Ben Rothschild
Music Director
Ben Rothschild is the music director of both the North Palm Beach and South Palm Beach School of Rock locations. He spent his formative years growing up within both locations playing a variety of instruments and performing in his band at the time, Jumbo Shrimp Inc.
Upon graduation, Ben formed a new band, Thoughts, and toured the country three times, and regionally several times. Ben later moved to Philadelphia, PA, and gained two and a half year's experience at School of Rock Mainline before returning to South Florida in order to bring new life into his family's business and leave his own legacy.
Ben is most excited to direct both House Band groups and implement a songwriting/recording program to give students even more real-world experiences and help them graduate with an impressive resume of their own.
Scott Gailor
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
What makes a musician so versatile? Experience. That’s exactly what you get with Scott, who brings his discipline of technical prowess and modern emotion to a new tier. Hailing from Saratoga Springs, Scott began making a name for himself at the age of 16 through the New York City club circuit before toughing it out touring along the East and West coasts racking up more than 2,600 shows. It wasn't long before Scott was recognized nationally as an on-the-rise talent by coming in 4th out of 750 players in the Guitar Wars Semi-Finals and regional runner-up in Guitar Center’s Guitarmageddon competition.
Scott has been both a performer and a product demonstrator at NAMM (Winter and Summer), the Dallas International Guitar Show, the Great American Guitar Show (Philadelphia), and Guitarlington (Arlington, TX).
Whether it has been with Scrooge, Union Jack, Kidd Havok (SunCity Records), or Lauren Krothe, Scott has proven that no matter who he is with, he stands toe to toe with greatness as he has opened for everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Dokken, Extreme, Cinderella, John Corabi, Poison, RATT, and Sebastian Bach.
Scott has been around the block, and that’s not a knock. He has matured quite a bit from his early ’90s hair metal days to become one of the more interesting hard rock guitar slingers around today.
Frank Axtell
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
With over three decades in the music industry, Frank Axtell is a renowned guitarist, composer, and teacher and is a major contributor to the South
Florida jazz and rock scene. He performs with his own jazz/fusion ensemble, The Frank Axtell Quartet. He studied jazz and classical guitar and music composition at The Berklee College Of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and also has studied under renowned world-class guitarists Vincent Bredice, Joe Diorio, and Scott Henderson.
Frank has also taught guitar at Miami Dade College and privately in West Palm Beach, FL. He toured extensively in the '80s and '90s along the east coast and Europe and has recorded on the west coast at San Francisco's The Record Plant.
Emily MacLaren
Singing Teacher
Emily MacLaren is a singing teacher at School of Rock North Palm Beach and School of Rock South Palm Beach. She is a former School of Rock student and AllStar. Emily has been singing since she was 4 years old and she also plays violin. Her favorite genre is grunge and her favorite singer is Chris Cornell. Emily runs Rock 101, Junior Performance, and Performance groups, as well as camps.
Katherine Cumpa
Singing Teacher
Katherine Cumpa grew up in Lima, Peru. and music has been her passion since she can remember. She attended the School of Music at Millikin University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Music Business with a concentration in piano and a minor in communication.
After her studies, Katherine obtained a songwriting certificate from Berklee Online. She started making music online with cover videos on YouTube where she mainly sang and played keyboards in the metal and rock styles. Katherine has also participated in online collaboration cover videos on YouTube with other musicians around the world.
Additionally, Katherine played in local bands throughout her musical journey. She is thrilled to share her passion for music through singing while having fun at the same time.
Robert Bernhardt
Bass Guitar Teacher
Robert has been playing music for over three decades and his primary instrument is the bass guitar, which he picked up around the age of 12. In high school, Robert joined the performance choir and had some amazing opportunities to back the choir as a musician as well as sing with them at such venues as Carnegie Hall in NYC.
