Emily
General Manager
Emily Bruno, a native East Texan, spent the majority of her childhood in California and Indiana before returning to her home state at the age of 11. Growing up, Emily could often be found pretending she was Faith Hill singing into her hairbrush, climbing trees, skateboarding, or hidden under her blankets way past her bedtime with her nose stuck in a book.
Not one to shy away from adventures, Emily has always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie (she has her dad to thank for that). From skateboarding down too-steep hills to cliff diving in places of questionable legality to riding ALL of the rollercoasters possible (even when she didn’t meet the height requirement - again, thanks Dad) she doesn’t bat an eye. Stemming from her love for her family she has grown into a bit of a family detective and has quite an apt for genealogy. The hobby developed from the curious nature she gets from her mom and the history nerdiness from her dad. Give her a couple of names and dates, and she’ll have your family tree mapped out with a little history trivia to go along. She may even uncover a secret, or two.
Professional road-tripper, avid concertgoer, adrenaline junkie, history nerd; the many faces of Emily Bruno.
Richie
Music Director, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Richie began playing guitar at age 8 and fell in love with music. At first, he was plucking his way through '90s rock songs that came on the radio and tapes that his parents had. Before he knew it, he was able to play along with more difficult songs and became inspired by classic rock groups like Led Zeppelin.
The guitar continued to be Richie’s first love, but since there was no place for him to play with others at that time, he joined the school orchestra in the sixth grade and learned to play the violin. Richie continued to play violin in school until the eleventh grade when he decided to try and pursue other musical interests, such as drum-line and jazz band. He then started a rock band with some classmates before the group eventually went their separate ways after graduation.
Richie began working for School of Rock in 2017 as a substitute instructor for the Dallas and Plano schools. He continued to work at School of Rock for over four years as the Assistant Music Director, until making the move to Rockwall as Music Director. School of Rock is the most fulfilling and fun job that he has ever had since day one, and you won’t find anyone who believes in it more!
Sasha
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Drum Teacher
Sasha is a classically trained bass player from Houston, Texas. An accomplished string musician, she started on the double bass when she was 10 years old, and picked up electric guitar and bass a year or two after that.
In high school, Sasha performed locally in rock and metal bands all the while keeping up participation in the school orchestra. During her tenure in the orchestra, Sasha and her fellow musicians earned the right to travel to New York City and compete in the National Orchestra competition where they were awarded first place!
Sasha’s journey with School of Rock started in her sophomore year when she joined School of Rock Champion Forest playing guitar and bass. After half a year of being in the performance program, she picked up the drums, and the keyboard soon after that. She now teaches at School of Rock Rockwall.
An avid D&D player, Sasha slays dragons in her spare time and writes songs about her adventures in the realms! She is currently attending the University of Texas Arlington studying for a bachelor's degree in Music Media and is a part of their orchestra there.
Glenn
Drum Teacher
Glenn started playing drums when he was 9 years old after seeing a performance at his elementary school talent show. A student played a blue drum set along to a KISS song and he was hooked. Glenn played on everything that he could get a tone out of with a pair of sticks his dad made for him out of wooden dowels.
After a few years of books, pots, and pans, Glenn got his first real drums at the age of 14. He started playing along to every song on the radio, learning all he could about every style of music he listened to. After playing house parties with different garage bands he and his friends put together, Glenn got a call from a real working band in the club scene. They spent the next couple of years playing every club and venue in north Texas and southern Oklahoma that would let them play. Eventually, that led to Glenn’s first tour with a “road” band.
After touring the Midwest for a while, Glenn got an audition with Vince Vance and the Valiants and toured most of the southeastern U.S. with them. After leaving the Valiants, Glenn freelanced with many artists, including two-time Grammy nominee and CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Janie Fricke, and got a gig with former Head East lead guitarist and solo recording artist Ricky Lynn Gregg. Glenn is currently the touring drummer for Texas recording artist Tom McKelvain and the Dirty Pesos.
Brandi
Vocal Teacher
Brandi's vocal talents range from Country to R&B, Pop to Alternative Rock. Brandi began her musical career at the age of 10 singing and dancing at numerous opries throughout North Texas. During her years in the opries, she had the privilege of sharing the stage, and even singing a duet, with the now famous Leann Rimes. In 1991, while continuing to perform at opries, Ms. McComb gained notoriety when she became one of the top 12 finalists in the Garland Music Association Scholarship contest.
