Staff & Teachers

Meet the team at Bach to Rock®, including our roster of local music teachers!

Staff & Music Teachers at Bach to Rock Penfield

At Bach to Rock, we’ve assembled an amazing team of music teachers! Our instructors include classically trained musicians, as well as working professionals who tour and record with major artists. Meet our owners, our behind-the-scenes talent, and our music teachers for piano, guitar, drums, voice, and more!

Imaan Belkhir

Imaan Belkhir - Franchise Director/Owner. One of Imaan's greatest joys in life is jamming out and dancing with her daughter to music from all over the world. Imaan has a BS from Nazareth College and has been working has a System Analyst Lead for the past 3 years. In her spare time she is either playing with her daughter or working on keeping Bach to Rock the premier music school in the Rochester Area.

Matthew Fieldbinder

Matthew Fieldbinder - Director. Matthew is a seasoned professional with a proven track record in client relationship management and project leadership, underpinned by a fervent dedication to music. New to Rochester, he is excited to be at a school integrated within the community and music scene. With expertise as a guitarist, band manager, songwriter, and music producer, he has cultivated a diverse skill set that has led to successful signings with record labels. Alongside his musical endeavors, Matthew holds a degree in political science from UCF and has enjoyed sharing his passion for music through teaching, and engaging with students of all ages. His multifaceted background reflects a harmonious blend of analytical prowess and creative flair, driving both his professional achievements and musical pursuits. Current musical inspirations include Polyphia, Hozier, Sleep Token, Jung Kook, Billy Joel, and Dua Lipa.

Jonah H

Jonah H - Music Teacher. Jonah is a graduate of Finger Lakes Community College studying Music Recording. He started playing drums when he was 7 and hasn't stopped since. Jonah began learning other percussion instruments in pit orchestras and school band, also playing tenor drums in the Greece Marching Band. He was a studio musician in college and had a band with his friends throughout this time. Jonah's inspirations include Max Weinberg from Bruce Springsteen's E Street band, Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Rush's Neil Peart, and Steve Gadd.

Kayleigh Zapf

Kayleigh Zapf - