Sarah Bryant General Manager
Our lovely Sarah is a native of middle Tennessee and attended Belmont University, graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Music - Voice principle, with an emphasis in Music Business. Sarah was exposed to rock music by her father at a young age, and she has been very passionate about music throughout her life. She began taking classical vocal lessons in early high school and proceeded to take lessons throughout her college career. Sarah's main genre of vocals is rock, and she is also trained in and greatly enjoys jazz, pop and musical theater. Her piano experience started when she was eight years old, and she continued taking lessons throughout high school and college.
Music continues to surround Sarah outside of School of Rock as she writes new music with her bandmates, plays keys and is a co-vocalist in a rock band here in Nashville. She also frequents many concerts and music festivals with her friends and family around the country.
Sarah serves as our General Manager at School of Rock, continuing three years as part of the School of Rock family. Sarah’s top priority is that students can call School of Rock their second home and family, while learning to be the best they can be.
Angie McCreight Owner
Angie has loved music her entire life. One of her earliest memories is listening to artists like Elvis Presley, Elton John and more with her parents as a toddler. Angie started singing at the age of five, joining her church choir at the age of eight. In middle school, Angie was a member of the Ketron Singers who performed at the World's Fair in Knoxville, TN and continued to develop her vocal skills with private lessons. Angie continued to perform in high school with her jazz band and performed in the Tennessee All-State Choir, as well as at the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts.
Angie continued her vocal training in college and participated in activities that allowed her to continue to perform. She went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Medical Technology and worked in pharmaceutical research for over 20 years. In 2011, after leaving her career in the pharmaceutical industry, she and her husband Kelly decided to open the first School of Rock in Tennessee in the Franklin/Cool Springs area and opened the Nashville location two years later. Angie is very passionate about providing this outlet for young musicians and has also seen her own children participate in the program and become School of Rock AllStars. Every day is a gift when she sees the students get excited about their music and performing in live music venues, even when they get excited about just being in the building.
Cole Thannisch Music Director, Vocal Instructor
Cole Thannisch is a graduate of Belmont University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commercial Music. Playing piano since the age of four, guitar since the age of 11 and singing since the age of 14, Cole has spent the vast majority of his life as a performer in several capacities. He garnered years of experience working as a vocalist, instrumentalist, accompanist, teacher, band director, composer, artist and producer on stage and in studios. Cole’s life revolves around music 24/7.
Beginning as a voice teacher in the spring of 2016, Cole first directed the Warped Tour Show in Summer 2017 and went on to become School of Rock Nashville’s Music Director in October 2017. Cole’s mission is simple - to drive School of Rock’s program forward to become an elite performance program for young, aspiring musicians in Music City while using real-world examples and experience to prepare students for the life of a working musician. He is also a vocal instructor at School of Rock Nashville.
Amberly Winfrey Vocal Instructor
Amberly Winfrey is a singer, songwriter and teacher from Cincinnati, OH. With church musicians for parents, gospel music was her first experience with singing. Outside of church, she was exposed to funk, soul and R&B. In her early teens, Amberly began taking voice lessons and singing in choirs. In a search for “heavier” sounding music, she discovered her love for rock.
At Northern Kentucky University, Amberly received a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance. For four years she was a member of the NKU Chamber Choir and NKU Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Both ensembles competed regionally and internationally, including in gold and silver medal performances at the 2012 World Choir Games. She also performed as part of NKU’s Opera Workshop, R&B Combo I and JusTones New Music Ensemble. In 2017, she received her Master of Music in Commercial Voice Performance at Belmont University.
Outside of school, Amberly sang in funk, jazz, Top 40 cover and soul bands, and participated in community theater productions. Her love of music, combined with her love for teaching, is something Amberly has found joy in for years. She has taught a wide range of students with a very diverse range of musical interests, and continues to pursue diverse musical experiences in her own writing and performance. She encourages her students to do the same. She is a vocal instructor at School of Rock Nashville.
Anna Kline Vocal Instructor, Piano Teacher
Anna Kline is a singer/songwriter and graduate of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music. While receiving her bachelors in Commercial Music Production she maintained a full studio of piano and vocal students. In addition, she has written and released her own debut EP titled "Undone," and a 10-track, multi-genre kids album for Cincinnati non-profit Clever Crazes. Most weekends you can find Anna singing at corporate/wedding events, or sharing her own music at local writers rounds. She is a piano teacher and vocal instructor at School of Rock Nashville.
