Certified Teachers
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Certified Teachers
Why Rock House?
Great Teachers Make the Best Students
All our teachers are trained and certified to provide the highest level of instruction. A successful learning experience begins with equipping teachers with the right tools and a clear curriculum designed for success. All our teachers go through an in-depth training course to learn how to motivate and connect with students. They learn how to make learning fun and excite students to learn. Most great musicians aren’t great teachers but at Rock House every teacher teaches at the highest level. Our teachers tailor the lesson plan to each student’s interests and goals. At Rock House, we’ve built a community of top-tier teachers who collaborate to make the learning process both enjoyable and effective.
Certified Teachers
Great Teachers = The Best Students
All our teachers are trained and certified to provide the highest level of instruction. A successful learning experience begins with equipping teachers with the right tools and a clear curriculum designed for success. Every student creates their own “Ultimate Song List,” where they can list up to 25 songs they’d love to learn. Teachers use this list to tailor the lesson plan to each student’s interests and goals. At Rock House, we’ve built a community of top-tier teachers who collaborate to make the learning process both enjoyable and effective.
Certified Teachers
Great Teachers = The Best Students
All our teachers are trained and certified to provide the highest level of instruction. A successful learning experience begins with equipping teachers with the right tools and a clear curriculum designed for success. Every student creates their own “Ultimate Song List,” where they can list up to 25 songs they’d love to learn. Teachers use this list to tailor the lesson plan to each student’s interests and goals. At Rock House, we’ve built a community of top-tier teachers who collaborate to make the learning process both enjoyable and effective.
John McCarthy
Guitar, Piano, Bass Guitar, Ukulele Instructor
John is the creator of The Rock House Method®, the world’s leading musical instruction system. Over his 30 plus year career, he has written, produced and/or appeared in more than 150 instructional products. Millions of people around the world have learned to play music using John’s easy-to-follow, accelerated programs.
Ana Christina
Piano, Vocal Instructor
Ana Cristina is a bilingual writer and musician. Originally from Mexico, she studied piano and sang from a young age. She studied Music Composition for some years in a Conservatory institution. She has sung and played in numerous ensembles, from choirs and early music groups, to experimental music bands.
Atlas Focareto
Piano, Vocal, Ukulele Instructor
Atlas is currently a piano, vocal and ukulele teacher at Rock House. He graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a Bachelors of Arts in Music Theory and Composition. They also attended education classes as part of his degree. While he plays the aforementioned instruments, he is also a woodwinds specialist.
Cat Leigh
Vocal Instructor
Cat Leigh is an accomplished vocalist and instructor and a wealth of knowledge for vocalists of all levels. She has been teaching worship and/or leading bands for over 20 years. During this time she has always pushed herself to learn new techniques and styles.
Christopher Seina
Drum, Piano, Guitar, School Band Instrument Instructor
Chris Siena is a drum, piano, guitar, and school band instrument instructor with a B.A. in music from Southern Connecticut State University. With 13 years of teaching private lessons under his belt and 4 years of classroom teaching, Chris has mastered tailoring lessons to each students specific needs.
Chuck Peterson
Drum Instructor
Chuck Peterson has been playing drums since the age of 4. He’s been doing session work, teaching, and playing shows for over 22 years. He has recordings playing different musical styles of rock, funk, R&B, hip hop, jazz, Latin, country, classical, pop, reggae, and many others. Chuck has been endorsed by Paiste Cymbals for 11 years, and just got an endorsement with Innovative Percussion sticks.
Damiano Christian
Guitar, Piano Instructor
Damiano is a guitarist/pianist/vocalist from Middletown, CT. Music began for him at the age of 3 with classical piano lessons at the Hartford Conservatory, but he didn’t pick up the guitar until the age of 11 when he heard Randy Rhoads play the solo to “Revelation Mother Earth” off of the Ozzy Osbourne album: TRIBUTE, dedicated to the late guitarist.
Dylan Royka
Drum, Guitar, Saxaphone Instructor
Dylan always had a passion for music! He started playing instruments in the 5th grade where he started to learn the saxophone. Around the same time he also became very interested in the drums. When Dylan reached high school he started playing saxophone in the marching band and started to play drums in local rock bands.
Jake James
Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Saxophone Instructor
Jake James is currently a piano, guitar, bass guitar, and saxophone instructor at Rock House. He is a national touring keyboardist For the band Similar Kind. He has opened for artists such as Trippie Redd, Flock of Seagulls, No Vacation, Sunset Rollercoaster, Hockey Dad, Hot Flash Heatwave, and more.
