Dave Santamaria
Owner, General Manager
Dave is a drummer and audio engineer with over 20 years of music retail, pro audio, and sound engineering experience. Dave was in several bands and opened for acts such as Type O Negative and Bile. He has done sound engineering for Bel Biv Devoe, Tanya Tucker, KRS ONE, Doug E. Fresh, Curtis Blow, the Jordanaires, and Rhett Akins, to name a few.
Dave is also an amazing multi-format DJ. He has a deep devotion to enriching lives in the communities and is a positive mentor here at School of Rock Carlstadt. Fun music fact: Dave has played at CBGBs!
Dominique Abita
Owner, Music Director
Dominique is a trained rock, opera, and jazz vocalist with over 20 years of experience having sung on many stages and toured with a band. She has a master's degree in Music from Catholic University and loves to teach.
Dominique also plays guitar, bass, and keys. She encourages all students of every age to make music, and she is dedicated to developing the instructors and the programs at School of Rock Carlstadt. Fun music fact: Dominique has performed at Carnegie Hall!
Eitan Ofeck
Drum Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Eitan Ofeck (pronounced AY-tawn OH-fek) is a New Jersey-based drummer. Eitan was born and raised in New Jersey and from a young age he had rhythm. After an offhand recommendation from his father, Eitan took his first drum lesson at sleep-away camp and from that point on, he was hooked. Honing his craft back at home, he got so good that his middle school band teacher, who was teaching him at the time, had nothing else to teach him.
Eitan’s next step was to take drum lessons at School of Rock. There, he would join his local school’s House Band and toured on the national level with the School of Rock AllStars, playing at Lollapalooza on two separate occasions. Outside of this, Eitan has played in the metal band Lunatic Fringe and made a splash in the New Jersey metal scene.
Eitan’s love of drums is only surpassed by his love for his family and friends. He is a gentle giant with a kind soul. Eitan specializes mostly in rock and metal music but can also play other popular styles such as pop, disco, bossa nova, and fusion among others. The number of genres he can play is growing every day. Eitan also teaches beginner vocals and has been singing for several years!
Justin Wojna
Drum Teacher
Justin Wojna is a drummer, audio engineer, and producer based in New Jersey. He recently graduated with his Bachelor of Music in audio engineering from William Paterson University. His love for music started when he played drums for the first time as part of his middle school jazz-rock band. Shortly after, he joined his local School of Rock where he learned how to collaborate with talented musicians and enhance his drumming skills.
Justin’s time in House Band gave him the opportunity to perform at exciting venues such as Summerfest, Morey’s Piers, The Bitter End, The Knitting Factory, and Debonair Music Hall. He currently enjoys working as a session drummer and producer for various clients. Justin’s favorite genres are classic rock, funk, and blues, but he can also play soul, pop, disco, and more. He always favors tight grooves and pockets, no matter the genre. Justin is always looking to expand his drumming knowledge and share his love for music with everyone that he meets.
Gabe Vega
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Gabe Vega is a bassist and guitarist from New Jersey. Gabe has been playing music since he was a kid in middle school. Music is his passion and he wishes to share it with other like-minded students. He has played many shows and concerts including legendary venues like Bergen PAC and The Stone Pony.
Currently, Gabe studies at Montclair State University, working towards his degree in Music Education and Music Pedagogy. Some of his favorite genres include rock, jazz, funk, metal, R&B, folk, and classical.
Omar Elshafi
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Omar is an experienced guitarist and musician. He has been playing for over a decade and gigging for over five years. Omar has been a part of local New Jersey rock/indie bands who have played throughout the East Coast area at venues like Elsewhere, House of Independence, White Eagle Hall, and Mercury Lounge. He also enjoys playing solo and with a trio for local jazz gigs. He has a primary focus on guitar but enjoys playing bass and drums.
Omar is interested in many aspects of music and has an understanding of the different disciplines that help build a strong musician.
Faith Anguita
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Faith grew up in the town of Belleville, NJ. She started singing at the age of 11 as an enrolled School of Rock student! At the age of 14, she started performing regularly in her high school choir and a cappella group, and for most family and friend events.
While in high school Faith started developing her passion for music more and more and started picking up other instruments including the ukulele and piano. After graduation, she started studying music performance at Five Towns College in New York, and even after leaving school she kept at her craft and started songwriting and making music at home. She has had many accomplishments in her life thus far and is looking forward to this new and exciting adventure at School of Rock Carlstadt.
Kristen Jeudi
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Kristen is a proud alumna of the School of Rock family, embarking on her musical journey in May of 2018 with her first Performance Program show, Green Day vs Red Hot Chilli Peppers. From September 2018 until her senior year in 2021, Kristen was a valued member of the House Band. Throughout her time at School of Rock, Kristen achieved the prestigious title of the first-ever Vocal AllStar at her school, leading to exciting opportunities such as recording with the AllStars team and representing School of Rock on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
With impressive accomplishments under her belt, including an invitation to sing the National Anthem at MetLife Stadium for a New York Guardians vs. Los Angeles Wildcats game and performing at the Live United Live Music Festival to benefit youth mental health at Spyglass Ridge Winery in Sunbury, PA, Kristen is eager to share her passion for music with all of her students and beyond.
Alexis Aguilar
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Drum Teacher
Alexis is a professional musician based in Jersey City, New Jersey. He is experienced with a variety of instruments but primarily specializes in guitar and the electric bass. Alexis’ goal is to engrave the essence of music to the future of the world and inspire those who have yet to embark on their musical journey.
“During my early education, music has always captivated my interest. I decided to follow my heart and dedicate my time to truly pursue music in my higher education and career. Since then, music has allowed me to celebrate many achievements in my life. I have been fortunate to experience many fruitful opportunities such as travel, networking and having the most fun performing on a variety of stages. There are many opportunities yet to come my way but as a kid, I would never have thought that music could open as many doors as it has for me. Even if music is not in your career path, it is very important to me to inspire those to pick up an instrument and learn to enjoy every minute of the journey.”
Fun Fact: Alexis is the only musician in his family of athletes and professional dancers.
Desiree Bottigliero
Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Desiree began her musical career at age 8 with the viola. She quickly excelled and became part of the advanced ensembles in her school. In high school, Desiree performed in the pit orchestra, symphonic orchestra, concert orchestra, and small ensembles and performed annually at the Ridgewood Tree Lighting for 4 years. Desiree expanded her repertoire by learning the violin, cello, and piano with vigor. After high school, Desiree performed with the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra as their youngest violist while also pursuing her collegiate education until she transferred out of state.
Desiree has been teaching viola, violin, cello, and piano for over 6 years. She served as a teacher’s assistant at the Ridgewood Summer Music Academy for 4 years where she taught larger orchestra groups as well as private lessons for orchestral strings. At Sam Ash, Desiree honed her teaching skills in private lessons for all 4 instruments. Now, she is very excited to share her experience and knowledge with the students of the School of Rock in Carlstadt!