Maddie Barber General Manager
Maddie started out at School of Rock Memphis at the young age of 12, where she was always being influenced by jazz, blues, country and the ever-classic rock n' roll of Memphis in the early 2000s. When she made her way to Texas in 2013 she found herself living down the street from School of Rock Frisco, and she performed her way through high school.
Though a classical vocalist at the core, Maddie's tried several other instruments, including guitar, bass and piano. Now she works at the front desk while going to college and simultaneously working on some music-related side projects. She’s hoping to eventually become an elementary school teacher due to her passion for kids and education. She is our Assistant General Manager at School of Rock Frisco.
Joey Kukura Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Joey started learning the guitar because he was fascinated with the sounds that it made in all of the rock songs that his dad exposed him to as a kid. He started plucking around on his dad’s guitar when he was eight and shortly after his dad decided to show him how to play a few chords. His early influences included classic rock artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. From there he branched out into various other styles of music, eventually starting a progressive metal band and playing bass in orchestras. After deciding to study music in college he left his home in Knoxville, TN to join the jazz guitar studio at UNT, where he is currently working on his bachelor's degree. He’s now playing in various groups in the DFW area in styles ranging from pop to free jazz.
George Welder Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Drum Teacher
With over 25 years of industry experience, George C. Welder combines a little Southern charm with a Midwestern work ethic and a whole lot of universal talent. From local bar bands to nationally touring acts, George has a wide range of experience on multiple instruments in a variety of genres. A drummer by trade, he is also a guitarist, bassist and vocalist. George has played with major headliners including Bret Michaels and Zwarte, and at stadium festivals including Moondance Jam and Daytona Bike Week. George is featured on several studio releases as a drummer and also stars in the feature film “Road to Sturgis.” Other credits include regional variety bands playing rock, country and blues, like Junk, 7Tall and Fully Loaded. Most recently he joined on with American Petty, a tribute to Tom Petty.
Saxon Lewis Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Singing Teacher
Born and raised in northeastern Oklahoma, Saxon started learning music at the young age of eight. Like his father before him, he started out as, and remains today, a brass musician. Like many musicians, however, he picked up many other instruments as the years went by starting with bass, then guitar, and recently vocals. Saxon came from a very classical style background that spread to tastes in jazz and rock 'n' roll.
After high school, Saxon earned a scholarship for his musical ability and attended college at The University of Nevada at Las Vegas. There he earned a bachelor's degree in Music Performance. UNLV gave Saxon many diverse and interesting opportunities to perform. Some notable things included performing with a marching band at the Electric Daisy Carnival, performing on two of the UNLV Wind Orchestra's albums, founding a progressive rock band called Habit and traveling to Austria to perform internationally with his tuba quartet.
After graduating, Saxon moved to Dallas to work and experience new things. There he discovered School of Rock and has been hooked ever since. When Saxon is not teaching at School of Rock, he writes, records and performs in multiple bands in the DFW area. He plays guitar and sings in bands such as Ether After and No One's Watching. He plays bass in bands such as Astro Veil, Post Palace and Bad James.
Collin Wiese Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher
An alumni of School of Rock Frisco, Collin has been playing at the Vault for over six years now. While he was a student, Collin learned to play guitar, bass, and keys, and he even dabbled in singing and drums. He also pursued the saxophone throughout high school and college. Now he spends his time playing music and working on his own personal music projects. Currently, he’s putting his love of 80s music to good use and pursuing a couple of different cover band projects.
Brack Cantrell Bass Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher, Singing Teacher
Brack Cantrell hails from the streets of Fort Worth, where he learned to love and appreciate music from an early age. A friend’s acoustic guitar sparked his initial interest, and after learning a few power chords and cover tunes he began writing music of his own. His formative years were spent recording lengthy bedroom improv jams and playing with one mediocre garage band after another. In high school, a few of his projects found mild success and he was able to tour nationally for some time before eventually attending the University of North Texas and earning a BA in Music.
In college, Brack spent time not only playing with a number of bands and projects, but also recording and producing local bands, which he continues to do today. In fact, recording became a significant part of his musical career. He has released a large amount of diverse solo material over the years under various monikers, some of which have been licensed to TV and film. Brack considers himself lucky to have taught some extremely talented, passionate kids and has been working at School of Rock Frisco since 2011.
Adam Nelson Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher
Adam Nelson was born and raised in the DFW area and grew up listening to a mix of classic and alternative rock. Adam began taking piano lessons when he was only five. After playing consistently for 10 years, he decided to learn the guitar and bass as well. Soon enough he started his first band with some friends.
Since then, Adam has performed in numerous rock bands and has even gone on several DIY tours to promote his bands' music. He enjoys performing music more than anything else and continues to be inspired by the positive power of musical collaboration and the magic of improvisation.
Steven Guckenheimer Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Steven was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He has been surrounded by music his entire life. His dad was a touring musician for years who played drums for numerous bands including The Four Seasons, and his mom is a music teacher. He started on drums, but shortly after switched to guitar.
He co-founded and continues to play in the touring band Prophets and Outlaws. Steven’s brother is the drummer, and he met the lead singer in high school. Steven has been performing since he was 13, and he has always loved the interaction between an audience and a band. He writes many of the songs performed by Prophets and Outlaws and co-produces their records.
Steven started teaching guitar at age 16, when his guitar teacher started giving him students of his own. Steven loves sharing the gift of music with others through teaching and performing.
Marisa Saltzgiver Drum Teacher
Marisa Saltzgiver has been playing drums for over 17 years. She was section leader her senior year of high school and played on the snare line for six years. She also played in the school's concert bands, orchestras, jazz bands and percussion ensembles. Marisa has played at over 100 different venues/events, including House of Blues and Cowboy's Stadium with Sherill Douglas (international celebrity impersonator). She toured in LA and Colorado with Nate Hancock and the Declaration a few years back.
She currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and works at School of Rock Frisco as a drums teacher. She plays in an original indie rock girl band called The Roommates, a cover band named Radio Love Bus and a Rage Against The Machine tribute band called Rip the System.
Conner Johnson Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher, Vocal Instructor
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Conner Johnson started his venture into the world of music through singing in garage rock bands he formed with some friends from school. One of these friends would later introduce him to School of Rock Austin, where he would eventually enroll as a student. It was at the Austin school where Conner picked up bass and guitar as instruments alongside his passion for singing. During his time spent at School of Rock Austin, Conner was a part of his high school's choir program, which is where he first began studying classical style voice. By his senior year, he was singing in three different choirs on top of singing solos, and performed with School of Rock Austin's House Band. Conner currently studies at the University of North Texas and happily is a guitar teacher, bass guitar teacher and vocal instructor at School of Rock Frisco.
Tessa Newman Piano Teacher, Vocal Instructor
Tessa Newman is a Chicago-based actress and musician, earning her Vocal Performance degree from the University of North Texas. With over a decade of musical theatre experience and classical training, she focuses on building a versatile technique for her students that will last a lifetime. She hopes to help her students find their own voice and create a comfortable environment for musical expression, challenge and growth. She studies classical and contemporary voice with Molly Fillmore of the Metropolitan Opera. Resumé highlights include Louisa U/S in "The Sound of Music" at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde" at Theatre on the Hill and Tanya in "All We Had" (official selection at the Cannes Film Festival). She was recently awarded the Melody Claire Hall scholarship for classical voice.
In addition to teaching and performing, Tessa has significant experience caring for children of all ages and abilities. Offstage you can find Tessa on a run, playing board games with her friends or with her nose in a book. She is a vocal instructor and piano teacher at School of Rock Frisco.