruments and to help inspire and motivate them to pursue their passions for music.
Ben Filiatrault guitar, bass teacher
Ben Filiatrault
Guitar Teacher, Bass Teacher
As a former SOR student Ben is thrilled to be back helping the community that helped him grow into the musician he is today. With a passion for all music that could fall under Punk and Emo, Ben is constantly writing and recording new musical projects. He is currently studying at Drexel University under their Music Industry program.
Drum Teacher Charlie Libby Watt
Charlie Libby Watt
Drum Teacher
Charlie Libby Watt is a longtime, passionate rock drummer originally from Chicago, Illinois. He started drumming at the age of 5 and was formally trained by a private instructor until the age of 11, at which point he joined the School of Rock. From there, Charlie's passion for playing live rock music sparked into motion. He began forming bands all throughout high school and was subsequently raised by Chicago's vibrant indie rock and alternative music scene. Charlie has since played in several bands in the music scenes of Philadelphia, Chicago, and Portland, and continues to play live shows on a regular basis. He has gone on multiple tours throughout the United States with the bands Bleary Eyed, Fib, Mormon Toasterhead, and Nick Normal, and has appeared on Audiotree Live Sessions.

Charlie's approach to teaching the drums is one that emphasizes the student's goals and reasons for wanting to drum in the first place. He centers each student's curriculum around songs that they feel passionate about or want to learn how to play. He believes lessons should be fun and spark excitement in students, while also sticking to the formal drum theory that he was taught from a young age. By balancing fundamental rudimentary drum techniques with student-chosen songs, Charlie strives to help students develop a true love for drumming. He believes the drums are the most fun, intuitive, and cathartic instrument to play, and that anyone at all can be a great drummer with time and practice.
Bass Guitar Teacher Tim Phy
Tim Phy
Bass Guitar Teacher
Tim encompasses the meaning of Punk music. He's a die-hard actively driven bass player that has some serious stage presence. He's been in bands his whole life, toured the country, and has a genuine passion in passing on his knowledge to the next generation of rockers.
Drum Teacher Zandra Azoulay
Zandra Azoulay
Drum Teacher
Zandra Azoulay is a drummer and percussionist with a wide variety of performing and recording experience. As someone who learned how to play the drums through the School of Rock program starting at age 8, Zandra knows firsthand how collaborative music-making can be influential in a student’s life. As a recent graduate of UMass Amherst, Zandra performed regularly with jazz and improvisational groups in the Western Massachusetts area.

Professionally, Zandra has performed throughout the Northeast region, collaborating with musicians across a wide scope of genres and styles. Before moving to Philadelphia, Zandra had been regularly performing and recording with original rock groups Seeds of Sun and Red Jasper. Zandra is currently playing for the development of Truth Future Bachman’s new musical Skyward: An Endling Elegy in New York City.

As a teacher, Zandra believes that lessons should be first and foremost fun! By collaborating with students to design lessons that complement their individual musical goals and learning styles, Zandra is able to find the perfect balance between challenging students to grow as musicians while also helping them develop a positive relationship with their instruments. Zandra’s approach to lessons meets students where they are at and helps guide them to where they want to be. Drawing from personal and professional musical experiences, Zandra is passionate about helping students find their own musical voice and connection to their instrument.
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher Eliot Pavlov-Rosenfeld
Eliot Pavlov-Rosenfeld
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Eliot Pavlov-Rosenfeld is a native of Cheltenham, PA with an affinity for all forms of music and art. Having trained at institutions such as Settlement Music School and Temple University’s Boyer College of Music, Eliot’s musical profile ranges from performing in electro-acoustic ensembles to arranging for and competing in a cappella groups at the collegiate level to composing and publishing a video game-inspired concept album to scoring short game demos—imbuing him with boundless experience and taste.

Eliot treasures the memories of his music school upbringing, understanding the magic of music lessons and how they shape children; this feeling drives him to set a similar environment where students feel safe to find and love their musical identity. Eliot seeks the music in all of life’s experiences and believes everyone on this planet, with guidance, has infinite potential to do the same. His teachings expand out of the lesson, guiding his students to tune their sensibilities and find harmony with the world around them. In reinforcing the fundamentals of music through practice and discourse, Eliot has prided himself on molding his students with a high caliber of musicianship.
School of Rock is where music and learning come together

For over twenty years, our amazing instructors have transformed hundreds of thousands of students across the world into skilled musicians. Become a musician at School of Rock.

Reviews

They're better players and people.

It's been such a pleasure to see musicians so excited to play. School of Rock not only teaches these youngsters how to be better players, but how to be better people. If you have a chance to enroll your child, do it.

We couldn't be happier!

We couldn't be happier with the individualized attention our children receive for their own personalities, their instruments and the music that motivates each of them. Each of their teachers is more than we could have asked for.

Her self-confidence soars!

We can't tell you how much our daughter's self-confidence has soared since becoming part of School of Rock! We've seen her come out of her shell, not be afraid to engage with the other kids in the program, and we see how much joy she has.

I would recommend School of Rock!

It brings our daughter tremendous joy and pride to perform in public and it is also obvious that working with other kids to tackle a song as a group has taught her a lot about team work.

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