Alex Vallejo
Director of Operations
Alex Vallejo is best known as the drummer of the award-winning Austin, Texas rock band VALLEJO.
Aside from performing in his band VALLEJO, Alex is also the VP of Austin music production label VMG (Vallejo Music Group), board member and artist consultant at the Austin Music Foundation, operations director for School Of Rock (Southwest Austin/Round Rock, TX), co-founder of the Pachanga Latino Music Festival, sits on the advisory board of EQ Austin and is also a partner and talent buyer for EPS Presents.
Valentina Mitzkat
Vocal Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, General Manager
Valentina is a musician, songwriter, and mother based in Austin, Texas. Valentina's original music has had millions of streams across all platforms. Her songs have been featured on shows like Riverdale, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Lucifer, Pretty Little Liars, and The Sims 4. Valentina toured with BRONCHO and SYML in 2018 and co-created the podcast "Real Housewives of Dungeons & Dragons" and the hit musical "Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical."
As a music teacher, Valentina has worked privately with artists like Noah Cyrus and members of bands The Regrettes and Lilly. In addition to teaching keys and vocals, she has also taught songwriting and music production to kids as young as 7 years old.
Ben Jones
Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher, Music Director
Coming from a musical family, Ben began his musical journey at the age of 5 when his father began to teach him to play drums. By the time he was 15, Ben was fluidly switching between drums, piano, guitar, bass, trumpet, and trombone, had been selected for his district’s All-District band, and was functioning as both a vocalist and the keyboard player for his church’s worship group. He continued playing wind instruments, adding saxophone and clarinet to the list.
Ben studied music at Louisiana Tech University and the University of Louisiana at Monroe. In college, he studied music theory and composition, piano, and guitar. Ben received multiple vocal scholarships for concert choir and chamber singers and served as a member of the university’s guitar ensemble and as a piano accompanist. He played various instruments in the pit orchestra for the university’s theater productions and was a baritone soloist for the chamber singers. During this time Ben also tutored peers and private students alike in music theory, piano, and voice.
Ben has performed with numerous bands in Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and Arkansas in various capacities as a vocalist, keyboardist, drummer, guitarist, and bassist. He is thrilled to be able to pass along his knowledge to aspiring musicians at School of Rock SW Austin.
Jagger McKinney
Studio Coordinator
Pianist Jagger McKinney was born and raised in South Austin. Coming from a musical family, his father was lead singer/songwriter for the hair metal band Kick City as well as the Americana band Cosmic Cowboys.
Jagger started his musical journey at age 8 with the violin before discovering his love for the piano at age 10. Throughout the seventh and eighth grades, he played violin and piano for the Bailey Middle School Orchestra, then went on to play piano for the Bowie High School Jazz Band from 2017 to 2020. During high school, he also became a three-time gold medalist for the Texas State Music Theory Competition.
After graduating, Jagger worked as assistant tour manager for the metal band Nothing More during their 2021 and 2022 US tours and toured across the country with famous acts such as Sleep Token, Asking Alexandria, and In This Moment. He started teaching at School of Rock SW Austin in 2023 and has been our wonderful studio coordinator ever since.
Justin Pratt
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Justin Pratt is a San Marcos, TX-based musician who plays Guitar, Bass, and Vocals. Justin studied music performance at the Los Angeles Musicians Institute and is well versed in rock, blues, country and R&B. He currently performs with Broken Arrow and Sami and The Engine.
Naomi Barnes
Bass Guitar Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Born in San Antonio, TX, Naomi started playing music at the age of 17 when she moved to Austin, shifting her focus from performance poetry to songwriting. Her first instrument was guitar but quickly shifted into singing becoming her main passion as it has been her lifelong dream to be a performer.
After many years of being a student, she decided to embark on her teaching journey to impart the knowledge she has learned & how she overcame her struggles of being a late bloomer. Now, her goal is to invoke confidence & passion in her students while also providing a strong foundation of knowledge in music. Naomi currently plays in various bands in Austin, TX including; King Bunny (lead vocals & bass), Shades of Oleander (bass), Eternal Orchid (bass), as well as her original self-titled project.
She may have had a late start but she is a musician to her core, a teacher at heart, and dedicated to fulfilling her destiny by presenting her talent and sharing her voice to the world like she was born to do.
