Our Instructors

Brian currently serves as a guitar and bass instructor at School of Rock San Jose, where you can trust his commitment to providing students with lessons learned from his vast experience.

Nick (who goes by Ace), started playing guitar in 1991 at the age of 11. He has been in numerous bands and writes his own original songs. He is now in a Pink Floyd tribute band called Echoes. Ace is very passionate about teaching and has taught in multiple locations and schools across the Bay Area. His goal is to make learning more enjoyable by encouraging students to mix theory with learning their favorite songs.

Ace covers the following topics: intervals, major and minor scales, harmonic and melodic scales, pentatonic scales, building chords, determining key centers, modes, modal interchange, effects, pentatonic substitution, and more. He is a guitar teacher at School of Rock San Jose. Ace's influences include Eddie Van Halen, David Gilmore, Jimmy Page, Brian May, Eric Johnson, Steve Clark, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton.

Shand is a singer, songwriter, and guitar player from Texas. He writes songs with a classic Rock vibe and great hooks that are both familiar and original. He has performed live throughout the South West and along the West Coast, as well as touring Europe on many occasions. When not playing guitar he enjoys walking his dog, Lola.

Alex is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and performer from San Jose,CA. He was introduced to music at an early age and has thus found his passion in life. In high school, Alex was part of the symphonic, concert, marching and steel drum ensembles, where he learned the importance of being a well-rounded musician as well as playing with others. With these programs, he had the opportunity to play in various venues such as Disneyland and all the way across the world at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. He attended the University of Oregon, where he studied Music, as well as branched off and played original music in bands. In the Bay Area, Alex plays in Love District, Socorra and other projects.

He does his best to share his passion and enthusiasm for music with all of his students. Since joining School of Rock, he finds joy in inspiring his students to play and helping them to find their own voice in music. You will never find him happier than when he is playing or teaching.

Raven is an actress, guitarist, and vocalist from San Jose, CA. She is a former School of Rock student who is excited to inspire other students like her! Raven was a member of the band [Artificial Lavender] with fellow School of Rock staff member Kyra.

Raven graduated from Southern Oregon University with a degree in theatre performance. She is experienced in acting and guitar, bass guitar, and vocal styles, including classical, musical theatre, and rock.

Throughout her childhood and beyond, Raven has played soccer, and volleyball, and participated in choirs and plays. With 14 years of experience playing team sports, Raven has learned the importance of teamwork and treating your peers with respect. Her goal is to pass on the lessons she has learned through sports, music, and theatre, and hopes to inspire kids to follow their passions!

James is a singer/songwriter, live performer, actor, dancer, and musician. Having practiced writing music and learning guitar from an early age (with musical influences such as Michael Jackson, 1960s Motown, 2000s R&B, etc), James has been able to find his voice and pursue his true passion.

His background in singing is rooted in choral training. Beginning in middle school, his training continued as he pursued youth community theatre at Starstruck Theatre, located in Fremont, CA. From 2017 to 2024, James also had the opportunity to perform live in several different shows at one of Cedar Fair’s many amusement parks: California’s Great America. At Great America, James was introduced to the musicians with whom he would later form The 408 Collective, a Funk/Soul/R&B cover band, which he still performs with today.

He’s also now employed at Red Ladder Theatre Company, a social justice theatre company that exists to connect our most vulnerable community members with their creativity, empowering them to tell their own stories through improvisational theatre. James has also been releasing his own music under the name Misa James.

Ary grew up listening to all kinds of music from hard rock to jazz to classical and found her passion for music by watching her father play in bands. Ary always had an affinity for singing and began taking vocal lessons at 10 years old. She has experience singing solo and in bands live for house shows, weddings, graduations, convention centers, and musical theater.

Ary has been writing originals since she was 9 and has learned piano and guitar to help with her songwriting and to accompany herself for solo gigs. Her favorite band of all time is Evanescence, but she appreciates every genre of music and thinks that everyone can find at least one song in each genre they can enjoy! Other influences include Kelly Clarkson, Arianna Grande, Billie Eilish, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC.

Daniel was born and raised in San Jose, and has been living/working here ever since! He’s been playing piano/keyboard since he was about eight years old, circa 2000. He says it has been a huge blessing and opportunity of growth to teach at School of Rock! He has been teaching here for over a year now, and says it has been an incredible journey so far!

Chris is a professional drummer, drum teacher, drumline instructor, studio drummer, percussionist and Jazz band instructor. A local drummer from Sunnyvale, CA, he has displayed his talents in multiple bands and music genres over the past five decades. Accolades include touring Canada, a recipient of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, nominated as Drummer of the Year for Bay Area's 1st Annual Blues Awards. As a teacher, for several decades he continues to inspire his students to express their musical creativity and talents engaging in high school programs, private lessons, playing in bands and most importantly, practicing. Chris is a regionally endorsed artist for Yamaha Drums in Northern California. His passions include working the Jazz Festivals, enjoying the music, equipment, technology and the fans.

Connor is a drum instructor at School of Rock San Jose. Drawing from over a decade of professional live performance, touring and recording experience, his goal is to teach students the essentials of drumming in fun and innovative ways. Using an eclectic blend of popular and experimental music, Connor’s goal is to teach students crucial drum knowledge while keeping them engaged and inspired. When he’s not teaching at School of Rock, you can catch him performing on stage both locally and nationally with his band Wolf King.

Bryan is a local musician with over a decade of experience playing guitar and keyboard instruments. He has played countless shows, including opening for acts such as Y&T and Michael Franti, as well as playing for Facebook, SanDisk, and the San Jose Earthquakes.

