CR Gruver
Owner
CR Gruver began his classical training at the age of 9, and by 13 he left formal instruction as a top student to immerse himself in the world of rock and funk. The next four decades were dedicated to perfecting his craft, touring the country relentlessly, and building a successful performance career. He is currently a member of the national touring band New Orleans Suspects in addition to being the owner and operator of School of Rock Metairie (New Orleans) and School of Rock Northshore. His experience as a national touring professional and seasoned Music Director makes him an ideal owner of School of Rock, as he’ll be able to impart decades of wisdom and knowledge to his students and faculty.
Kate Parker
Lead Management Guru
Kate Parker was inspired to start her saxophone career in elementary school after finding a role model in Lisa Simpson. Through joining the School of Rock in Chatham, NJ she discovered she had a passion not only for the saxophone but also for singing, and picked up flute and piano along the way. During her time in AllStars, she played iconic stages across the country including festivals like Lollapalooza and Summerfest. Kate developed a love of working with kids to build their confidence and help them shine through teaching Little Wing classes and working as a writing tutor for elementary and middle school students. Whenever she wasn’t buried in books, working towards her degrees in political economy and English at Tulane, she wrote folk songs and jammed with friends at NOLA spots like The Willow and Neutral Ground. Kate is currently working on an EP with another former School of Rock AllStar.
Ben Wallace
General Manager
Ben Wallace has lived on the Northshore for over 25 years. He and his wife, Charlotte, have two amazing teenage children who are very involved in many extracurricular activities including a passion for the arts. Ben and Charlotte have run several businesses together including owning and managing an Early Childhood center on the Northshore for over ten years.
Ben is excited to be a part of School of Rock and helping to continue to enrich the lives of those in our community. Ben has a passion for instilling a love of learning in children and empowering them for whatever stage of life they choose to perform.
Charlotte Wallace
General Manager
Charlotte Wallace is from Metairie and has lived on the Northshore for over 25 years. She is married to Ben Wallace and they have two amazing teenage children who are very involved in many extracurricular activities including a passion for the arts. Charlotte and Ben have run several businesses together including owning and managing an Early Childhood center on the Northshore for over ten years.
Charlotte loves serving the families in this amazing community and doing all that she can to enrich the lives of children. She loves how School of Rock engages its students and instills a love of music in them for life. Charlotte is so excited to be an integral part of School of Rock Northshore.
Luke Harvey
Guitar Teacher, Bass Teacher
Luke began playing music at 11 years old when he attended his first music/performance summer camp. A few years later he and three friends from camp started a band called Tonight The Prom. With all members starting the band at around 15 years old, Tonight The Prom had quite the come-up and was featured on Chicago’s (at the time) most popular rock and alternative radio station which propelled the band to new heights. At it’s peak, Tonight The Prom was playing shows at some of the most prestigious venue’s across Chicago Illinois. From The Metro and the House of Blues all the way to the Warped Tour in 2007 & 2008. By 2009 the band had graduated high school and went their separate ways until Luke toured with his former bassist’s new bands (Victorian Halls and Hello Americans). With the onset of COVID and dwindling opportunities to perform, Luke has taken to working on music remotely, teaching and recording his own tracks at his own pace for the love of the game.
Britt Gondolfi
Guitar Teacher, Little Wing Teacher, Rookies Teacher
Britt Gondolfi got her start with music in the 8th grade but her passion for music took off when she became a preschool teacher at a Reggio Emilia Preschool in Atlanta. Bringing music into the classroom became one of her greatest pleasures and joys. In her spare time, Britt is a full-time mom, law student, and part-time research assistant for the Bioneers, a non-profit organization supporting Native American Environmentalists. Her biggest artistic aspiration is to form a Built to Spill cover band.
Jeremy Delle
Bass Guitar Teacher
Jeremy Delle was born and raised in the small town of Covington, LA. He started learning the bass guitar at 14 years old and by the age of 16, he was playing in nightclubs all over the Northshore/New Orleans area. Jeremy's background includes over 26 years of teaching experience and 30 years of performing professionally. He organized a Relay for Life and American Cancer Society fundraising festival, Rock for Life, held at Hammond's Cate Square in 2009 with Bryan Lee as the headliner. Jeremy has played with a number of bands including The Remedy Krewe, The Atomic Thunk, Dang Bruh Y, Space Trumpet, Dr. Green & the Funk Machine, Noel & the Missing Links, and. Mojo Buddha, He currently plays with The Grayhawk Band and he is also working on a new solo project.
Jeremy has opened for 3 Doors Down, Incubus, and Astral Project, and has played sold-out shows at the House of Blues Parish Room and Howlin Wolf. He has also performed at the New Orleans Jazz Museum in a concert that was recorded for an album to raise funds for underprivileged children to get musical instruments. Jeremy's true passion is teaching music, making new music, and performing music live.
George Schindler
Guitar Teacher
George Schindler has been playing guitar for over 20 years, and if you ask him, he'll tell you that he thinks it's pretty cool. George is a lifelong resident of the New Orleans area (Go Crusaders!) who spent entirely too much time at Loyola University where he left with credentials that are not at all related to guitar or guitar playing (an oversight on his part). While in college, George began teaching guitar to kids and teenagers while starting a band, Third Time's the Charm, with whom he would play for the better part of 10 years.