Cory Anderson
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Cory Anderson's love of music began with violin in the middle school orchestra. He began to teach himself guitar when he was 13 years old. Cory went on to win Akins High School's 2010 Battle of the Bands with his group, Resonant Requiem. Since 2012, he's been the rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist for the country cover band Broken Arrow.
Vinnie Ambrosone
Drum Teacher
Vinnie Ambrosone was born and raised in Corning, NY. His father was a professional Jazz drummer who encouraged Vinnie to pursue his dream of playing drums professionally. After graduating from high school, Vinnie started earning money for playing and became a professional drummer, which he still is to this day. After honing his skills with cover bands and playing original music throughout the northeast, Vinnie moved to Austin, Texas in 1999 to further pursue his dreams.
As a result of this move, Vinnie began to meet and work with many professional musicians covering genres like rock, blues, Americana, funk, and country. Vinnie worked as a touring country/rock drummer for Bill and performed in arenas and stadiums opening for the likes of Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Big & Rich, Diamond Rio, and many other Texas regional acts. There are many artists he has performed with over the years and continues to perform throughout Texas and the Southwest.
With over 30 years of touring and recording, Vinnie brings a vast knowledge of experience and is dedicated to helping the students of School of Rock pursue the same dreams he had as a kid. He is a drum teacher at the School of Rock in SW Austin.
Julian Clark
Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Julian Clark was born and raised in Austin, TX. His father and uncles were professional musicians best known for their band Vallejo, which is where his inspiration for creating music began. At the age of 10, Julian began playing drums and attending Band Aid School of Music in Austin, TX until 2018. Throughout high school, Julian started his first band, Tinted Vision. After releasing their EP and playing at legendary venues such as Antone’s, Saxon Pub, and the Continental Club over the years, Julian went on to start his own band, fronting with vocals and guitar.
In the winter of 2022, Julian’s very own band, White Mylar, was formed. After releasing their first single “Is This Now?” In April 2023, they went on to play shows with the likes of Die Spitz, the Past Lives, and Vallejo. As White Mylar continues to be Julian’s main creative outlet, he still plays drums with multiple bands such as FOAM and Slipdress.
Julian's dedication to his craft and his ability to seamlessly transition between different roles and genres demonstrate his deep-rooted love for music and his commitment to pushing creative boundaries. At the School of Rock in SW Austin, Julian aims to channel this experience into inspiring and mentoring students with diverse musical interests. His goal is to foster their growth, help them discover their unique artistic voices, and instill in them the same passion for music that has guided his own journey. Julian believes in a hands-on, personalized approach to teaching, encouraging students to explore their creativity while providing them with the technical skills and confidence they need to excel.
Grady Humble
Drum Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Grady's musical journey started with his family. His grandmother had a piano and his father had a guitar. He started picking out all the drum parts and playing them on the dashboard of the car to the radio. Eventually, Grady’s grandmother bought him a drum set and he started practicing. In 19991, Grady moved to Austin and has been a part of the music scene as a working drummer ever since.
JD Brunson
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
Born in the dense suburbs of North Houston, JD started playing guitar six days before his 15th birthday when his parents bought him a guitar and amp for Christmas. Since that fateful day, JD has been involved in several professional projects playing multiple instruments involving sounds and genres including, though not limited to, punk, pop punk, grunge, classic rock, blues rock, prog rock, indie rock, garage rock, psychedelic rock, noise rock, country, bluegrass, cowpunk, soul, gypsy jazz, and traditional jazz.
Since 2014, JD has spent a sizable amount of time touring and playing in front of people and accruing life experience. JD also took lead songwriting roles in most of these projects, and even in vocals in his own project. With guitar being his primary instrument, JD also plays and teaches electric bass, upright bass, drums, and piano. He studied jazz guitar at Lone Star College Tomball in Houston in 2015 and 2016 and again for a semester at ACC here in Austin during the coronavirus pandemic. With an Associate Degree in Art from Lone Star Community College, JD is well-rounded both academically and musically.
Zack MacGillivray
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
At age 8, Zack heard Led Zeppelin for the first time and it was off to the races. Two decades of rockin’ with bands across his homeland of Canada eventually brought him to the “Live Music Capital” of Austin, Texas.
Zack currently plays lead guitar in his original Rock N' Soul band FOOLISH ONES and enjoys the never-ending road that music has provided.