Faculty/Staff


Bryan Resendiz	Music Director and Drum Instructor Bryan Resendiz is a Music Director at the Highwood IL School. He will be teaching drums, and manage the ensemble rehearsals. Bryan is from Evanston, Illinois. His path through the world of rock 'n' roll began when Bryan got his first drum set in the 3rd grade. Bryan's musical inspiration came initially from his older sister's record collection of...	Read More
Gordon Patriarca	Music Director and Bass Instructor Bassist Gordon Patriarca has been a lifetime resident of Chicago. As a child in the 1960's a transistor radio was a constant companion (under the pillow at bedtime) this radio would be tuned to one of the AM powerhouses WLS or WCFL and the gloriously diverse Top-40 sounds were the soundtrack of his childhood. The physical relationship with the...	Read More
Stephanie Stahl	Vocal and Songwriting Instructor Singer/songwriter Stephanie Stahl, also known as Stella, is a vocal instructor, songwriting coach,and beginning guitar instructor. She is well versed in many instruments from drums to bass/guitar, flute to euphonium. Stephanie is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin but is currently studying music education and performance at Northeastern...	Read More
Michelle Hallman	Vocal Instructor Michelle Hallman performs, records, writes/arranges songs and tours with many different projects. She had been a working musician for a greater part of her life, and thrives in the live performance! She is a well versed singer perfecting a plethora of styles and genres. Even though she’s a rocker at heart, she has always loved...	Read More
Mac McNeilly	Drum Instructor Mac grew up in Atlanta, bursting onto the rock scene in 1970, while playing along to The Beatles’ WhiteAlbum on his toy drum. Upgrading to a full trap kit at the age of 12, his musical influences would cometo include everything the 70’s had to offer. Graduating from playing covers to writing original music,Mac helped form Atlanta art-rock...	Read More
Matt Berger	Guitar Instructor Chicago guitarist and composer Matt Berger demonstrates his technical prowess by featuring a unique blend of jazz, Indian Classical, rock and folk styles. Although raised by a classically-trained family, he was initially attracted to shred metal music. Drawn further to jazz music in his teenage years, he applied to Berklee College of Music...	Read More
Jared Rabin	Guitar Instructor Jared Rabin is a guitarist, violinist, mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer and teacher from Chicago. Born into a musical family, he started violin when he was 5 years old and played all over the world with a youth performance group. He has been performing and writing music professionally since graduating from DePaul University with a degree...	Read More
John Siegle	Guitar Instructor and Adult Rock Director John Siegle is a singer/songwriter who grew up in Peoria, Illinois. He learned to play guitar with high school buddies and was soon playing at dances and at local bars. John and some friends moved to the college town of Champaign-Urbana in the mid '70s. They formed the power-pop band SCREAMS. John started writing material for the group. SCREAMS...	Read More
Zach Kritzer	Guitar Instructor Zach Kritzer is a guitarist and songwriter based in Chicago. He will be completing his degree in Guitar Performance at Columbia College in Spring 2011. Zach’s diverse gigging experience ranges from playing in local venues such as the Empty Bottle and Cole’s with original rock groups to solo acoustic performances to jazz combos. He has over seven...	Read More
Mike Bruno	Drum Instructor Mike Bruno has been playing the drums professionally for nearly a decade. He has toured the United Sates with his original group Spare Parts for the past five years playing coast to coast. More recently he has played internationally at the Festival de Jazz in Peru and opened up for hip hop legend Snoop Dogg at the House of Blues in Chicago. Mike...	Read More
Bob Wolkotte	Guitar Instructor Bob has been playing guitar for over 30 years and professionally since the age of 12. He teaches all styles of music from jazz to classical to world music and of course, ROCK!! “I love all kinds of music but rock music is great because there’s so much you can do with it. Groups from Yes to Elvis to the Sex Pistols to the Police all fit under...	Read More
Grant Carlson	Guitar Instructor I have been playing guitar for almost 20 years now. I started taking piano lessons from my church's organist around age 5. At age 8, I received my first guitar which was a classical acoustic guitar. 3 years later, I got my first electric guitar, and I've been obsessed with electric guitars ever since. At this age, I was teaching myself...	Read More
Steve Kentala	Drum Instructor Stephen Kentala has been drumming most of his life. It all started in his parents' basement where his father’s band would rehearse. Showing an early curiosity about drums, six-year-old Steve would sit behind the drummer watching his every move, waiting for a break in the rehearsal to hop on the drum set. ...	Read More
Otto Roeser	Keyboard Instructor Otto Roeser has been studying piano & organ for 35 years and been teaching (primarily keyboards) for 15 years. He joined the School of Rock fold after performing with Gordon Patriarch of the Nightcallers, who later recruited him. Otto's performance experience runs the gamut from classical, rock, jazz, soul, reggae, funk & experimental...	Read More

Bryan Resendiz

Music Director and Drum Instructor

Bryan Resendiz is a Music Director at the Highwood IL School. He will be teaching drums, and manage the ensemble rehearsals. Bryan is from Evanston, Illinois. His path through the world of rock 'n' roll began when Bryan got his first drum set in the 3rd grade. Bryan's musical inspiration came initially from his older sister's record collection of...

