Our Experienced Music Teachers
All of School of Rock Watertown’s music teachers are experienced musicians devoted to helping students attain musical proficiency. Our instructors guide students one-on-one to personalize learning, inspire confidence and build social skills.
Mike Woods Guitar Teacher
Although most notably known as the lead guitarist for the band Damone, Mike Woods was also the primary songwriter and co-producer on their critically acclaimed and commercially successful album, "Out Here All Night," as well as the follow-up record, "Roll the Dice." He has shared stages and recording studios with a large variety of successful artists, such as Andrew W.K., Candlebox, The All-American Rejects, and Juliet Simms to name a few. He has had his music featured in movies, television and video games. He is currently a guitar teacher at School of Rock Watertown.
Sebastian Kossak Drum Teacher
Sebastian Kossak started playing drums while working on his bachelor’s degree at Manchester University in the UK. Inspired by the music of The Stranglers, Flamin' Groovies and Eddie and the Hotrods, Sebastian relocated to Boston in the early 1980s and started playing with new wave bands at venues like The Rathskeller in Kenmore Square, Cantones and CBGBs in New York. Sebastian has worked with many Boston classic rock bands, blues bands and original artists, like Mike Nolan, Paul McQuaid and Conrad Warre. Sebastian has a love affair with the blues and jazz and works with his drum students as a drum teacher at School of Rock Watertown to gain an appreciation for and fluency in music forms such as Afro-Cuban, Latin, reggae and rock.
Chris Narainen Drum Teacher
Chris Narainen is from Mauritius, a little tropical island in the Indian Ocean. Self-taught since age 11, he played regularly in many rock/metal/fusion/prog rock bands growing up, and recorded numerous EPs. He simultaneously managed to go to college for Management and Finance, and as a result ended up transferring from the University of Mauritius to UMass Boston. Chris has played with numerous musical projects in Boston, including Blue Boy Productions, Veneer, Misty Blue Jazz, Rack 'Em Let's Go, The Thunder Squad, The MadMauritian and Jazz First.
Chris has a hands-on approach to teaching and enjoys preparing students for performance. Having been with School of Rock Watertown since the summer of 2013 as a drum teacher, Chris looks forward to strengthening and building the new era of modern drummers.
Matt Sullivan Guitar Teacher
Matt Sullivan started playing guitar at the age of 12, and after high school he attended Musicians Institute, a private college of contemporary music in Los Angeles. He's had the pleasure of studying with instructors like Danny Gill, Scott Henderson and Joe Diorio, and has attended seminars with Joe Diorio, Al DiMeola and Steve Vai. Since graduating, he's taught music in Massachusetts for 21 years. He's done session work, international touring and plenty of local gigs, including the Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra. He is a guitar teacher at School of Rock Watertown.
Richa Saran Guitar Teacher, Piano Teacher, Vocal Instructor
Richa Saran is a singer, pianist and guitar player hailing from Michigan and is a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music. In addition to teaching guitar, piano and vocals at School of Rock Watertown, Richa is the lead singer/songwriter and rhythm guitarist of a local alt/punk rock band named Why Try? that regularly gigs around Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. Despite starting out as a classical Indian vocalist, Richa's current musical inspirations and styles come from punk, metal, classic rock and even musical theatre. In upcoming news, Richa's band Why Try? will be recording a full-length album.