Our Experienced Music Teachers
All of School of Rock Marlboro’s music teachers are experienced musicians devoted to helping students attain musical proficiency. Our instructors guide students one-on-one to personalize learning, inspire confidence and build social skills.
Andrew Lubeck
Guitar Teacher, Owner
Andrew Lubeck took over ownership of the School of Rock in Marlboro in March of 2021. His business background is in IT as a Systems Engineer working in enterprise computing, networking, and storage. Aside from being the Owner and General Manager, Andy keeps a few students because he loves helping guitar players learn and improve.
Andy grew up in North Brunswick, NJ, and has been playing guitar since he was about 14. He is a huge fan of a variety of music and has been since he was a little kid. When asked what kind of music he likes, he usually says, "Everything from Motown to Metal".
Andy has played mostly in cover bands over the years and has played everything from modern country and Southern rock to heavy metal. He now plays in a local cover band in the area and really enjoys the vibrant live music scene that we are fortunate to have here in New Jersey.
Gillian Omotoso
Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Gillian Omotoso was born in 1996 in New Orleans and raised by Nigerian parents in the outskirts of the Jersey music mecca of Asbury Park, New Jersey. When it comes to music, Gillian has been an explorer as much as a performer and writer-composer. She has written treatises on the physical nature of sound. She also has performed regularly in the Jersey Shore music scene, including material on the 2020 Demos for a Difference compilation album. Her expertise is in piano, but she also sings and plays guitar.
Stylistically she ranges from jazz, pop/rock, and R&B to musical theater and classical along with alternative and experimental music. In college, she was the pianist for the TCNJ Jazz Ensemble from 2015 to 2017. She also studied classical and contemporary vocals under Dr. Nora Sirbaugh and Cynthia Springsteen-Balme. She has also studied music theory extensively. She is an accomplished public speaker and poet who has performed for various advocacy events and local venues in Monmouth, Middlesex, and Mercer counties. She is currently working on attaining her undergraduate certification at Brookdale Community College.
She is currently recording her self-produced passion project and debut album Mission Statement, which she aims to release in late 2024. She joined the School of Rock in Marlboro in the summer of 2023 and has gained newfound fulfillment in imparting her keyboard and music theory knowledge and wisdom to minds young and old.
Nick DeFabritus
Music Director, Drums Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Songwriting Teacher
Nick has been playing music nearly his whole life and is proficient in every instrument taught at School of Rock, with his main focus in his own bands being guitar and drums. He has been playing in bands since the age of twelve and has been writing music since he was sixteen.
Nick has played in multiple bands that have toured the country. Now, he mainly plays with his group "All Under Heaven", where he sings and plays guitar. The group, which includes various staff members of the School of Rock in Marlboro, regularly plays the tristate area and tours often. He has written songs with millions of streams on Spotify and Apple Music and has gained thousands of views from his music on YouTube. Nick has been a core staff member at the School of Rock in Marlboro for over 5 years. He is the Music Director at the school and manages our House Band program, which includes the most advanced students at the school.
James Cannon
Bass Guitar Teacher, Drums Teacher, Guitar Teacher
James joined the School of Rock in Marlboro staff in February of 2022 after being a student since December 2020. He Is proficient in several instruments, including Bass, Drums, and Guitar.
James started his musical journey bouncing around instruments and instructors, practicing everything from rock to heavy metal, jazz, and R&B, as well as classical and orchestral music. He had the last of his training here at this very school, performing in several seasons of performance classes, doing school events such as playing on a parade float for the Freehold Memorial Day parade, and school open houses. He also played in the School of Rock House Band.
Besides teaching bass, guitar, and drums, James is also in charge of instrument repair and maintenance for the school. He has been working on instruments since he bought his first one in middle school and is now attending The Eastern School of Fretted Instrument Repair in Freehold.
Alex Sanders
Assistant General Manager, Studio Coordinator, Guitar Teacher
Alex Sanders is the Assistant General Manager at the School of Rock in Marlboro. He has been a singer/songwriter for fourteen years and has fronted three different bands in both California and western New York. He has also gone busking (street performing) across the country, an experience that helped define his late twenties and early thirties. Today, songwriting is still his primary passion when it comes to music.
His work experiences outside of music include student development and counseling in higher education and social work. He says that School of Rock is by far the coolest place he has worked! He takes a lot of pride in helping this school grow and seeing our students continue to develop their skills and passion for music.
Julia Paradizova
Studio Coordinator
Julia Paradizova is a music enthusiast who embarked on her musical journey at the School of Rock in Marlboro in 2022. Starting as a piano student, she quickly found her groove, joining the Adult Performance group and stepping into the role of Studio Coordinator in just a few months.
Julia's musical roots run deep – she's been singing and performing since she could talk, boasting years of professional vocal training and acting experience. Her love for 80s rock remains unwavering and you can usually find her belting any Scorpions, AC/DC, or Guns n' Roses song.
Beyond her musical pursuits, Julia holds a B.A. in Philosophy and has plans to attend law school in the near future. On weekends, you'll catch her rehearsing with the Adult band, volunteering at the local dog shelter, and spending quality time with her furry companions Maggie, Zoe, and Nala. Julia enjoys living a well-rounded and vibrant life filled with music and animals.
School of Rock is where music and learning come together
For over twenty years, our amazing instructors have transformed hundreds of thousands of students across the world into skilled musicians. Become a musician at School of Rock.