Gordon Patriarca

Music Director and Bass Instructor

Bassist Gordon Patriarca has been a lifetime resident of Chicago. As a child in the 1960's a transistor radio was a constant companion (under the pillow at bedtime) this radio would be tuned to one of the AM powerhouses WLS or WCFL and the gloriously diverse Top-40 sounds were the soundtrack of his childhood. The physical relationship with the...

Stephanie Stahl

Vocal and Songwriting Instructor

Singer/songwriter Stephanie Stahl, also known as Stella, is a vocal instructor, songwriting coach,and beginning guitar instructor. She is well versed in many instruments from drums to bass/guitar, flute to euphonium. Stephanie is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin but is currently studying music education and performance at Northeastern...

Michelle Hallman

Vocal Instructor

Michelle Hallman performs, records, writes/arranges songs and tours with many different projects. She had been a working musician for a greater part of her life, and thrives in the live performance! She is a well versed singer perfecting a plethora of styles and genres. Even though she’s a rocker at heart, she has always loved...

Mac McNeilly

Drum Instructor

Mac grew up in Atlanta, bursting onto the rock scene in 1970, while playing along to The Beatles’ WhiteAlbum on his toy drum. Upgrading to a full trap kit at the age of 12, his musical influences would cometo include everything the 70’s had to offer. Graduating from playing covers to writing original music,Mac helped form Atlanta art-rock...

Matt Berger

Guitar Instructor

Chicago guitarist and composer Matt Berger demonstrates his technical prowess by featuring a unique blend of jazz, Indian Classical, rock and folk styles. Although raised by a classically-trained family, he was initially attracted to shred metal music. Drawn further to jazz music in his teenage years, he applied to Berklee College of Music...

Jared Rabin

Guitar Instructor

Jared Rabin is a guitarist, violinist, mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer and teacher from Chicago. Born into a musical family, he started violin when he was 5 years old and played all over the world with a youth performance group. He has been performing and writing music professionally since graduating from DePaul University with a degree...

John Siegle

Guitar Instructor and Adult Rock Director

John Siegle is a singer/songwriter who grew up in Peoria, Illinois. He learned to play guitar with high school buddies and was soon playing at dances and at local bars. John and some friends moved to the college town of Champaign-Urbana in the mid '70s. They formed the power-pop band SCREAMS. John started writing material for the group. SCREAMS...

Zach Kritzer

Guitar Instructor

Zach Kritzer is a guitarist and songwriter based in Chicago. He will be completing his degree in Guitar Performance at Columbia College in Spring 2011. Zach’s diverse gigging experience ranges from playing in local venues such as the Empty Bottle and Cole’s with original rock groups to solo acoustic performances to jazz combos. He has over seven...

Mike Bruno

Drum Instructor

Mike Bruno has been playing the drums professionally for nearly a decade. He has toured the United Sates with his original group Spare Parts for the past five years playing coast to coast. More recently he has played internationally at the Festival de Jazz in Peru and opened up for hip hop legend Snoop Dogg at the House of Blues in Chicago. Mike...

Bob Wolkotte

Guitar Instructor

Bob has been playing guitar for over 30 years and professionally since the age of 12. He teaches all styles of music from jazz to classical to world music and of course, ROCK!! “I love all kinds of music but rock music is great because there’s so much you can do with it. Groups from Yes to Elvis to the Sex Pistols to the Police all fit under...

Grant Carlson

Guitar Instructor

I have been playing guitar for almost 20 years now. I started taking piano lessons from my church's organist around age 5. At age 8, I received my first guitar which was a classical acoustic guitar. 3 years later, I got my first electric guitar, and I've been obsessed with electric guitars ever since. At this age, I was teaching myself...

Steve Kentala

Drum Instructor

Stephen Kentala has been drumming most of his life. It all started in his parents' basement where his father’s band would rehearse. Showing an early curiosity about drums, six-year-old Steve would sit behind the drummer watching his every move, waiting for a break in the rehearsal to hop on the drum set. ...

Otto Roeser

Keyboard Instructor

Otto Roeser has been studying piano & organ for 35 years and been teaching (primarily keyboards) for 15 years. He joined the School of Rock fold after performing with Gordon Patriarch of the Nightcallers, who later recruited him. Otto's performance experience runs the gamut from classical, rock, jazz, soul, reggae, funk & experimental...

Highwood School of Rock