Williamsburg
School of Rock

Explore School of Rock

Williamsburg

See our house band at PS 18's Fall Fest 10/21 / Enroll now for the fall!   See Schedule
Map
School of Rock Williamsburg
294 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-210-1720
Hours
  • Monday: 2 PM - 8 PM
  • Tuesday: 2 PM - 8 PM
  • Wednesday: 2 PM - 8 PM
  • Thursday: 2 PM - 8 PM
  • Friday: 2 PM - 8 PM
  • Saturday: 10:30 AM - 5 PM
  • Sunday: Closed

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

School of Rock in Williamsburg is proud to offer music classes to help teach our community how to play instruments with skill and confidence. We cater to Williamsburg residents and Bushwick, Greenpoint mostly, with occasional residents from Ridgewood, Astoria, Glendale/Maspeth, Long Island City and Sunnyside, teaching everything from drums, guitar, songwriting, house band and vocals. Given that we’re in the heart of trendy Brooklyn, indie and various punk/metal offshoots reign supreme. Brooklyn has a rich hip-hop history as well, which we see filtering into our students’ musical tastes. Students can grow their skills in a supportive and encouraging learning environment and then go on to perform at one of the thousands of great live music venues in New York City or Jersey Shore.

Programs we offer

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

Rock 101 is one of School of Rock Williamsburg'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 Williamsburg 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 Brooklyn are designed to get students on stage performing, with the goal of building strong musical proficiency. Younger students at School of Rock Williamsburg 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 Brooklyn
Performance
Ages 8-18

The Performance Program at School of Rock Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg Performance Program students take the stage and play at local Brooklyn 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 Williamsburg'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 Brooklyn music venue.

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

At School of Rock Williamsburg, 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 Williamsburg, 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.

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 Williamsburg, 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 Brooklyn is designed to create musical proficiency through the creation of original music. Students at School of Rock Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg, 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.

Little Wing music program for toddlers and preschoolers in Brooklyn
Little Wing
Ages 3-5

At School of Rock Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg, 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.

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

School of Rock Williamsburg'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 Williamsburg 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 Brooklyn.

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 Williamsburg 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 Brooklyn.

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

The School of Rock Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg's House Band. Once selected, House Band members become leaders in their School of Rock community and perform live shows at NY 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 Brooklyn and the rest of NY. 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 Williamsburg

Kid learns to play guitar at School of Rock Brooklyn

Guitar Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Guitar Lessons for Kids

At School of Rock Williamsburg, 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 Williamsburg is an experienced musician, and they emphasize foundational music theory and technique when teaching guitar lessons to kids. Unlike other Brooklyn 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 Williamsburg'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 Williamsburg, we teach beginner guitar lessons for adults in our Adult Program. This program gets students performing onstage at a local Brooklyn 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 Williamsburg 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 Brooklyn guitar teachers will work with each student to develop a custom learning plan.

Kids learn to drum at School of Rock Brooklyn

Drum Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Drum Lessons for Kids

School of Rock Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg we combine private drum lessons for beginners with weekly band rehearsals—it prepares students to perform live. With years of experience teaching drums in Brooklyn, 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 Williamsburg, 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 Brooklyn. Unlike other Brooklyn 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 Williamsburg, our drum lessons are customized for each student and his or her goals. Our Brooklyn 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 Brooklyn

Singing Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Singing Lessons for Kids

School of Rock Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg, 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 Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg, 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 Brooklyn.

Kid learns to play bass at School of Rock Brooklyn

Bass Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Bass Lessons for Kids

School of Rock Williamsburg 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 Brooklyn 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 Williamsburg, 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 Brooklyn 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 Williamsburg, 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 Brooklyn

Keyboard Lessons for All Skill Levels

Beginner Keyboard Lessons for Kids

At School of Rock we teach differently than other music schools in Brooklyn. 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 Williamsburg, 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 Brooklyn 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 Williamsburg Adult Program puts beginner keyboard students in a band. Adult Program students in the Brooklyn 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 Brooklyn 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 Williamsburg, 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 Brooklyn, 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 Williamsburg’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.

Ken Kramer
Owner, General Manager
Ken has always been passionate about music and an avid, aspiring guitarist. He's had his eyes set on starting his own music school for years which inspired him to open the School of Rock Williamsburg! It's a culmination of all the characteristics that he loves from building a business, being immersed in music, providing the highest quality music education and creating a fun, lively environment that is part of an exciting, growing and passionate community.

