Staff & Music Teachers at Bach to Rock Mount Pleasant

Brad D - Brad has been playing the guitar since the age of 13 and has been chasing the "rock and roll" dream ever since. Over the past thirty years he has performed in a multitude of bands covering a wide variety of musical styles including rock, jazz, folk, and country. His Irish Rock band was the first American band to win the Songs for Peace Contest in Cork, Ireland and was named Artist of the Year by the Irish Voice in New York City. Brad's undergraduate degree is in Theater and his Masters Degree is in Nonprofit Arts Administration. He believes that his background in music performance and business administration has offered him "the chops" to make B2R, Mount Pleasant a huge success. Brad says, "Some of the greatest moments in my life have taken place while I was either performing, teaching, or listening to music. I've decided to become the Director of B2R Mount Pleasant because I want to offer as many students as possible the opportunity to experience firsthand the magic of making music. Bach to Rock offers a great teaching method in a fun learning environment where everyone can be a star."

Samuel S - Sam is the Director at Bach to Rock, Mount Pleasant. In addition, he teaches piano, Kids N Keys and coaches bands. Sam began playing piano as a teenager. Sam has played shows in Nashville, New York City, and all over the Carolinas. Some of his favorite venues he has played in are The Bitter End and Sidewalk Café in New York, Mercy Lounge and the Basement in Nashville, The Pour House and the Music Farm in Charleston. Sam spent time in Tijuana, Mexico in a program called Hope Song, where he played music as a part of music therapy for cancer patients. He has written music with string players who have performed with some well-known names such as Ben Folds, Dolly Parton and Jason Mraz. Sam has created scores to a few independent films and has played music that has aired on the radio in Nashville and Charleston.

Justice M - Justice is the assistant director at B2R. She teaches ukulele, early childhood classes, and works the front desk throughout the week. Justice enjoys creating art and went to the SC Governors School of the Arts for writing. During her time in school, she partook in plays and musicals such as Sleepy Hollow and Shrek the Musical. At home, she indulges in fantasy book series and digital art. At Bach to Rock, she wants to teach students how to have fun with music.

Ansley H - Ansley is a senior from Clemson University, teaching the Rock City camps this summer. Ansley is a Performing Arts major with an emphasis in Music. She has been taking voice lessons and singing for a little over 10 years and has been performing every chance she gets! At Clemson she is in the CU Singers men’s and women’s choir as well as, Takenote, the all-female a cappella group. Her passion for music and performing started when she was very young, being able to tell a story through a song is something Ansley admires the most about music. Some of her favorite types of songs to perform are musical pieces such as from “Wicked” or opera pieces by Schubert or Bellini. Ansley wants all camp members to enjoy learning about music in an expressive and collaborative environment!

Ben A - Ben is a graduate of Montreat College. He earned a Bachelor’s in Music with a concentration in Vocal Performance. He is continuing his vocal training in opera as a tenor. Ben has experience performing as a vocalist in classic rock, pop, metal, musical theatre, and opera productions. He also enjoys writing original songs and choir compositions. He is proficient in the guitar, bass, piano, drums, and ukulele. He participated in the Montreat College Choir as first tenor, while also filling in for various church choirs in Asheville, NC. In his free time, Ben enjoys hiking, kayaking, and reading.

Blake Z - Blake is a multi-Instrumentalist from Charlotte, NC who teaches guitar, piano, voice, and drums at Bach To Rock. Blake studied at Berklee College Of Music in Boston, MA before moving to Charleston and has played professionally in bands and as a singer/songwriter since his teenage years. He is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the newly founded Rock band Electric Sparrows and previously for the Charleston-based band BYOG, who did an extensive amount of live shows and touring from 2012-2018. The band released two official studio recordings in that time, available on streaming platforms. 2013’s “Out Of The Dark” and 2015’s “Flood City” became widely popular with the band’s fanbase, local scene and community, and still receive regular radio play on Charleston’s OHM Radio 96.3 FM. Blake believes in the importance of carrying the spirit and tradition of music to the younger generations and the significance of music’s role in our society, culture, and communities.

