Marina
General Manager
Marina has loved music since before she was born. It started with the last Grateful Dead tour with Jerry Garcia while her mom was pregnant with her! She has always been passionate about live music and directly involved in stage production for electronic music shows starting at age 15. Some of her favorite artists include Destroy Boys, Janis Joplin, The Front Bottoms, Lil Peep, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, and more! She brings a versed background in music, management, retail and food service, and is stoked to be a part of our team!
Walker
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Assistant Manager
Walker has been playing music for 19 years, starting out on alto saxophone at age 11 before picking up the guitar at 13. An avid musician throughout high-school, Walker then pursued music professionally, graduating from the University of New Haven with a bachelor’s degree in music and sound recording in 2014. While attending, he also took private guitar instruction from Nick Nasko, as well as performed with the UNH Jazz Band on both guitar and saxophone. He has played in numerous rock bands around the New Haven area and is currently performing regularly with original bands Strawberry Cheesesteak and Hatfield, as well as shoreline cover band Covergirl. Walker has also worked as a professional live sound engineer since 2016, as well as written and recorded several solo projects over the years.
Tommy
Guitar Teacher
Tommy has been playing and writing music for over two decades. He graduated from Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Scoring, with Guitar as his principal instrument.
As a performer, Tommy has been a session guitarist for studio recordings in various genres. He has fronted and played lead guitar in bands that regularly gigged across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. His compositions and sound design have been featured in films, television shows, movie trailers, and marketing campaigns for multinational corporations, and played before the British parliament.
Gaby
Studio Coordinator, Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Gaby is a singer, songwriter, and keyboard player; she is pursuing her undergraduate degree virtually at Berklee College of Music. She has studied voice since she was five years old and has performed professionally at Barrington Stage Company, the Ivoryton Playhouse, and Make Music New Haven.
Gaby’s original musical was featured at the 2019 Guilford Performing Arts Festival. She has also studied piano from an early age and is self-taught in guitar. Gaby is very excited to share her love of all genres of music and looks forward to sharing her positivity with all the students at the School of Rock in Madison.
Christian
Bass Guitar Teacher
Christian S. started performing as a clarinet player in his middle school concert band. He began studying bass guitar as a student at School of Rock Madison when he was 16. He remained in the student program for 2 years while also taking part in other musical endeavors such as his high school rock ensemble. In 2020, Christian took up a music studies major in Manchester Community College, with the aim to transfer into a 4-year state university and major in music education.
Eli
Drum Teacher
Eli has two decades of experience behind the drums. He has been transformed by many musicians and great teachers like Larry DeLeo from Goldie and Libro and Greg Trabandt from RVP studios.
Eli has been in bands since the age of 13 playing rock music from Jimi Hendrix to Metallica to The Grateful Dead. Now, he plays for bands that all reach different levels of musical genres from jazz to dance-pop to fusion and good ole rock n' roll. He currently plays in King Bolete Band and No Cheez Orchestra out of the New Haven area and The Mike Brandon Band out of Oxford.
Dolph
Drum Teacher
Dolph always listens to music like Stan Getz, the Wailers, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Muddy Waters. He comes from a musical family: his father was a musician and his cousins, aunts, and uncles played in bluegrass, folk, rock, and blues bands! Dolph is a self-taught musician and grew up playing bass and drums in school and playing with friends in garage bands!
Dolph's first band experience was gigging for four years with a progressive instrumental band called The Apparition. He also played and gigged with the reggae band Greg and the Groupers for about two years, and he has played music with folk bands and Celtic rock, too!
Dolph exudes positivity and acknowledges that, while no one is perfect, we all CAN get better with dedication and perseverance!
Andy V.
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Andy brings over 15 years of experience as a versatile musician, specializing in keys while also excelling in guitar, vocals, and bass. His extensive background includes performing both as a band member and as a solo artist, demonstrating his diverse musical talents and dedication.
Starting his teaching journey early, Andy began leading band programs in high school, guiding his peers and laying the foundation for his career in music education. This early experience has made him an excellent fit for instructing and contributing to our performance program.
Currently, Andy is focused on producing his own album and is further enhancing his skills by studying audio engineering at Full Sail University. His enthusiasm for both performance and teaching makes him a valuable addition to our team. Andy is eager to leverage his rich experience to inspire and mentor students, as well as to contribute to our band programs.
With his passion for music and commitment to education, Andy is excited to join us and help students unlock their full potential through the power of rock!
Gleeson
Substitute Vocal Teacher
From a young age, Gleeson always knew she wanted to be surrounded by music. Singing became a big part of her life, and she joined choir and audition-only groups throughout grade school. Writing has always been an important outlet for Gleeson, from poetry to writing song lyrics. She studied music at Southern Connecticut State University and graduated with her bachelor's degree and an award for excellence in musical performance in 2021.
Gleeson was vocally trained in classical, musical theater, and jazz. She also sang lead vocals for blues, jazz standards, and Latin jazz ensembles in college, which performed twice each semester. She performed in the New Haven Festival for Arts and Ideas the summer after graduating and continues to expand and explore her musical abilities with solo projects, learning new instruments, and collaborations with other talented musicians. Gleeson is excited to bring her music theory knowledge, musicianship, and enthusiasm to the School of Rock Madison!