Prior to leaping into the rocking, shredding world of School of Rock, Ken worked in Information Technology for over 30 years, building state of the art computer systems. Starting as a software engineer, Ken worked his way up to designing, architecting and managing large projects and IT departments ranging from start-ups to large companies, including financial, media and government. All of this work ultimately led to Ken becoming a Chief Technology Officer.

Ken loves the diversity, energy and excitement of Brooklyn and has lived in Park Slope for over 20 years with his wife and two daughters. He has been an integral part of the community from coaching kids’ soccer teams, being a member of the New York City Community Education Council where he worked with the local public schools, city officials and parents to advocate for improved schools and education, and being a member of the local Civic Council promoting safer streets.

We strive to have School of Rock Williamsburg be seen as an integral part of the fabric of the community, with much to offer to all, so come join the band and rock out with us!
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher
Ian Anderson is a guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. A native of Massachusetts, Ian studied music at Wesleyan University, where he focused on guitar performance, 20th century musical history, and electroacoustic music. He was also a founding member of the Toneburst laptop ensemble, as well as a house guitarist for the musical theater department. He then got his master’s from NYU, where he studied signal processing, digital audio programming and spatial audio for headphones.

Since moving to New York in 2014, Ian has been an active performer throughout the region, including with his 90s/00s pop-punk cover band, Imitation Crab, and with the Brooklyn-based multimedia collective and YouTube channel Apartment Sessions. His latest project is writing and recording with Delaware-based indie band Comet Lovejoy. Ian has previously performed with rapper/producer Calid B and with the off-broadway musicals “Golem Owned A Tropical Smoothie” and “Me Prometheus,” among others. He is also the operations coordinator of the Clarion Music Society.

Ian has taught students of all ages, primarily the guitar but also the bass, piano, drums, singing and music theory. He has been teaching and performing music since high school, where he led both the a cappella group and classical choir. Ian has worked in schools consistently since then, teaching private lessons, accompanying musical theater, and leading creative workshops for students of all ages. Ian is experienced working with special-needs students, both individually and in groups, as well as with the elderly. His teaching style emphasizes musical confidence and positivity, focusing on fundamental technique through example based learning.
Studio Coordinator Anya Kauffman
Anya Kauffman
Studio Coordinator
Anya is a writer and singer from Brooklyn, NY who is happy to be pursuing her passion for music education with School of Rock Williamsburg. A lover of alternative rock and R&B, Anya studied classical vocal music at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and recently graduated from the University of Vermont with an English/film major and music minor where she continued her vocal music studies in jazz. Continuously working on her guitar playing and songwriting, Anya is inspired to be working alongside the musicians who both teach and learn at School of Rock Williamsburg!
Drum Teacher Jared Pease
Jared Pease
Drum Teacher
Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, Jared Pease got his start playing in punk bands throughout the city, playing his first show at age 13. He would study music across all genres from rock and metal to jazz fusion and Indian classical, incorporating these genres into his playing style. Shortly after his first performance he embarked on a US tour. Jared also took on his first drum student during this time, beginning his journey as a music educator. Deciding to pursue music as a career, he was accepted to Berklee College of Music.

Jared studied under a number of instructors at Berklee, including Kenwood Dennard (Maceo Parker/Jaco Pastorious) and Dave Dicenso (John Petrucci/Josh Groban). Continuing his musical exploration far beyond rock, he studied Caribbean, Native American, Afro-Beat, Bikutsi, Jazz, Latin, Fusion, and Indian Classical music. While at Berklee, Jared was able to perform with Paban Das Baul and Prithwiraj Choudhury, touring across the continental U.S. while simultaneously performing on film scores and albums.

Jared eventually moved to New York, where he would continue to tour and record, working with producers such as David Bendeth (Paramore/Breaking Benjamin), John Plenge (Pink Floyd), Godfrey Diamond (Jimi Hendrix/Aretha Franklin), Damon Whittemore (Paul McCartney), and Jeff Tomei (Smashing Pumpkins). Jared also opened a pre-production studio in Brooklyn focused on recording and mixing records. He is currently endorsed by Outlaw Drums and Soultone Cymbals.

