Company

Bio Picture Charlie Heim
Music Director >Drums, Saxophone

Charlie earned a Bachelors of Music in Instrumental Jazz Studies, with a minor in Music Education from The University of the Arts in 2008. After continuing Music Education studies at Penn State University, he returned to Philadelphia to pursue a career in performance and teaching. CH is currently performing and/or recording with Formerly Known As, Marigold Opera, Megalodon, William Gruff, and many others throughout the Philly area. Charlie is currently teaching as a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Arts, a member of the Summer Music faculty at Penn State, a freelance private instructor and (of course) at the School of Rock in Cherry Hill. For more information, please visit www.charlieheim.com.

Bio Picture Alan Ens
Guitar

Alan Ens is a Philadelphia based musician. He studied Jazz guitar at the University of the Arts and graduated in 09. He records a lot, and runs his own rock band called the Tongue Sculptors (http://soundcloud.com/tonguesculptors) , and plays whatever else people want him to play. He is a flexable teacher that aims at pushing students while dealing with music that they are interested in.

Bio Picture John Dubitsky
Guitar

John Dubitsky is a 27 year old Multi-Instrumentalist, Composer, Songwriter and Record Producer/Engineer, currently residing in New Jersey. At the age of 18 he signed a recording contract with Drive-Thru/MCA Records. This was followed by the release of internationally distributed albums and extensive touring around major venues throughout the country. In 2009 He graduated from the Berklee College of Music with a dual Major Bachelor’s of Music Degree in both Music Production & Engineering and Classical Composition. While at Berklee, he studied under a variety of Grammy and Oscar winning Producers/Engineers and took private composition lessons from the students of the famous contemporary composers, Dimitri Shostakovich, Benjamin Britten, Pierre Boulez and Milton Babbitt. John specializes in a variety of guitar approaches and techniques, including multi-finger tapping, finger style, a dedicated study in triads and drop-voiced seventh chords, a Django Reinhardt, Anchor-Shifting focus toward Arpeggios as well as Charlie Banacos Chromatic approach to Arpeggios.  Along with instrument instruction, John also teaches and suggests a concentrated study in Music Theory and Composition including Ear Training, both Jazz and Classical Harmony, Baroque Counterpoint, Advanced 20th Century Concepts, Schoenberg 12 Tone-Technique and extended Serialism. In addition to current Scoring/Composition and Production work, John is currently working on finishing up records with his groups Centaur Seminar, Tropics, and his solo endeavor, Mines. Do not come to him if you wish to learn metal because he will make fun of you and pass you on to someone else.

Bio Picture Mike Corso
Bass, Guitar & Keyboards

Mike is a bassist living in Philly. Since 2008, he has been performing in the backing band (Blazing Cherries) for Cabaret Redlight, Philadelphia's premier burlesque/vaudeville theatre group. He has performed on electric and upright bass in a wide variety of acts, of almost every style of music including indie rock, gospel/funk, klezmer, and jazz bands. He holds a bachelors degree from University of the Arts where he studied with Craig Thomas, Steve Beskrone, and Gerald Veasley.

Bio Picture Charlie Stroup
Vocals

Charlie St has been performing as a vocal musician his whole life. His high school choir- Cherry Hill’s West Singers- was repeatedly rated “Superior” in competitions across the United States and Canada. During the 2003 ACDA convention in New York City, Charlie was a member of the choir which commissioned Z. Randall Stroope’s We Beheld Once Again the Stars. At Elon University, NC, Charlie performed Mozart’s Requiem with the University’s Camerata in 2004. After singing as a member of Elán: Vocal Jazz for one year, Charlie was asked to return for several performances as a featured soloist in the Spring of 2006. Since his return to the Philadelphia Area in the Spring of 2006, Charlie has been writing and performing as the lead singer of 77th Street, a progressive rock band based out of South Jersey. He also continues to perform as a solo artist as well as sing with the College Choir at Camden County College.

Bio Picture Eddie Everett
Drums

Eddie Everett is a veteran of The School Of Rock . He has been teaching drums and directing since the school has been here . He has directed over 15 shows, everything from Led Zeppelin to Steely Dan. He has also done the first seminar at The School of Rock on the History of Jazz. Eddie is also an accomplished drummer/performer. He has performed with Brian Setzer, Wanda Jackson, David Bromberg, Tommy Conwell and many others. He currently performs with a swing band called Delco Nightingale. Eddie is a student himself. He studies with expert drummer Daniel Glass from the Royal Crown Revue. This has not only helped his skills but his teaching as well. >

Bio Picture Ricardo Lagomasino
Drums

Philadelphia-based drummer, Ricardo Lagomasino, has been playing music for most of his life. He has toured US, Canada, Europe and the UK with a number of groups and has appears on 11 released recordings. He is currently playing with Many Arms, The Sea Around Us, Joe Lally, Extreme Fishkin, Lagomasino/Fishkin and Tongue Sculptors. In the past he has played with Capillary Action, Hulk Smash, Lee Jaewon, SHREDfest, Circles, George Korein, Verity In Stereo, Pads & Steel and DCIC. He holds a Bachelors degree from Oberlin Conservatory in Oberlin, OH.

