Jonathan
General Manager
Jonathan spent 16 years working in higher education, teaching theatre and overseeing musical theatre programs at several prestigious institutions, including academies in Oslo, Norway and Fredericia, Denmark, before relocating to Washington to take over as Bellevue's GM. He has authored books on audition technique and branding for artists, and he is the former President of the Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance.
Ilya
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Ilya was born in Abakan, Russia and moved to the U.S. at age seven. He grew up in a musical family —both his parents and grandparents were professional musicians and music teachers— and studied classical guitar and clarinet, performing with school jazz programs in middle and high schools. He performs with a variety of acts around town as a guitar-for-hire in styles including flamenco, country and symphonic metal, and recalls his earliest musical influence as Dimmu Borgir. He is a guitar teacher at School of Rock Bellevue.
Jacob T.
Assistant Music Director, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Jacob is a native Washingtonian and a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. The drums are his main instrument and he has been a part of Alisa Amador's band (winner of the 2022 NPR Tiny Desk Contest) for over five years. His debut EP of six original songs, "Game of Life," features him on piano, taking inspiration from Bruce Hornsby, Norah Jones, and Noah Gundersen.
Jacob has been teaching private lessons for over five years and he loves the opportunity to inspire and invest in students of all ages. His teaching philosophy aims to help each student preserve their own creative voice and enjoy the journey of growing as a musician.
Kate
Studio Coordinator
Kate was raised on an island in the Pacific Northwest but possesses none of the interest in the outdoors that such an upbringing would suggest. She prefers indoor pursuits and has a bachelor's degree in theater arts with a minor in music. Kate has worked as an assistant for talent on television shows and films and worked on the social media and digital section of KIRO 7 News. She is also the writer and performer behind several sketch comedy shows for Upright Citizen's Brigade including her one-lady Masterpiece Theatre parody, "Murder Abbey." "Murder Abbey" was named one of the top Downton Abbey parodies in The Daily Beast and called a "cri-de-coeur" by Slate. Most recently, Kate worked as a drama teacher for Studio East in Kirkland.
Ella
Studio Coordinator
Ella was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama before driving cross country (40 hours!) to move here. She firmly believes you can never have too many hobbies and has been painting and making art since she was 4 years old.
Ella sings and writes her own music, and also plays bass, guitar, keys, and a little drum set. Although she is used to the south, she loves going on long hikes. You’ll find her outdoors with a camera whenever you get the chance. Ella grew up on classic rock but her favorite style of music is indie rock.
Matt P.
Drum Teacher
Matt was born and raised in suburban Chicago and received instruction in classical, jazz, and marching music as part of a BA from the University of Illinois. He toured and recorded throughout college and afterward around the Chicago area with punk-funk, singer-songwriter, and retro-glam projects before moving to Seattle.
Matt currently fronts a spacey punk band. He is a drum teacher at School of Rock Bellevue.
Matt E.
Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Matt E. is a western Washington native and has been playing drums, bass, and guitar as well as singing in local rock bands since the mid-1990s. Matt teaches drums, bass, guitar, and keys, and has a professional background in concert production.
Will
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Will has lived in the Seattle area for over a decade and studied Musical Theatre and Film at Cornish College of the Arts. Over the past five years, he has been singing, drumming, and playing guitar in various bands around the area. His teaching style emphasizes healthy singing habits and technique while bringing forward the unique aspects of every singer’s voice.
Will loves singing in absolutely all styles, but, if pressed, his favorite band is, without a doubt, Black Sabbath. He is a vocal instructor at School of Rock Bellevue.
Jacob C.
Vocal Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Jacob is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Indiana. He began singing in choirs from a very young age performing in large-scale church productions, school plays, and with garage bands from school. He attended Indiana University earning a BA in Art & Sound Design, taking classes at Jacob’s School of Music in guitar, electronic music composition, songwriting, and jazz.
Most recently, Jacob has been involved in scoring award-winning short films and podcasts in the indie circuit produced by Salmon House Art Collective, a remote group of working creatives he formed in college. When he isn’t playing music, Jacob enjoys spending time in nature with his family and friends, trying new foods, and chilling out big dog style.
Glenn
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Glenn’s a Michigan boy turned Seattleite dad and husband. He loves metal, long walks on the beach, singing loudly, and playing guitar, bass, keys, and drums. A lover of all music types, Glenn's playing focuses on rudimentary grounding more than being flashy. His solo metal act is Freeze, plays bass and sings in the band Slothrider, and he does musical soundtracks as Glenn Aaron Smith.
Brad
Guitar Teacher
Brad was born in the Seattle area and was raised in a large, local multi-generational musical family of professional musicians and music teachers. His great-grandfather, Paul Tutmarc, is the inventor of the first electric bass.
Brad has been playing and performing on the guitar for over two decades, which includes performing and teaching flamenco guitar in Madrid, Spain for two years. He currently is playing in a surf rock group and has a wide variety of playing styles that includes jazz, rock, blues, folk, indie, country, metal, and flamenco.
Heather
Vocal Teacher
Heather was born and raised in New York, where she grew up playing piano and studying theater and music in college. She spent 10 years in Australia before moving to Seattle to be closer to family. Although she enjoys all kinds of musical styles, she is particularly fond of Blondie and Pat Benatar. She currently fronts a local cover band on vocals and she loves dogs, Chipotle and hot yoga. She is a vocal instructor at School of Rock Bellevue.
Danny
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Danny was born in Guadalajara Mexico, and later moved to California at the age of 3 and started to play guitar at the age of 12. He moved to Washington recently after he graduated college. He has a bachelor's degree in music from UNLV where he focused on classical guitar and music composition. Besides his classical training, he enjoys listening to and playing progressive rock and metal. His favorite bands include Genesis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Opeth.
Jason
Bass Guitar Teacher
Jason has over 30 years of experience performing many genres of music. He has played everywhere from local clubs to large festivals and concerts in the Southwest, Midwest, and New England, and has at times played 300 shows per year.
Jason now enjoys a little more chill life in the beautiful PNW and is the bassist for the popular Seattle band Groove Nation.
John
Drum Teacher
John has been playing the drums since 1999. In high school he played in a garage rock band as well as his school’s symphonic and jazz bands. Since then, John has played in a few different bands and various open jams in the Seattle area. One of his most memorable musical experiences was hosting community jam sessions in Tecate, México in 2016.
He is fluent in Spanish and taught for about five years at bilingual immersion schools in Seattle and Tacoma. Some of John’s favorite musical genres are death metal, surf rock, and psychedelic cumbia. He is also a visual artist and enjoys painting murals and building sculptures. John is a drum teacher at School of Rock Bellevue.
Doug
Guitar Teacher
Doug was born in Northern California and began playing guitar at age 11 through classes at public school. He began playing in his first band at age 12 and has never stopped. Doug quickly discovered being in a band was not only a great way to make friends, express yourself, and have fun, it also allowed him to become part of a team.
Doug is a very proud father of two amazing kids and also a stepfather of two additional amazing kids! Currently, Doug plays in two Seattle area bands (Free Rain and an acoustic quartet named Dry Goods) playing mostly in wineries and private events. He also is a published author of a children’s book titled Albert: a Frog and His Dream.