As an educator who formerly worked at School of Rock Watertown, MA, Jared’s first priority is to make sure his students are having fun. If their goal is to play at Madison Square Garden, work in recording studios, or just play in their homes, music is meant to be fun. As someone who has had the privilege of attending a college like Berklee, he feels it’s very important to pass down the knowledge and experience gained both from there and in his career as a professional musician.
Singing Teacher, Guitar Teacher Eliza Endless
Eliza Endless
Singing Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Eliza Endless is a vocalist and guitarist from Oak Park, IL. She is a School of Rock Alum and during her six years at School of Rock, she was a member of the House Band as well as a two-time School of Rock AllStar. The School of Rock AllStars Tour takes the very best students from around the world and sends them on a country-wide summer tour across the United States. Her time at School of Rock gave her the opportunity to play festivals such as Summerfest in Milwaukee, MoPop in Detroit, as well as Riot Fest and Lollapalooza in Chicago. Along with having sung just about every genre under the rock umbrella (classic rock, folk, jazz fusion, punk, funk, etc.), she’s also been in multiple choirs, musicals, and jazz ensembles.

Eliza has taught at the School of Rock in Oak Park, IL and was the 2021 location coordinator for the Midwest School of Rock AllStars recording weekend. She has a passion for the art of performance, music theory, and healthy vocal technique. She firmly believes that the voice is an instrument and that singers are not only performers, but musicians as well.

She has studied Vocal Performance at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at the New School under renowned musicians and educators such as Kate Baker, Nicki Richards, and Fay Victor, and is looking forward to graduating in May 2022. She is also in the process of writing and recording her debut EP.
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher Allie Cuva
Allie Cuva
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Allie Cuva is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and recording and performing artist. Raised in Detroit, Michigan, she began writing and playing various styles of music at the age of 12. Throughout high school, Allie was involved in multiple musical groups affiliated with her school, Arts Academy in The Woods. After graduating from high school in 2013, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee to study Music Business at Belmont University. It was there that she began to meet many collaborators, continue playing frequent shows, and began regional touring in various bands as well as recording and producing music for other Nashville-based artists such as Cuva, Trella, and The Pressure Kids, all while continuing to pursue her undergraduate degree studying the ins and outs of the music industry.

Upon graduating from Belmont, Allie continued to live in Nashville for another 4+ years, during which she also began teaching private guitar, drums, bass, ukulele, piano, vocal, and group lessons at Franklin Brentwood Arts Academy, where she discovered she had a knack for connecting with students of all ages and skill levels and particularly enjoyed coaching them through collaborative live performances.

In 2020, Allie started a new project, her first-ever solo-project, called "allie." She self-released her debut EP, Junior Coder’s Experiment, before signing to the Los Angeles-based independent label Other People Records, with whom she released her debut full-length record entitled Maybe Next Time in 2021. The following year, she went on to release a 7" vinyl (cast iron // infinite jesters) featuring two new singles with the Omaha-based Saddle Creek Records in 2022.

In June 2022, after extensive touring with other artists and the blossoming of a new solo project, Allie moved from Nashville to Brooklyn, New York. Since moving to New York, Allie has continued writing and recording for her upcoming second and third albums, as well as playing local shows and forming an impressive live band with local musicians. She is looking forward to a bright future ahead.

Allie is excited about the opportunity to share her knowledge and experience and exist in collaborative learning and instructional efforts with the students of School of Rock Williamsburg. Her passion for music and connecting with people often combine to create fruitful and encouraging experiences for music students. She is particularly apt with accommodation and meeting students where they are at in regard to their journey with music, and developing a custom curriculum to best suit their specific needs and wants.
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher Christian Cail
Christian Cail
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Christian Cail is a guitarist, improviser, and composer. Although he primarily works through the jazz tradition, he also plays and enjoys a good deal of rock, singer-songwriter, extreme metal, and classical music—but only the stuff which could be described as “very good” by his own admittedly enigmatic yet resolute standards. Christian descends from the ancient Blue Ridge mountain range and considers himself lucky to have attended UNCSA and UNC for education. He enjoys reading history in his idle time.
Guitar Teacher, Singing Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher Jack Wagner
Jack Wagner
Guitar Teacher, Singing Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Jack Wagner is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter from New Jersey. He moved to New York City in April 2022 after releasing his first full-length album as a solo artist under the stage name Jack Rangeley. Since then he has been gigging throughout the New York area as a guitar player and multi-instrumentalist for numerous bands as well as his own project.

Jack started playing classical guitar when he was in the second grade, and as he grew older his interest in different musical styles grew to the likes of rock music and jazz. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in Jazz Studies from Montclair State University. As a student at Montclair State University, Jack had the fortunate opportunity to study with great improvisers such as Dave Stryker and Marcus Printup and was exposed to a wide variety of performance opportunities from pit orchestra work to cover bands around the NJ area.

