Our Experienced Music Teachers
All of School of Rock North Buffalo’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.
Karen Lee Marconi
Vocal Teacher
Karen can’t recall a time in her life when she wasn’t involved in performing. Her formal music education began at the Hochstein School of Music in Rochester. She went on to earn a BM degree in Vocal Performance from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam as well as an Early Childhood Education degree and a Master’s degree from the College of St. Rose. Karen taught Jr. High music in the Herkimer Central School system and then continued to pursue a singing and acting career, performing on stages in resorts, theaters and on cruise ships. Her vocal range has allowed her to play roles from Mame to Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof to Julie in Showboat. Karen is as comfortable singing the standards as she is classical, and has performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Buffalo Master Chorale. Her first love however, will always be musical theater.
She was humbled when named Overall Category Finalist at AMTC out of 1,500 contestants, and has had the opportunity to sing with Vanessa Williams and Mary Margaret Humes through affiliation with the Miss America Pageant. For the past five years, she has been the director for several Jr. Musical productions and private vocal instructor at the Academy of Theatre Arts while continuing voice acting.
She is “thrilled to be a part of sharing the love of music with the School of Rock staff and students”!
Rick Carfa
Piano Teacher
Rick Carfa has been involved in the music industry for over 40 years and has played with many talented musicians such as the James Clay Band, Duane Durrett and David (Fat Head) Newman from the Ray Charles Band, Bill Tillman of The Blood, Sweat & Tears, Singer-songwriter Jay Dref, Rock Voices of New York, his own bands Tocar, Visiting King, Grey Sector and has toured with Proclaim International throughout Europe. He has also recorded with several artists worldwide and has released 8 of his own albums which he arranged and produced.
Rick has performed all over the world, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, the San Diego Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah and has toured Europe many times over.
Liam Flanagan
Guitar Teacher
Liam Flanagan has been playing guitar for 10 years. His favorite genres are alternative and punk and has experience playing in bands professionally. In addition to guitar Liam has experience on Cello, Bass, Ukulele and Mandolin.
Ovi Collins
Guitar Teacher
Ovi Collins is a guitarist and vocalist from Amherst, NY. With over 15 years playing experience, 20 years vocal experience, and a BA in Music Composition. Ovi has spent the past 10 years working on making her own music and projects from her home workstation. She has over 5 years experience with ProTools, and has played with two local punk bands since 2019, including the one for which she currently plays guitar. In her spare time, Ovi likes to write, play games with her friends and cook. She currently lives happily in Amherst with her partner, their three dogs and two cats.
Ryan Gains
Drum Teacher
Ryan Gaines is no stranger to the Western New York music scene and has performed with multiple local bands including High Horse, Hotel Bravo, Triad, and G Kool & The Something Else Horns. Ryan comes from a strong family musical background and music has always been something that he was drawn to since he was an adolescent after finding his mom’s record collection at 5 years old.
Ryan began singing in the choir in the third grade which started him on his journey to develop his ability of voice and understanding pitch. While in middle school, Ryan’s friends all started playing instruments. Mostly everyone had chosen guitar, however, he wanted to deviate in a different direction. At the age of 14, Ryan asked his parents to start taking drum lessons. By 15 he was on the drum kit. The journey felt arduous at first, but having the fortunate opportunity to play music with his friends and family is when everything changed for him. It kept the spark alive and kept things fun which led him to want to perform professionally in bands. His biggest drumming influences are John Bonham, Steve Gadd, and Buddy Rich.
Ryan currently plays for The Fleetwood Mac Experience which has performed semi-national for over a decade. For Ryan, it’s a privilege to be able to pass on the knowledge to this upcoming generation of musicians and to impart to them the gift of music and just how much of an effect it can have on their lives.
Max Kilijanski
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Max Kilijanski is a multi-instrumentalist and music educator raised and based in Buffalo, New York. Max's musical journey began with his first guitar at the age of 6. With two decades of music experience, he has deeply explored his favorite genres such as rock, jazz, Latin, and pop music.
Max wants to help every student experience playing many styles of their instrument, develop playing and reading skills, and interact with other musicians. He likes to incorporate music theory, ear training, and groove-based arranging ideas into lessons to help students fit in with any rhythm section.
Max holds a degree in contemporary writing and production from Berklee College of Music where he studied guitar, piano, and bass, as well as music composition and production. Beyond his role as an educator, Max has played in many bands, studied from some of the world’s best music teachers, written a lot of his own music, and worked with many talented musicians from around the world.
Dave Rundell
Drum Teacher
David Rundell is a local music educator and musician from Williamsville, New York. David graduated from Williamsville East High School in 2008 and moved to Los Angeles. In 2010, he earned his Associate’s Degree in Percussion Performance from Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, CA. David played and recorded drums in the Los Angeles music scene for 9 years before returning to Buffalo in 2018. In 2022, he earned his Bachelor of Music Education with a Minor in Digital Music Production from Buffalo State. He writes his own music and is a substitute drummer for several local bands. His favorite styles of music to play on the drums are rock, jazz, and fusion. When David is not teaching, creating, or playing music, he enjoys fishing and golfing.
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.