After high school, Robert studied music theory and composition at the University of New Orleans for two years and started playing professionally as a young adult. He has played in rock, pop, country, reggae, heavy metal, and R&B groups through the decades. In his early twenties, Robert decided to learn guitar and drums as well. Some of his favorite groups through the years have been bands like Green Day, Pearl Jam, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Faith No More, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Metallica, Megadeth, Opeth, Yes, Genesis, Phil Collins, Bobby Caldwell, The Brothers Johnson, Jamiroquai, Michael McDonald, Sly & The Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Fishbone, Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker, Steely Dan, Steel Pulse, Lupe Fiasco, Little Big Town, Thundercat, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the list goes on and on.
Robert loves all music from every stretch of the globe and every generation, it’s simply too much to list. Teaching music has been the most fulfilling job he has ever had and he could not imagine his life without it. He loves every moment, whether the students are excelling well beyond expectation or they're grinding on difficult, monotonous exercises. It is a dream come true to share his passion and pathway to mastery with his students.
Doug Spitalny
Guitar Teacher
Doug is a relatively new transplant from the Boston area where he attended the Berklee College of Music in his younger years. He has played professionally in many bands throughout his musical journey playing a variety of different genres.
Doug finds it exciting to be associated with an institution that gives its students the opportunity to learn an instrument and encourages and supports playing in a group setting. This process is a priceless experience that prepares the student for playing and performing in a real band situation.
Bob Donahue
Singing Teacher
Bob was born and raised in upstate New York and has an A.A.S. degree in Music and Video Business from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.
With a lifelong passion for singing, Bob has fronted several successful bands and taught countless singers how to achieve vocal success. Since 2014, Bob has fronted Given To Fly - the Pearl Jam Experience and can be heard channeling his inner Eddie for every show.
Will Smith
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Will is a seasoned music educator with nearly two decades of experience in the world of guitar, bass, and piano. A proud graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Will brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to School of Rock South Palm Beach.
With a career devoted to nurturing musicianship, Will empowers students of all ages to unlock their musical potential. As a versatile instructor, he not only imparts technical expertise but also inspires creativity, fostering a lifelong love for music.
Join Will at School of Rock South Palm Beach and embark on a transformative musical journey led by a true virtuoso.
Gunther P. Kiefer
Guitar Teacher
A native of New York City, Gunther has been a professional guitarist for over two decades and has taught for over a decade across the country including New York, Texas, and now Florida. He has also lived and taught guitar in Canada and in Europe, while a graduate student living in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Gunther was formerly a music theory major at York/CUNY where he studied under jazz virtuoso George Bien, who created the first all-electric jazz guitar ensemble in New York. He also studied classical guitar while living in NYC with David Gilfix.
As a musician, Gunter has formed numerous bands playing clubs such as CBGB, Limelight, and L'Amour’s in Brooklyn, NY. Gunther was formerly the guitarist for the progressive metal band Wäricide and he has also played with drummer educator extraordinaire Frank Gilchriest of Virgin Steele and bassist Rick Lopez, who went on to join the iconic NY metalcore band, Merauder.
Having studied both classical and jazz guitar as an undergraduate, Gunther teaches a hybrid mix of classical, Latin, blues, and progressive fusion. His specialty is arranging classical guitar repertoire using a pick, similar to Al Di Meola, Strunz & Farah, or Biréli Lagrène. The diversity of his musical palette ranges from jazz greats such as Pat Martino, Joe Pass, and John Scofield to classical and Flamenco stylists like Julian Bream, Pepe Romero, Sabicas, and Gerardo Núñez.
Gunther is also heavily influenced by Shrapnel records shred players like Vinnie Moore and Tony McAlpine, and contemporary greats like Guthrie Govan. As an instructor, he has worked for large franchises to smaller boutique retail shops in New York. His lessons emphasize proper technique, improvisation, composition, and application of theory with the end goal of each student developing their own unique voice on the instrument.
In addition to music, Gunther also has several degrees in various subjects in the social sciences including an AA, BA, and MA in Media & Communications. He is also a NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified trainer, having worked at Columbia University in New York as a functional fitness instructor.