Drew Kohl Bass Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher
Drew is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He has taught lessons on piano, bass, acoustic and electric guitar for over nine years. He graduated with honors from the guitar program at the Atlanta Institute of Music. He was also accepted into the classical piano and music composition program at the University of Georgia. After studying at UGA he moved to Nashville, TN to pursue songwriting, performing and teaching.
Drew enjoys teaching beginners of all styles and intermediate to advance students on songwriting, music theory, rock, indie, folk, bluegrass and country styles. He has studied and transcribed songs from a variety of artists for students including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and CCR, as well as contemporary bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, The Avett Brothers, Ryan Adams and Modest Mouse to name a few. He enjoys working with students and helping them play the songs they love.
Drew Mechler Drum Teacher
Drew Mechler is new to the School of Rock Nashville staff but has been a member of the School of Rock family for quite some time now. Having played drums for most of his life, he jumped right into the Performance Program at age 12 at School of Rock Somerville in New Jersey, quickly joining the House Band soon after. He was a member of the school until he graduated and became a drum teacher for them in 2016. He then left for Tennessee to pursue a degree in Music Business with an emphasis in Audio Production. Drew’s many inspirations span everywhere from modern progressive rock icons Matt Garstka and Tosin Abasi of Animals as Leaders and Matt Halpern of Periphery, to pop and hip-hop artists such as Twenty-One Pilots and Logic. Drew currently plays in his band Ambrose, who just released their debut full-length LP entitled “Adama.” He is a drum teacher at School of Rock Nashville.
John O'Brien Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
John O'Brien has spent most of his life making music. At the age of 10, he began learning the saxophone and started playing music through school programs. Picking up guitar by the age of 13, he knew that music would always be an important part of his life and sought out every opportunity to perform. School programs provided performance opportunities in wind ensembles, jazz ensembles, marching bands, pep bands, pit orchestras, jazz combos, show choir combos and saxophone quartets. Still needing more, John would form his own bands outside of school. These bands would emphasize original material and range in styles from blues and jazz to rock, pop and metal. Over the years he’s played hundreds of shows all over the Midwest, recorded several albums, and had his music played on commercial radio stations in Chicago and elsewhere.
Nathan Aronowitz Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher
Nathan is a multi-instrumentalist from Rogers, Arkansas whose roots are in blues and gospel music. Throughout high school, Nathan performed on the weekends with his band Nathan A. Blues, playing local music festivals such as Bikes Blues and Barbecue, Highberry and the Eureka Springs Blues Festival.
Since moving to Nashville to pursue a Commercial Piano degree at Belmont University, Nathan has backed numerous artists in the area and actively plays with his own progressive funk band, Down Boy. Nathan resided as the Minister of Music for Progressive Missionary Baptist Church from 2014-2018, has taught at various music academies throughout the years and is now a proud member of the School of Rock family.
Noah Miller Drum Teacher
Noah started playing drums at the age of 13. He grew up in New York City and then later moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia where he went to the Main Line School of Rock. He participated in the house band and eventually became a School of Rock AllStar. He attended Belmont University, graduating in 2018 with a degree in Commercial Percussion with emphasis in the Music Business. Noah's favorite bands are Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Tool and Jimi Hendrix.
Luke Fiadino Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Luke Fiadino is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and music theory enthusiast from Philadelphia, PA. He was introduced to music was when he was eight years old and began classical and jazz upright bass lessons, which aided him in learning other instruments and developing an understanding of music theory. He moved to Nashville, TN in 2016 and is currently a senior at Belmont University, studying music business and education. Luke is a guitar teacher, bass guitar teacher and piano teacher at School of Rock Nashville, but also plays trombone, tuba and cello. Luke is the lead guitarist and composer for the progressive rock band Ambrose, but also has experience playing in orchestras and jazz ensembles. His main influences include Animals As Leaders, Deftones and John Coltrane. In his free time, Luke enjoys practicing guitar, eating great food and playing Xbox.