Bio Picture VINCENT FEDERICI
Guitar & Keyboards, Outreach Program Director

As a full time musician, Vince is always involved in playing, recording, and teaching music. In the past year he has clocked in over 300 hours of live performance and over 60 hours of studio time. His output for this year includes four albums with a possible fifth in November which he will also co-produce. His projects include Johnny Showcase and The Lefty Lucy Cabaret, The Bailey Hounds, William G. Gruff, Charles Ramsey, and plays in one of the best rhythm sections in the Philadelphia area along with music director Charlie Heim in Formerly Known As (a cover band). With a B.A. in music performance from The University of the Arts, Vince has advanced knowlege of music theory as well as a wide range of musical styles including Jazz, Latin, Bossa Nova, Soul, Reggae, Blues and of course Rock and Roll. Vince is an expert on Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and had the privelege of running the David Bowie show for the School of Rock in June of this year. Dylan is next on his plate. He is the primary teacher for Rock 101 and had the pleasure of running shows at local public schools around the area throughout the year. Though primarily a guitarist; Vince is proficient on every instrument used in the delivery of Rock and Roll. Boom Shocka Locka

Bio Picture MIKE REISMAN
Guitar & Vocals

Mike is a School of Rock graduate with extensive experience playing as a solo artist as well as in bands as a guitarist, singer and songwriter. This experience has led him to perform as a touring musician with various rock and pop acts all across the country. Currently, Mike is balancing theses touring gigs with his own band, The Blak Sheep (facebook.com/theblaksheep), for which he writes, sings and plays guitar. Mike is using this wealth of experience in the active music world to teach guitar and vocals as well as direct shows for the Cherry Hill School of Rock, to give back to the place where he got his own start. Mike has also been active as the primary guitar instructor at Liberty Lake summer camp where he proudly and professionally represents the School of Rock.

Bio Picture Clay Stiles
Bass/Vocal Teacher

Clay Stiles is a Musician, Producer, and Composer that resides in South Jersey. Clay earned a Bachelors of Music, with a focus in Music Education from Elizabethtown College in 2006. After finishing school, he was introduced to a group of musicians who would eventually become his main performance group LP Stiles and started to tap into the Philadelphia music scene in a big way. He began playing (mostly electric bass) for  many different bands and artists from the area and around the country. Clay has recorded with and/or shared the stage with: LP Stiles, The Wailers, Bilal, Robert Glasper, Doc Gibbs, Dr. Dog, Kuf Knotz, and many others. His passion for teaching is just as strong as his passion for performing and he takes pride in helping students come closer to achieving their goals in a way that's genuinely enjoyable but also musically meaningful. 

Bio Picture Alex Ayala
Piano/Keyboards

Alex Ayala ia a professional piano/keyboard player who resides in Philadelphia. Alex attended the University of the Arts, where he studied jazz piano and graduated in the spring of 2012 with a Bachelors degree in Music Performance. At UArts, Alex studied under piano teachers: Don Glanden, Tom Lawton and Trudy Pitts as well as receiving instruction from the likes of Ron Kerber, Erik Johnson, Tony Miceli, and Micah Jones. Alex currently performs with Cold Roses, Ode to Omni, and the Royal Noise. He also performs in a variety of musical settings as a freelance musician.

Bio Picture Ethan Feinstein
Drum Instructor

Ethan has been playing music since the age of six. He is an alumni of the School of rock, having attended the school for over 4 years as well as being part of the School of Rock All Star program. While in the All Star program, he performed, toured and recorded nationally with artists such as Jon Anderson (Yes), Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction), John Wetton (King Crimson), and Leann Rimes in venues such as Lollapalooza in Chicago, World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, BB Kings in New York, and The Made Festival in Sweden. Ethan now plays professionally in the Philadelphia area with his original band Out of The Beardspace. He has also recorded with various musicians in the studio over the years and has backed many singer/songwriters in the area. Having had such a great experience in the School of Rock program, Ethan decided to return to the school to share his experience and love of music with upcoming musicians. He has taught students of all ages and experience levels and hopes to inspire others with his teaching.

Bio Picture Zach LoPresti
Guitar

Zach is a muti-instrumentalist graduate of the Cherry Hill School of Rock and an All-Star program alumni. During his time as an All-Star, Zach toured internationally/performed/wrote/recorded with artists such as Jon Anderson (Yes), Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani), Brendon Small (Dethklok/Metalocalypse) and The Butthole Surfers at venues such as B.B. Kings NYC, Webster Hall NYC, World Cafe Live Philadelphia & Delaware and The Zappanale Festival in Bad Doberan, Germany. After leaving the School of Rock, Zach divided his time between music/recording classes at Camden County College, writing and performing in original bands and teaching both at the School of Rock and privately. After completing the Camden County College recording program, Zach began focusing heavily on developing his main musical project, 'Out of the Beardspace' Now, age 23, Zach has produced/written for 2 E.P.'s and a full length album with original band 'Out of the Beardspace', a live album by the band 'Sexoffice' and many other single releases. Zach teaches guitar, bass and drums privately and at the School of Rock; performs in one of 5 original projects regularly; works as a professionally hired live and studio musician; works as a private recording engineer/producer; overall spending all of his time fulfilling the dream of being a full time musician.

PAM HESS
Executive Assistant

Pam is a certified NJ state school teacher presently working in the Cherry Hill School District. Her three sons Jon, Joey and Ricky are all current SOR students and Jon has just received the honor of being recruited into the C Team. Pam is friendly, knowledgeable and first rate problem solver. We welcomed Pam on staff in October of 2012.

Bio Picture LOUIS FAIOLA
Owner/GM

Lou has been playing classical piano for some time but his heart and soul lives in rock music. Lou came from the corporate world as a Teamster union official but the draw to help kids live their rock star fantasies was too much for him pass up. His main goals as owner/GM is provide a top notch musical experience for his students while working within the community to 'pay it forward' in return for the many blessings he has received. He also owns Powerhouse Gym in Northeast Philadelphia. Oh yea, one more thing; HUGE Springsteen fan!