Ethan W - Ethan is a multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Charleston. He has been playing music since he started learning guitar at 14, and now also plays piano, drums, and sings. Ethan studied music at the College of Charleston and graduated with a Bachelor's in theory and composition. Using his knowledge of multiple instruments and music theory, he likes to help students become well-rounded musicians while they have fun along the way! He enjoys many different kinds of music including rock, classical, and metal.

John C - John is a commercial and rock/electronic/hip-hop producer with a passion for creating music. He has worked for brands such as Thakoon, Converse, and Nike as well as producing multiple bands and artists. He teaches guitar, drums, bass, piano, and ukulele here at Bach to Rock and has been playing those instruments for over 20 years. In addition to teaching instrumentation, John is also capable of teaching recording arts and beat making to students in our very own B2R studio!

Lee A - Charleston Native Rock Star. Electric guitar player. Leader of Rockpile “Charleston’s Most Electricfying Rock & Roll Open Mic Night”. Archer has his own Film Production company called “Archer Productions”. He is also a guitar player for ZERO TO NEVER. He’s been a local music teacher for 15 years.

Liz G - Liz has been teaching music lessons for nine years. She began learning classical piano at four and guitar at thirteen, and continues to dabble with other instruments and nurture her love of singing. A lifelong Mt. Pleasant resident, Liz studied linguistics and music history & analysis at Northeastern University and is currently finishing her degree in communication at the College of Charleston.

Marielle Y - Marielle was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and came to Charleston to pursue her Master’s of Arts in Teaching at the College of Charleston. In additional to her teaching experiences through her education, she has also taught private piano lessons for 3 years. She has had countless musical performances, both big and small, as she has been playing music since she was 5 years old. Her main instrument is the piano, but picked up the ‘ukulele, percussion instruments, strings, and singing throughout her musical journey. Along with her love for music comes her love for teaching. She loves giving others the opportunity to learn music and have fun in doing so. She believes that everyone can learn music and that everyone should feel welcomed and encouraged in a music class.

Paul H - Paul grew up in Vicksburg Mississippi. The youngest of seven in a large musically inclined family, he never went a day without hearing somebody singing or playing a musical instrument. Paul has tried singing, clarinet, bass clarinet, piano, drums, bass guitar, ukulele, theatre, show choir, marching band, playing parties and open mics over the course of elementary school, high school and college. All those things aside, he met his true love when he began playing classical and rock guitar sixteen years ago. Paul's greatest joy is to share what he has learned all of his life on his musical journey with our students here at Bach to Rock.

Scott M - Scott is a graduate of The Musician's Institute (GIT) in Los Angeles. He started playing guitar in second grade in his elementary school music teacher Mr. McMillan's "Guitar Orchestra", and since then has always held a fascination with musical instruments and music in general. He teaches guitar and bass at Bach to Rock and Digital Media at Philips Simmons Middle School. Quote: "I love it when I realize a student is going to be a better musician than myself, it becomes my mission to help them develop their talent!". Currently, he performs in the local band The Novatones at such premiere venues as The Windjammer.

Slade S - Slade is a Charleston native who started his musical journey at the age of 7. Starting with piano lessons, he's taught himself bass, drums, guitar, ukulele, banjo, and mandolin. He's played in and fronted many local punk bands, done multiple national tours, and has a deep love for writing and producing his band's music. Currently, he plays guitar and sings in the Charleston based band Say Uncle! and is studying at the College of Charleston. His biggest goal with teaching is making sure that students are having fun while learning and creating music, helping them develop a passion for playing which will guide them to become better musicians.

Tristan V - Tristan was born in Queens, NY but raised in Rochester, MN. His love for music has been with him his entire life, however his passion to play the viola started in his 8th grade orchestra. Since then, he has mastered several instruments including the violin, cello, piano and guitar. Tristan's passion for music and performing has brought him to the Charleston area where he is able to teach at Bach to Rock and perform with several local orchestras. Tristan loves Italian food, gummy worms, classical music and composing.