Jen Durkin
Vocal, Piano Instructor
Jen Durkin attended Berklee College of Music before making her debut as founder and lead singer of Deep Banana Blackout 25 years ago. In the years that followed she went on to tour nationally with legendary Parliament Funkadelic founder and keyboardist Bernie Worrell.
John Blues McCarthy
Guitar Instructor
John Blues is currently a guitar, bass guitar and Little Rockers instructor at Rock House. He is a dedicated artist, musician, and teacher. Having first studied the guitar at the ripe old age of 6, he has progressed to something of an aficionado that can not only teach guitar, but also bass and little rocker classes.
Kevin James
Piano Instructor
Kevin James is a gospel and jazz pianist hailing from New Haven, CT, yet his repertoire expands the bounds of genres having played for a variety of artists including folk, pop, and R&B. With a passion for music and education, Kevin serves as Barnard Magnet School's band director, inspiring young musicians to follow their dreams, regardless of their circumstances.
Lauren Maloney
Vocal Instructor
Lauren Maloney is one of our vocal instructors who is highly motivational and engaging. She strives to provide a fun & relaxed learning environment where students can work closely with her to attain their musical goals. Growing up in a musical household set the foundation for Lauren’s love of all thing’s music at an early age.
Leanne Parks
Bass Guitar, Little Rockers Instructor
Leanne Parks is a sixteen year old musician that is versatile in many fields of music. She started her career learning piano at the age of 5, which gave her a great foundation of music. She is multi-talented when it comes to music, knowing how to play piano, guitar, bass, and is a vocalist. Leanne is currently the lead singer and bassist for her band called Echobox and looks for any opportunities she can.
Melody McCarthy
Drum, Piano, Little Rockers Instructor
Melody is a multi-instrumentalist with a lifelong dedication to music. She started playing drums at 5, and prior to that, learned guitar, bass, piano, and violin. She has been accepted into a wide range of prestigious music programs, including at Berklee School of Music, University of New Haven, and Anna Maria College. She was in the high school drum line, and has experience in both marching and concert band.
Patrick Fallon
Piano Instructor
Patrick Fallon is a pianist from West Haven, CT At the age of 6, Pat had an immense curiosity about music, especially the piano. He began his musical career by teaching himself how to play his grandmother’s two-tier, 88-key Lowry Pageant Organ. From that humble beginning, Pat broadened his musical horizons in many different facets.
Robert Liptrot
Bass Instructor
Rob Liptrot has been playing bass professionally for over 35 years. He has played and recorded with numerous bands and artists, locally and internationally, covering different music genres. He is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. "For me, music is positive food for the soul, and I am fortunate to help the next generation of musicians achieve their goals.
Roger King Jr.
Piano, Guitar, Vocal Instructor
Roger currently teaches at Rock House West Haven. With years of experience instructing in piano and guitar, he is passionate about guiding students through their musical journey. His versatile expertise spans across genres such as rock, jazz, classical, and many others, ensuring a well-rounded learning experience.
Shawn (Chewy) Chua
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Violin, Ukulele, Mandolin, Stand Up Bass, Piano, Drum Instructor
As we look for the best players to be Rock House instructors we also look for musicians that are teachers with commanding communication skills. Not every great player is a great teacher. It is another skill set to be able to present information in a fun and exciting manor.
Toby Driver
Vocal, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Piano Instructor
Toby is an internationally-renowned composer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Middlefield. He's been playing for over 35 years, and teaching private lessons since 2006. Toby has toured the world across five continents dozens of times with multiple bands in various genres as a bassist, guitarist, singer, keyboardist, and hammered dulcimer player.
Peter Hines
Drum, Piano Instructor
Peter Hines is a multi-talented musician born and raised in New Haven, CT. With a passion for music that spans across various genres, Peter has dedicated years to honing his skills as a multi-instrumentalist. His training in classical, R&B, gospel, and jazz has provided him with a diverse musical background and a versatile approach to his craft.
Violet Falkowski
Vocal, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano Instructor
Violet Falkowski is a working musician and actor from the Hartford area. She attended the Boston Conservatory at Berklee pursuing a BFA in Musical Theater. She works with Asylum Hill Congregational Church as well as the performance group “PRIDE-247/365” as a section leader and an ambassador respectively. She plays guitar and bass for several local bands.
Connor Rizzo
Piano, Vocal, Little Rocker Instructor
Connor has been playing music and entertaining people since he was eight years old. He is not only a certified Rock House instructor, but he started as a student at Rock House for over 6 years! Connor plays piano and sings in the rock band Echobox, performing at clubs and festivals across the state.