Bryan has a true passion for music and its ability to bring focus, determination, and purpose into people’s lives. He loves to teach problem-solving, creativity, and improvisation through music. He is mostly self-taught, but began formal training in Jazz Studies and Classical Guitar in 2015.

Bryan teaches all styles with an emphasis on rock, blues, soul, pop, and jazz music.

Jackson, like a few of our other music instructors, was once a School of Rock student. He has over 10 years of playing experience and loves the guitar just as much as movies and fishing. Jackson works great with beginner students and has a very calm approach to guitar playing. He aims to keep students engaged and inspired by their instruments. Jackson's influences include Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix & The Beach Boys.

Scot is a seasoned guitar instructor with over 25 years of live performance experience and 15 years of teaching. Specializing in a wide range of styles, including Rock, Pop, Jazz, Funk, Metal, and even Disco, Scot brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every lesson. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, his dynamic approach to teaching helps students unlock their full potential and develop their unique sound.

Kenny is a San Jose native and currently was formerly a Studio Coordinator here at School Of Rock San Jose. Now teaching bass at the school, Kenny is a "hired gun" bass player, who performs and tours with several different reggae rock bands all across the country. When not at School Of Rock or on the road touring, Kenny enjoys producing/recording music in his home studio and playing ice hockey. His goals are to educate and assist the youth on how to ROCK!!

Will Shirley is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Santa Cruz, CA. He grew up in Oklahoma, where he formally learned piano at a young age and eventually taught himself guitar and drums. He expresses his love for music by frequently jamming with friends, playing local shows around the Santa Cruz mountains, writing songs, and recording music at local studios. He has plenty of experience behind the boards, recording and mixing music for other artists. He's well-versed in communicating ideas and breaking a song down to its parts, which has helped him in his teaching career, especially with students who are looking to take their next steps in songwriting and composition.

His musical inspirations include Wilco, The Black Keys, Talking Heads, Pixies, Beach House, Velvet Underground, Fleet Foxes, and The Flaming Lips. His musical interests go deep, as he's a big-time crate-digger and spends hours going down rabbit holes of connections between musicians over the last several decades.

Along with music, Will has hobbies in film photography, video recording & editing, writing, and cooking. On a day off, you might find him sitting at the fireplace & strumming George Harrison songs on his trusty acoustic guitar.

Nathan is excited to join School of Rock San Jose as a drum instructor. He brings over two decades of experience performing and playing drums and holds a degree in music.

Nathan has had the privilege of playing with the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and performed on stage with Shania Twain. He is an original member of Street Drum Corps performing drum group BANG!, which performed at Vans Warped Tour and Six Flags in Southern California.

Aidan is a bassist, guitarist, and songwriter from San Jose, California. He has experience in a wide variety of styles and genres, but his background is a mix of Jazz and Punk Rock. Aidan has received numerous accolades for his performance skills, the most exciting being an award of excellence for his performance at Reno Jazz festival. Aidan is currently attending San Jose State University for Jazz bass and Psychology.

He has experience playing in touring bands across California and he is at his happiest playing on stage or watching his students perform. At School of Rock San Jose, Aidan believes that the most important part of teaching music is instilling a passion and love of actually playing music, not just understanding it in theory.

Tony was born and raised in San Jose and began playing guitar when he was 15 years old. He was self-taught and developed his skills by learning his favorite songs and collaborating with other musicians in bands. Besides playing guitar, Tony has also been the lead vocalist in every band that he has played with. There are many styles that have influenced his songwriting over the years from alternative rock and pop punk to post-hardcore and metalcore.

Although music is Tony's biggest passion, teaching is another passion, and not just teaching music. After graduating from San Jose State University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology, Tony became a behavior therapist and worked with children with special needs. After realizing his passion for teaching children, Tony decided to go back to school and is working towards a teaching credential and master's degree in Education. When he is not teaching or directing summer camps at School of Rock, you can find him teaching English in a middle school class room.

Kody is a guitar and bass instructor at the School of Rock in San Jose, California. He is a lead heavy player playing in mostly metal and blues bands but was also in his high school jazz band.

Kody has played shows at venues throughout the Bay Area. His favorite genre of music is metal, and his favorite bands and musicians include Animals as Leaders, Thank You Scientist, Primus, Willie Nelson, and Thin Lizzy.

Ron is a substitute vocal instructor here at School of Rock San Jose.

Ian is a classically trained guitarist and composer from Dallas, Texas, with over 17 years of experience in several unique styles. He graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and is primarily trained in classical, Latin, and flamenco. He has experience with various electric guitar styles such as jazz, blues, and rock.

In his earlier years, Ian was also a student at School of Rock, where he first developed a deep love for music and formed a lifelong bond with it starting at 7. Ian hopes to share this passion with all his students and help them discover their unique love for music, just as he did.

Josiah is a San Jose local and has lived here for most of his life. He graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in business administration. Josiah has been part of School of Rock since 2019 starting off as one of the studio coordinators and is now the assistant general manager. His passions include music, roasting coffee, gaming, and, while he won’t admit it, he thinks Nickleback is a pretty good band.

Adriana is a classically trained musician who specializes in brass instruments but grew up on rock and alternative music. She studied music education at San Jose State University. Although her main instrument is the euphonium, Adriana also plays trumpet, trombone, and mallet percussion. She has roughly 15 years of experience in classical, modern, and jazz genres.

"Teach music for the sake of music itself" is Adriana's philosophy on music. She believes the aesthetic experience of playing music alone is enough reason to do it, and all of the other factors like making friends, improved focus, and confidence are secondary.