Jason Fein
Owner
Jason's musical journey started very early. He started piano lessons at the age of seven and it wasn't long after that he decided he wanted to learn how to play the guitar. Still not feeling like he had found his true musical calling he decided to give his school chorus a try when he entered high school. Things started moving fast from there. He formed his first band as the lead singer and by the time he graduated high school he went away to college on a vocal performance scholarship. While in college he formed his first touring band called Next Best Thing. They had some success including two albums and a song placed in a very popular motorcycle DVD that pressed over 500,000 copies.
After college NBT broke up and Jason was left searching for a new musical outlet. Little did he know he would soon find it in multiple forms. He co-founded The Run Around. In the ten years The Run Around has been together they have played shows all across this country, sold thousands of albums, have a successful music video and shared the stage with such national acts as Tom Petty, Bowling For Soup, Local H, Blues Traveler, Alien Ant Farm, Mest, Head Automatica, Lucky Boys Confusion, Nine Days, Gavin Degraw and many, many more. In the midst of all this, Jason was hired on as a vocal instructor at another School of Rock in the area. It wasn't long before he was recognized for his ability to direct and put on an impressive live show and was asked to direct the performance program. From there he went on to be the General Manager.
He learned that he loved the School of Rock mission and everything it represented and decided he wanted to make School of Rock his life. Geneva has always been a favorite town of his and just minutes away from where he grew up so he thought it was a great place to set up shop and start the next great chapter of his life. He can't wait to help mold the next generation of rock n' roll royalty.
Brandy Boska
Regional Manager
Brandy is the Regional Manager of the School of Rock locations in Geneva, Plainfield, and Schaumburg, Illinois! She began music very young and continued her keys and vocal studies through college. She attended Loyola University Chicago where she studied English Literature, Classical Voice, and Opera Vocal Performance.
Brandy has a wide variety of musical tastes but Tom Petty will always be her favorite. You can often find her singing show tunes to herself for fun. She believes in the program wholeheartedly and can't wait for her children to be old enough to join in the magic!
Fun Fact: She is not your typical Muggle.
Tracy Leggett
General Manager
Initially coming to School of Rock Geneva by way of School of Rock Plainfield as the former Studio Coordinator, Tracy is undeniably excited to serve School of Rock Geneva as the General Manager! To say music flows through her blood is quite an understatement, as she is a fourth-generation musician on her mother’s side and a sixth-generation musician on her father’s side. Her earliest memory of music was plunking out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on the piano at the age of 3.
After years of studying orchestral percussion, trombone, tuba, baritone, as well as trumpet, Tracy studied applied music (opera) at Southern Illinois University and re-established the Epsilon Kappa chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon International Co-Ed Music Fraternity.
If ever you want to stop by the front office to chat about music or even need to hear some words of encouragement, her door is open!
Bailey Poczos
Music Director, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano and Vocal Teacher
Bailey is School of Rock Geneva's Music Director, as well as a multi-instrumentalist instructor teaching guitar, voice, bass, and piano. She sings and plays guitar for an indie rock band called Johnny Personne, and has played with various bands and groups ranging from punk to classical to rock. Some of her recent bands include Joy Shooters (guitar) and The 48s (vocals).
Bailey grew up with both classical and practical training, taking private lessons in guitar, viola and violin, and was raised in an orchestral program at ECC. She has enjoyed her last five years teaching and directing at School of Rock, and can't imagine doing anything else!
Allyson Smith
Studio Coordinator
Allyson Smith is School of Rock Geneva’s Studio Coordinator, where she combines her eye for detail with her love of music. Allyson graduated from Northern Illinois University where she studied music performance. As a multi-instrumentalist, Allyson performs and teaches trumpet, ukulele, and piano, with experience in classical, jazz, and electronic music.
Daniel Covarrubias
Guitar and Bass Guitar Teacher
Dan first became interested in music when he listened to his siblings’ cd collection of Alternative rock. He was drawn to the variety of music he was hearing from video games. He was always humming tunes he heard and making his own. He began making his own music using Garageband. By the end of high school Dan had about ten full length albums of songs he wrote himself, based on his personal experiences. He wrote music as my way to express his own way of doing things.
Dan’s dad and brother In-law inspired him to take those accapella-riff styled songs to the guitar and practice techniques to build speed and memorize the guitar neck. Eventually he started playing his own shows and singing, sometimes even with a loop-pedal! He began to study Music Theory, and chart building and sight reading became more and more natural. Soon he was pulling off shows for Geneva’s Art Guild, Open Mics weekly, fundraisers, and joining a handful of cover bands and original rock bands.