From his time playing gigs in middle school to now, Jack has accumulated a wide breadth of experience in the realms of making music with others and performing for others. He is grateful to be able to come into School of Rock Williamsburg each day to share that knowledge with his students.
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher Alexander Taub
Alexander Taub
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Alexander Taub is a multi-instrumentalist from Long Island, NY. Starting with classical piano at the age of 4, the advent of Guitar Hero III for the Nintendo Wii began Alexander's lifelong love of rock and roll. Soon after, he became a student at School of Rock Farmingdale, where he would later become a teacher.

Alexander graduated from Brown University in 2020 with a dual degree in Applied Mathematics and Music. He joined the team at School of Rock Williamsburg in October 2022, where he teaches piano, guitar, bass, and drums. While experienced in classical and jazz, his favorite genres are progressive rock and metal.
Drum Teacher Ben Teters
Ben Teters
Drum Teacher
Brooklyn-based drummer, percussionist, and songwriter Ben Teters was born into a family of musicians and began honing his skills as a drummer when he was 7 years old, forming his first band at age 15. Ben is a 2012 graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied with Kenwood Dennard, Mike Mangini, and Mark Walker.

Since moving to New York City, Ben has been active on the NYC scene and maintains a busy touring schedule. His versatility, rock-solid groove, and free-flowing incorporation of Afro-Latin rhythms into contemporary music have led Ben to a host of musical collaborations, regularly writing, performing, recording, and touring with some of the finest artists from New York and beyond. These include Satsang, Sidney Mills (Steel Pulse), electric blues artist Seth Walker, America’s Got Talent finalist Cas Haley, legendary bass player Bakithi Kumalo (Paul Simon), Grammy Award winner Chris Berry, award-winning dance troupe Dorrance Dance, Afrobeat jazz group The Brighton Beat, and many others.

Ben is a founding member of Brooklyn reggae outfit, SunDub. Their sophomore album, Spirits Eat Music, was released in November 2022 on Easy Star Records.
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Singing Teacher Dani Martinez
Dani Martinez
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Singing Teacher
Dani Martinez is a multi-instrumentalist, film composer, songwriter, and recording artist hailing from East Brunswick, New Jersey. As soon as she could walk and talk, she found herself drawn to the piano and its endless storytelling possibilities. Years later, Dani found something similarly miraculous through the medium of singing and began accompanying herself as a one-woman band. Her solo songwriting and recording project, called Ohio Martinez, is a culmination of this love for musical storytelling, multi-instrumentalism, and musical experimentation. She composed, produced, performed, and mixed all three of her feature LPs, and looks forward to releasing more music in the near future.

Dani is a dedicated music educator and is committed to providing every student with an enthusiastic and encouraging musical environment, where they can feel free to experiment musically and take risks on their instrument. She believes that every music student, no matter how young, has a creative voice and a story to tell through their music.

Dani is currently earning her Master of Music in Screen Scoring at NYU Steinhardt, where she gets to live her childhood dream every day of telling stories through music and nerding out about the importance of horror movie soundtracks.
Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Teacher, Keyboard Teacher Chris Heinz
Chris Heinz
Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Teacher, Keyboard Teacher
New York native and multi-instrumentalist Christopher Heinz has been a professional touring and session drummer for over 20 years. Proficient in multiple styles, Christopher’s main focuses are Jazz, Rock and R&B. Christopher studied drums and music theory with renown drummer and educator John Riley, author of “The Art Of Bop Drumming” and “Beyond Bop Drumming”. During this time, Christopher learned valuable ways to perform and create in a healthy manner, a skill he passes down to his own students at School of Rock and privately. Among others, Christopher has worked with Katharine McPhee, Miranda Lambert, Walking Shapes, The Wailers, Alabama, Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.

In addition to his performance work, he has scored music for television and film. His credits include MSNBC’s “Locked Up” series; Amnesty International’s documentary Women of Liberia; and MTV’s Sorority Life and Fraternity Life series.
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher Mark Crozer
Mark Crozer
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Mark has been the touring bassist with The Jesus and Mary Chain since 2013 and played rhythm guitar in the band between 2007 and 2008 and again in 2012.