Callie Huffman Studio Coordinator
Callie Huffman began working with School of Rock during the summer of 2017 in North Carolina and is thrilled to be a part of School of Rock Nashville. She graduated in May of 2018 from the University of North Carolina Charlotte with her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. Callie has been surrounded by a variety of musical influences from a young age, including her mother, who is a world-traveled soprano in opera and classical music. Callie is a singer/songwriter who has performed throughout the Charlotte region and released her own debut EP, as well as through the United States, Denmark and Sweden with the Davidson United Methodist Church choir. While not running the front desk, Callie enjoys going to concerts and going hiking with her puppy. She is our Studio Coordinator.
Brian Nhira Vocal Instructor
It was at an event on the rural countryside of Oklahoma where Brian Nhira made his surprising musical debut. As he recalls, he was just four years old on that beautiful summer day when his parents lovingly pushed him onto a stage and told him to sing for a small group of spectators that had gathered. Though initially shy with a bit of stage fright, Nhira faced his fears and he has never looked back.
During Nhira's college experience his music and online videos started gaining recognition, which led to an invitation to audition for the Emmy Award-winning NBC show "The Voice." For his blind audition Nhira sang the global smash hit song "Happy," originally written and performed by Pharrell Williams, and subsequently chose Williams to be his coach on the show. Nhira successfully navigated his way to the live rounds of the nationally televised talent competition by captivating audiences, and the coaches alike, with electric performances of top 40 hits, including "Sugar" by Maroon 5," Grenade" by Bruno Mars and "Alive" by Sia.
Nhira’s recent music has charted on the Global Top 100 Pop Songs chart and his creatively produced music videos have racked up over 70 million views, with hit songs “Would You Still Love Me?” and “Til Death Do Us Part,” to name a few. As Nhira continues to write, record and release new music he also regularly performs in countless venues around the world and at events including concerts and festivals, among others. Nhira was recently awarded the Zimbabwe Achievers Award for Excellence in Music, was nominated as one of the Best Performing Acts by the AFRIMA awards, and he was also named one of the Tulsans of the Year by the Tulsa World News Organization.
Nhira's goal is to be a catalyst of hope through the medium of music, with one of his methods being music outreaches. Over the years he has been able to inspire and motivate thousands of students across the country and around the world with the simple message that it's possible for them to achieve their dreams. His signature outreach, called The Backpack Project, has donated thousands of backpacks to students in underserved communities. He is a vocal instructor at School of Rock Nashville.
Sara Keden Guitar Teacher, Bass Guitar Teacher
Sara Keden is an electric bass player, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter living in Nashville. She is a 2019 graduate of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Professional Studies. Her degree included a focus in music therapy, as well as minors in psychology, music business and songwriting. Prior to college, Sara’s entire music education consisted of School of Rock. She attended School of Rock Fairfield in Connecticut for eight years, and she was a four-time School of Rock AllStar. Sara loves teaching music to people of all ages and backgrounds. She is a guitar teacher and bass guitar teacher at School of Rock Nashville.
Bryan Royals SINGING AND KEYBOARD TEACHER
Bryan is a voice and piano instructor who has been passionate about music, performing, and the arts from an early age. This Alabama native holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Mobile where he studied voice and musical theater. He attended the International Performing Arts Institute in Germany before moving to Orlando, Florida where he had the opportunity to do session recording and performing in various places such as Walt Disney World and professional theater. Bryan has had the opportunity to perform in the Orlando area, around the country, and abroad, but he is continuing his career in Nashville while pouring into the lives of artists young and old, helping them develop their talents and gifts in music.
K.C. Harris Guitar Teacher
K.C. Harris moved to Nashville in 2018 to continue pursuing a career in music. He graduated from Berklee College of Music earlier the same year with a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Music, with focuses on music business and American roots music. His music combines aspects of his favorite genres, including: rock and roll, country, jazz, bluegrass, and others. K.C. attended School of Rock in Vista, California from age 11 through high school, and is a first hand witness to what this program can do for someone that is passionate about music.
Marcus Wanner Guitar, bass guitar, keyboard and drum teacher
Born in Nashville, Marcus is from a family of musicians and began playing music at a young age. He plays guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums. After attending Nashville School of the Arts for high school, he completed a degree in Jazz Studies on guitar at MTSU, alongside additional studies in composition, orchestration, and arranging. In addition to regularly performing, Marcus has an avid passion for audio engineering, both live and in the studio. He owns a studio in East Nashville where he frequently records and produces for clients from all genres. Much of his time is devoted to his band Slider.