Faculty & Staff

owner + band leader + artistic director

- lead singer and co composer of ‘District 97’

- has been playing and singing her own music for over 35 years

- has released 5 solo albums

fun fact: was a semi-finalist on American Idol, a.k.a top 10 females

house manager + trumpet + ukulele + piano

- has a bachelor's in music performance from Northern Illinois University 

- loves to help students grow as people and musicians 

- has been crocheting for 3 years

fun fact: loves playing video games

piano + voice

- 20 years of playing and performing

- has a Bachelor’s from Northern Illinois in Music Performance

- likes to focus on the fundamentals of singing and playing

fun fact: loves to talk about his cat

guitar + bass + drums

- is a guitarist with a background in rock, alternative, and indie music

- has been playing music for over 15 years

- has played in multiple rock bands and has been honing his craft on guitar, singing, and songwriting.

fun fact: currently writes and performs with the indie rock band ‘The Darling Suns’ in which he plays guitar and synth

music production + drums

- one of the top certified Ableton trainers in the country

- education development manager for US and Canada

- specializes in beat-making, sound design, synthesis + recording techniques

guitar + bass + piano

- bachelors degree in music from UIC

- multi-instrumentalist with 15 years of teaching experience

- has performed alongside artists such as Nick Jonas, The Underachievers, + The Orwells

fun fact: loves mac n cheese

voice + ukulele

- was a Musical Theatre/Comedy performer in Chicago

- has her Bachelor's in Musical Theatre from Michigan State University

- strives to empower her students to become more confident singers, and appreciate the magic of what music can do for your mental health

fun fact: loves to rap and is really good at cartwheels

drums

- has been playing drums for over 20 years

- passionate about music education

- a part of multiple bands including Leslie Hunt Band, Mungion, OPE, InFunktious, + Cowboy Co.

fun fact: is a huge nerd + loves playing Pokemon, Metroid, and Persona 5

piano + voice

- 25 years experience teaching classical, pop, rock, music theatre and composition for all ages and levels. 

- Masters of Music Piano Performance/ Pedagogy Northeastern Illinois University 

- K-12 Music Education Certification with Choral Concentration 

- Bachelor's of Music Piano Performance / Pedagogy College of Performing Arts Roosevelt University 

fun fact: loves tennis and played tennis in Gstaad Switzerland with Roy Emerson. 

guitar + bass + piano

- multi-Instrumentalist with 30 years of experience performing, writing, and studying

- lived out of a van for five years playing with national touring band After the Crash

- firm believer that music theory, technique, and artistic passion can co-exist

fun fact: appears on the soundtrack to the video game Watch Dogs: Legion

guitar + bass + drums

- founding member of local band Plain White T's

- spent 20 years on the road

- would like to emphasize the teamwork, repetition and selflessness that's required to become a great live band

fun fact: loves to draw, paint and write

guitar + bass + piano + fiddle + mandolin +banjo + songwriting

- classically-trained on the piano as a child by opera singer Alice Renouf

- long history of playing in bands and jamming as a guitarist

- specializes in rock and blues, with deep roots in folk, Scots-Irish, bluegrass, and country

- wrote 200 songs

fun fact: left home at age eighteen to start a rock band

saxophone + bass + piano + accordion + songwriting

- playing professionally for 20 years

- Bachelors of arts and music and minor in art from Valparaiso University

- opened for Buddy Guy in 2011

fun fact: is growing apple trees in Michigan

guitar + bass + drums + music production + songwriting

- multi instrumentalist with 15 years of experience Producing, Audio Engineering and Teaching

- loves working in all genres of music including funk, hip hop, rock and blues

- specializes in helping students discover and articulate their own authentic self through music 

fun fact: I am a student of animal symbolism who loves to go outside and look for signs from nature!

voice + piano + guitar

-  40 years experience performing, educating and coaching pop, R&B, jazz, blues & theatre

-  received classical and jazz voice training and education from Northern Illinois Univ., American Conservatory of Music, Elmhurst College, College of DuPage