Professionally, George has spent most of his time as an educator, combining a year in the classroom and nearly a decade in public history. Throughout his life, his love of music and passion for a particular six-stringed instrument has never waivered or waned. George is thrilled to bring his talents and experience to bear at School of Rock Northshore and to foster and nurture the talents and passions of the next rock stars!
Mark Larson
Drum Teacher
Mark Larson is a drummer. He was raised in Mandeville, LA, and received a rich music education at Loyola University in New Orleans in the Jazz Department. Mark is inspired by some of the best musicians in rock and jazz such as Jimi Hendrix, Art Blakey, and Bill Evans. He started playing drums at the age of 9 and has been in several bands. He loves playing live shows and takes the stage whenever he can. Mark is a drum teacher at School of Rock Northshore as well as Assistant Director for School of Rock’s Rock 101 program. He looks forward to directing future shows and says, "teaching gives me a great purpose."
Ryan Kintz
Guitar Teacher
Ryan is a talented guitarist with a lifelong passion for music. He has been playing the guitar since 2006 and has a deep understanding of music theory and composition. Ryan believes that rock music is the perfect vehicle for teaching students how to play the guitar, and he loves the unique teaching approach that School of Rock uses to teach fundamentals, theory, and technique. From Aerosmith to ZZ Top, learning rock music with Ryan is an exciting and rewarding experience that will inspire and challenge students to achieve their full potential as musicians.
Aaron Levy
Drum Teacher
Aaron started to play the drums at 18 years old. He started in percussion in the drum line at St. Paul's School with the Marching Wolves. Some of the achievements accomplished while in marching band included the award for "Most Dedicated Band Member of the Year" as well as special awards for Music Composition and starting the jazz band.
After high school, Aaron enrolled in the Jazz Summer Program at Loyola University and had the opportunity to study under Johnny Vidacovich. He spent more time connecting with other musicians and joining various bands. He continued to play with several different groups covering an array of styles such as progressive rock, heavy metal, fusion, blues, jazz, and hard rock. During this time he recorded over 10 studio recordings, and worked sessions at JT STUDIOS.
Aaron's favorite part about teaching music is the joy and light that emanates from the students when they're learning and achieving great success. He holds a bachelor's degree in jazz studies from Southeastern Louisiana University and plays drums in the New Orleans Rock band DRAB, which opened for bands such as Soulfly, YOB, and Pallbearer. He is also a member of the Percussive Arts Society and Sabian Education Network.
Bill Solomon
Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Bill Solomon comes from a musical family. His mom sang and played the organ, his dad played trumpet and his identical twin brother plays guitar. They played nightly as a family band. Bill began on guitar and trumpet, adding electric bass in 6th grade-what was then called "stage band." He and his brother began playing out in 7th grade, as the house band for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's chapter of The Cerebral Palsy Organization. They also played in local bands in Pittsburgh and eventually St. Louis, MO.
Bill received his master's degree in Music Education from Western Illinois University. He continued playing and teaching privately, touring for Guitars for Vets out of Milwaukee, WI. Bill currently volunteers for Gigi’s Playhouse in New Orleans while playing in bands in the area.
Hannah Mahoney
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher
Hailing from the Midwest, Hannah Mahoney has been a student of music since the age of 5, beginning with piano, which she still uses today to compose and teach. She taught herself guitar as well as other strings including 12-string, ukulele, and even the harp.
Hannah has a strong voice too! She has led several bands and was the musical director at her church where she mastered the art of production.
Teaching is where Hannah is most passionate. A Homeschool Mom and author of several books for the homeschool community, she gets excited to prove that learning can always be fun! She has taught music publicly and privately for more than 25 years, including piano, strings, vocals, musical theatre, music theory, show choir, and more.
If you want to have fun learning music, Hannah is your girl!
Michael Aicklen
Guitar Teacher, Little Wing Teacher, Rookies Teacher
Michael is a Tulane student studying everything from classical theory to electronic production. He was raised on Prokofiev, Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty, Daft Punk, and close to everything in between. He was inspired by his dad’s playing from a young age and began playing seriously in 2020.
Michael has worked with kids since he was in junior high and looks forward to combining his experience from his camp counselor days with his love for all things music. Michael hopes to bring his continuing education to School of Rock and help develop a deeper understanding of music in the community.
Brian Nixdorff
Guitar Teacher
Brian Nixdorff began playing guitar over 20 years ago and quickly became entrenched in the world of music and its production. Brian finds a deep sense of joy in playing guitar and sees it as the perfect tool to express emotion and connect with people. Soon after beginning guitar, Brian quickly became equally interested in the technical side of music production such as the recording process and the engineering behind amplifiers and effects pedals, and has since learned how to build his own pedals and amps. As a self-proclaimed "tone nerd", one of Brian's favorite things to do is research and try to match the guitar tones and sounds of his favorite guitarists.
Teaching gives Brian an even greater sense of fulfillment as it allows him to share his passion and help others unlock their own outlet for creativity and inspiration. He believes that watching someone learn and grow their musical skills and confidence is one of the most rewarding experiences, and loves the moment a student who has been working towards playing a challenging riff or progression suddenly gets it and their excitement kicks in. Outside of the School of Rock in Northshore, Brian works for the St. Tammany Parish School Board where he is able to further accommodate and help students with their academic journeys.