Philip Gustavson
General Manager
Phil Gustavson has been a School of Rock staff member since 2008. His guitar playing has stretched from filling in with local bands at venues like The Triple Door and The Showbox to touring the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia with Argentenian tango singer and actress Ruth De Vicenzo. His most recent original work was with the gypsy jazz quintet Hochiwichi.
Ben Haber
Bass Guitar Teacher
Ben Haber hails from the vibrant arts community of Missoula, Montana. There, he studied bass privately for 8 years under renowned teacher and luthier Ryan Beck, while also dabbling in lessons on guitar, piano, and voice. By the time he graduated high school, Ben was working all different kinds of gigs, from jazz trios to wedding bands and musical theater. While studying at the University of Montana, Ben participated in some of the top jazz combos, the chamber chorale, and even a steel drum ensemble. After graduating early from the University of Montana in 2013, Ben studied music production through the Berklee School of Music online extension, earning technical certifications in "General Music Studies" and "Production With Ableton Live".
Ben relocated to Seattle in 2014 and has been busy performing and teaching ever since. His Folk/Rock band, "The Hasslers", have toured up and down the west coast and have shared the stage with PNW favorites like Blitzen Trapper and The Cave Singers. He has also served as a bass player for local singer/songwriters Claire Michelle and Miller Campbell. Most recently, he has been working on building his composition portfolio and licensing his music for commercial use. He has taught at School of Rock West Seattle since 2015 and loves teaching students of all ages.
Harry Snyder
Drum Teacher
Harry has always had a strong passion for percussion and digital media. Musically oriented since birth, his parents were musicians and had a variety of instruments. He has been DJ'ing and producing since the age of 12, winning several local production contests. During high school, he was the drum tech on the drum line as well as working as the audio tech, managing the PA set up and live audio during assemblies for the drama department and other events like battle of the bands (which he also won). Since then, he has been performing and volunteering at various festivals and playing percussion in various local marching bands. Harry has been working at West Seattle School of Rock since it opened in 2015.
Steve Ross
Music Director, Guitar Teacher
Steve Ross has been the music director at School of Rock West Seattle since day one. He is the songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the acclaimed punk band the Briefs, who have been active since 1999. Prior to his time in the Briefs, he was a member of the Alt-Rock band Green Apple Quick Step in the ‘90s, appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Beavis and Butthead. Steve’s songs have been featured in several TV shows, including an episode of The OC. Over the years, his bands have toured with acts like Pearl Jam, The Buzzcocks, The Damned, and Alice in Chains, and
played festivals such as Punk Rock Bowling, Warped Tour, and Fun Fun Fun Fest. He enjoys science fiction and cats.
Jacob de Vrieze
Guitar Teacher
Jake grew up listening almost exclusively to classic rock and started learning to play the guitar at age 11. Now, 23 years old he plays several instruments and enjoys many different styles of music across a wide range of genres. He was the live bassist for The Fame Riot from 2016 to 2018 and is currently studying music production and audio engineering with the aim of eventually producing and mixing his own music.
Luke Jaeger
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Luke Jaeger is a multi-genre guitarist, bassist and composer. At the age of 13, he performed to his first live audience of hundreds on public access TV in Sacramento with his first band after winning several talent shows in school. It was 2002 when he founded his original project Sleep Terror that his unique sound, technical playing ability, and compositional skills became globally acknowledged. Luke has over two decades of experience as a music teacher to all ages and musical interests with touring, recording, and band experience to top it off. Taught for several years by a G.I.T. graduate, Luke understands and incorporates similar disciplines of practice, understanding essential music theory, and developing personal style in his own teaching modules. However, his primary goal for every individual student is to get them
to have fun and artistically express themselves in the fullest way possible.
Mike Fritz
Drum Teacher
Mike's musical journey has spanned nearly three decades, taking him from the streets of Oakland, CA, to some of the most hallowed halls of Rock and Roll! In that time, Mike has toured the world playing with many musical greats, recorded at legendary recording studios, and met so many amazing musicians! All of his rocking the kit has led him right here! School of Rock offers the perfect arrangement to marry his experience with the opportunity to teach the next generations.
Peter Bryson
Little Wing and Rookies Teacher
Peter Bryson is a Seattle-based musician and educator. As a performer, Peter draws on a wide variety of influences to create a high-energy and expressive style of drumming. As a teacher, Peter facilitates hands-on experience to give young musicians the skills they need to explore music confidently.
Peter has been gigging regularly for over a decade with his band, Beautiful Freaks, of which he is also a founder and songwriter. Beautiful Freaks have played countless shows across the United States and the band has released an LP, an EP, multiple singles, demos, and live recordings. They have also appeared live in the studio on multiple radio stations including KUGS, KEXP, and KISW.
Peter has also toured as a drummer and bassist with Seattle rock band Tres Leches, performed as a pit musician for several musicals, and supported solo musicians both on bass and drums. He has provided percussion for orchestras and wind symphonies, appeared with brass bands and experimental free-jazz combos, and extensively performed solo and ensemble percussion music works, including To The Earth and Music For 18 Musicians.
Peter received a BA in Music from Western Washington University in 2021, having studied music education and percussion performance. He has volunteered and taught in music classrooms of all grade levels across Western Washington. From 2017-2020 he served as the Percussion Coach for the North Sound Youth Symphony. Peter has been teaching School of Rock’s Rookies and Little Wing classes since 2021.
Justin Foster
Guitar Teacher
Justin began his musical journey when he started playing guitar in 1988. He studied music at Tyler Jr. College and Tarrant County College with a focus on classical guitar performance. Justin also studied music theory and performed in recitals and as part of the classical guitar ensemble while in school. After playing guitar in rock bands around Dallas, TX, he began teaching guitar and bass guitar.
Justin enjoys the process of teaching music by finding out how each student learns and then finding the best way to progress. Most of all, he enjoys seeing a student become confident in their ability to create and perform music. For the past few years, Justin has been playing guitar live in Seattle, most recently with his band, Chase Sequence.
Rachael Beaver
Singing Teacher
Rachael Beaver is a vocal instructor at School of Rock West Seattle. She has been performing and touring since she was 4 years old and attended Cornish College of the Arts. Rachael has worked with a long line of well-loved and notable artists in all genres in performance at home and on the road, in the studio, on radio and TV, and in writing/arranging. She is well-versed in rock and how to sing it with vocal health in mind, having sung lead in a band with a member of Heart for many years, coaching herself through discovering that part of her voice.
Rachael is also a cellist, who has been in many bands and orchestras, largely in the rock, hip-hop, and R&B genres. She is frequently called to theatres to create music and soundscapes with her voice, instruments, and battle station of pedals. Rachael has also been a board member of the American Federation of Musicians, as well as a member of Fair Trade Music and Play Safe Seattle, advocating for artist rights. She is currently working on the debut record (Phantosmia) for her band, Future Destroyers.
Milo Mullins
Guitar Teacher
Milo Mullins has been a touring bassist for over a decade with PNW bands that range from metal to alternative rock to country music. With thousands of hours of stage time under his belt, Milo knows life on the road. His experience in both the performing and technical sides of music has fueled his ability to write in all the styles he plays.
With a degree in Music Composition from Evergreen State College, Milo uses his knowledge of music theory and arrangement to compose, record, and perform his own music live. Milo believes above all else, music should be fun—it should be a way to explore one’s own creative ability and find themselves through it.