Dan has been a guitar teacher and a bass teacher at School of Rock Geneva since our opening in 2015. Breaking down songs and feeling the uniqueness and togetherness of each part has always been his thing; and watching his students improve over the time has been fulfilling.
Peter Aburto
Vocal Teacher, Piano Teacher
Ever since he first heard songs on the radio, Peter has loved music. He began his musical journey on the trombone, and played through college, adding new instruments along the way. Peter graduated from Northern Illinois University, focusing his time on Music Performance. He has competed nationally with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, and hopes to inspire his love of music in others.
Arick Coggins
Drum Teacher
A native of the local area, Arick has been a drummer for 20 years. Arick brings with him an abundance of knowledge to get the students where they want to be as drummers. He currently plays for a local church along with community choirs, studio sessions, and gigs at local bars. Arick is truly passionate about student success and guarantees each student will walk away with something new each session. Arick’s goal is to show the students how to perfect their craft and improve their technique, preparing them for the next level!
Andrew Schneider
Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Vocal Teacher
Andrew Schneider has been teaching and performing professionally for a decade. He went to Millikin University for his undergraduate degree and majored in Commercial Music and then went to graduate school at Northern Illinois University where he specialized in Studio Music and Audio Engineering.
As a singer, Andrew has a strong background in performing various types of music from jazz, blues, and rock to musical theater, classical, folk, and pop. He has also performed as a Bass II in the elite professional choral ensemble Cor Contiamo and can teach any student any style of music they are interested in.
As a pianist, Andrew specializes in performing jazz, blues, and rock and teaches his students how to improvise in these styles. He also has a strong background in music theory and music literacy for students interested in learning how to read and fully understand the music they are performing.
Chase Szorc
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Chase Szorc is an accomplished guitarist and a dedicated educator who brings a unique perspective to his students. Chase is passionate about helping guitarists excel. He has taught lessons to players of all ages and skill levels.
Whether it is classical guitar, acoustic, electric, or bass guitar, Chase's musical excellence and practical teaching approach make him a true mentor to all of his students. His dedication to both music and education shines through and he is incredibly proud to be part of the School of Rock community in Geneva, IL.
Neema Zardkoohi
Drum Teacher, Keyboard + Piano Teacher, Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Neema is a jazz, blues, and rock musician! He has had professional training and plays these styles on the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and piano. He can adjust his teaching style per student to allow for advanced and simplified techniques, focusing on keeping the main elements constant and accurate, such as melody, rhythm, and harmony.
Neema has over 15 years of experience performing and teaching music. He puts time and effort into teaching and sharing the gift of music.
Cory Nicolin
Drum Teacher
Cory has been playing drums for over two decades! He found his passion for drumming at a young age when he got his first drum set for Christmas. His brother was learning to play the guitar and he wanted to be in a band with him. He learned the introduction to "Bawitdaba" by Kid Rock and hasn't stopped since.
Cory has been in bands of almost all genres and has had the privilege of learning from some of the greatest over the years. He currently plays for the band Embers Rise, a modern rock band that has been around for nearly two years and has released three original singles. Most recently, he took the opportunity to fill in on the drums for the band Lines of Loyalty during the first half of their tour with Pop Evil. Cory says, "It was an amazing and unforgettable learning experience that has really sparked my desire to help other drummers build up their skill set as much as possible."
Allison Gorton
Vocal Teacher
Allison fell in love with singing when she was young, after going to see musicals in her hometown. She grew up performing in musicals and choir before getting her bachelor's degree in Theatre from Michigan State University, where she also sang in a vocal jazz ensemble.
After moving to Chicago, Allison graduated from Second City’s Music Improv Conservatory and has taught musical theatre and voice to kids in the city while she performed in many sketch, improv, and musicals in Chicago. On the side, she also is a voice-over artist. Allison's passion for music is something she loves to share with kids, and hopes she can inspire them!
John Stenger
Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
John is a guitarist with a background in rock, alternative, and indie music. Although the guitar is his main instrument, he has been playing music for over 15 years and has some experience with drums, keyboards, and bass guitar.
When he was growing up, John took piano lessons for a few years before focusing his effort on being a percussionist in the band at school. While playing in the concert and marching band in high school, his interest shifted to alternative rock and he began focusing on guitar, bass guitar, and drum set.
John has played in many rock bands since school and has been honing his craft on guitar, singing, and songwriting. He currently writes and performs with the indie rock band The Darling Suns in which he plays guitar and synth.