Mark has released ten albums as an independent artist, booked tours for bands, produced and mixed records, organized and promoted concerts, and managed a rehearsal studio. He has also led rock school sessions for kids in the UK, recorded bass and guitar sessions for a wide range of artists, written music for TV, hosted a weekly radio show, and has even performed at WrestleMania.
Brian Duke
Show Director, Drum Teacher
Inspired by the rich music and culture of the ‘60s and ‘70s, Brian Duke grew up learning to play drums like his paisley clad idols. Branching off into the world of Jazz and Blues, he enriched his grooves playing with Little Tower (formerly the Hoochie Coochie Men), and studying under drum legend Bill Goodwin (Phil Woods Quartet). Shortly after graduating from Lafayette College with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Brian started playing with the NYC-based alternative rock band, Cale and the Gravity Well. The band quickly broke into the touring scene with stops including SXSW and the Singapore Grand Prix. They released an EP in 2017 produced by Jim Fairchild (Modest Mouse, Grandaddy). In late 2016, Brian also began working with guitar virtuoso Roger Filgate, a former member of Wishbone Ash, tracking drums in a studio co-founded by Filgate. In February of 2017, Brian started drumming for country star Jessica Lynn, embarking on extensive tours in the US and overseas and sharing the stage with the likes of ZZ Top, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Keith Urban. In February 2019, Brian took part in the filming of Jessica’s third TV special which was released Summer 2019 in Europe and Fall 2019 in the US on PBS. Additionally, Brian drums in his brother’s band, Kyle Duke and the Brown Bag Boys, which continues to build a following in NYC while breaking into the DIY scenes in D.C. and Ohio. The band has been touring around the Eastern US for the past few years and made their TV debut in April 2019 in support of their latest single.

Brian’s teaching career began at an early age, taking on his first students while still in high school. While attending Lafayette College, Brian continued to give private lessons and worked as a teaching assistant for various world music classes and the college’s Percussion Ensemble. In February of 2017, Brian began teaching at School of Rock in New Canaan, CT. Shortly after, he also began working at the Ridgefield, CT and Bedford, NY School of Rock locations. In June of 2019, Brian joined the team at School of Rock Williamsburg. An integral member of the launch crew, Brian is also show director and drum instructor for the newly formed franchise. As an instructor, Brian brings many elements to his lessons, pulling from a diverse stylistic background and years of practical experience touring and recording with a multitude of artists.
Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher, Bass Teacher Sebastián González
Sebastián González
Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher, Bass Teacher
Sebastián is a guitarist, composer and music teacher born in Bogotá, Colombia. He studied music at the Javeriana University, El Bosque University and the Cristancho Academy in Bogotá. In 2001 Sebastián became part of the Colombian project, Mauricio & Palo de Agua, a group signed exclusively to EMI Music. The project has released 3 albums to date, Canto Caribeño, Contigo and Viernes. The albums yielded a number of radio hits that reached the top of the charts for Latin American music and led to numerous nominations for the Shock and Nuestra Tierra awards in Colombia, winning the Golden Sigla Award at the Latin American Festival in Milan, Italy and two nominations for the Latin Grammy Awards (best new artist, best tropical song). During Sebastián’s time in the band, he collaborated in the composition and production of these albums, and performed over 800 concerts throughout Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, the United States, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Poland and Germany.

Highlights include performing at the White House in celebration of Columbian Independence and participating in official events for the Colombian government on both national and international stages.

Sebastián later moved to Australia where, over the course of 2 years, performed over 1500 shows on the P & O cruise line. Returning to Bogotá, he directed the project Moonetz and released the internationally acclaimed album, “A New Direction”, in 2014.

Sebastian has shared stage with artists such as Juan Luis Guerra, Fito Páez, Marc Anthony, Aterciopelados, Gilberto Santarosa, Juanes, Los Prisioneros, Fonseca, Cabas and others. In addition to his performance, recording and touring experience, Sebastian has been involved in teaching both as a high school music teacher and privately. Currently living in New York City, Sebastián is performing with bands like Outernational, The Ritualists and Axel Music Box in addition to working on projects at Premier Studios in Times Square.
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Reviews

What I like about the program is that my kids LOVE it!

This is so different from the music lessons that existed when I was a kid. These kids are actually making music and learning to play as a band. The performances are so impressive, and watching the kids gain confidence and express themselves on stage is priceless.

The structure around how kids learn is amazing.

Taking lessons to learn an instrument is one thing, but learning how to be a part of a band is on another level. These kids are learning how to communicate, respect people and their opinions, and how to be accountable for themselves. It’s more than just music here.

It's the best music program in the city.

Dedicated instructors and staff, vibrant atmosphere, and most importantly, it's fun! My 8-year-old has grown leaps and bounds in skill and personal confidence. If you're thinking about checking it out, don't wait, just do it!

The kids have a great time while learning to play.

Lifelong skills and relationships are born here. The staff shares their passion for music and are very professional and accommodating. Wish I had this type of exposure to music when I was growing up!