In 1992, Brandi joined the nationally-renowned show band, Vince Vance & the Valiants, where she toured extensively across the US and internationally as the group's lead Valianette, Victoria. This popular, high-energy musical revue allowed Brandi to shine as a professional singer, dancer, and actress. Not only has she shared the stage with well-known celebrities (Huey Lewis, James Brown. Harry Connick, The Four Tops, Chubby Checker, and many more), she's performed from the Superdome to the Superbowl and the Waldorf Historia to the White House. Brandi can also be heard singing the opening theme song to the cartoon, Blue Gender, as seen on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
In 2001, Brandi joined forces with ex-members of Vince Vance & the Valiants to start one of the hottest variety dance bands in Dallas, TX: ZuZu Peddals. She retired from the band 18 years later to focus on wedding photography and her girls. Now she's excited to teach all she knows to students at School of Rock!
Jon
Drum Teacher
All it took was a single visit to the home studio of a church friend to cause Jon to become infatuated with drumming. After roughly two years of banging on boxes and coffee cans to his favorite albums and radio songs, his parents took the hint, and he finally received his first bona fide set of drums as a surprise gift on Christmas shortly following his 13th birthday.
Primarily a self-taught drummer, Jon only took about three months of formal drum lessons before the music shop sadly closed its doors. He then spent eighth grade and ninth grade in the school band, performing in talent shows, the pit ensemble, and occasionally the marching field. Away from school, he bounced between a handful of garage bands with friends and played his first show at the age of 16.
In his first year of college, Jon joined a metal band, Resigned to Fate, with whom he released an EP and an album on a small record label. Playing with this band also afforded him the opportunity to play dozens of shows and tour Texas, the Midwest, and the West Coast. After that band dissolved, Jon would go on to self-release several EPs and singles, as well as play dozens of shows with a handful of local punk, indie, and alt-rock bands throughout the 2000s.
Highlights from this time include earning awards and nominations for “best punk band” and “best drummer” from such prominent local music blogs as The Dallas Observer and The Ghost of Blind Lemon. In 2019, Jon’s garage rock band The Delzells had the opportunity to open for legendary surf rock band, The Ventures at Amplified Live.
Currently, Jon performs and releases music with three bands: John Falvo & His Daggers (classic country), Ex-Regrets (alternative/punk), and The Duck Creeps (pop punk/hardcore). He also performs weekly in the worship group at his dad's congregation in Dallas. An avid collector, restorer, and window shopper of musical equipment, Jon owns eight drum kits, 20 cymbals, and 50 snare drums! In his spare time, he enjoys recording drum tracks and creating drum loops and samples at his best friend’s home studio. Jon is happily married to his wife of 13 years, Heather, with whom they have a son, Will.
Jasper
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Born in Seattle to a musical family, Jasper has been surrounded by music and musicians his whole life. Growing up with classical musician parents, Jasper spent much of his youth traveling to music festivals, and attending concerts of all genres.
After trying a few instruments, Jasper began guitar lessons at age 11 after hearing music from Led Zeppelin and Foo Fighters and eventually ended up becoming a School of Rock student by age 13, where he found his passion for rock music. During his time at School of Rock, Jasper auditioned and made it into his school's House Band and was able to participate in four seasons before graduating from the program. Following his graduation, Jasper began gigging around town with various bands. He recently started an '80s band called The Joysticks, with other instructors from both the Rockwall and McKinney School of Rock locations.
Jasper joined School of Rock Rockwall as a teacher in 2022 and enjoys teaching and sharing his love of music (especially The Strokes, The Killers, and Muse). When not teaching, he attends UTD in the Advanced Technologies and Emerging Communications department working towards an arts degree.
Sophie
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher
Sophie is a singer/songwriter from Sunnyvale, TX. She started as a School of Rock student at the age of 8 and participated in the School of Rock program until she aged out as a high school senior.
Sophie was twice selected to the School of Rock AllStars program, which is the highest honor bestowed on a School of Rock student. She has toured the country multiple times with some of the most advanced students in the School of Rock community. Sophie started her first rock band at the age of 12 has performed at more than a hundred events, has won the Battle-of-the-Bands contests, and has played high-profile music festivals including The Wildflower Festival, Summerfest, and Lollapalooza. She is a versatile vocalist who sings within many genres and is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, bass, and keys.
Sophie loves manatees and can recite every US president in order. Her musical interests range from Dolly Parton to Bauhaus to Moondog. She releases music under a solo project called 80 Pound Baby.
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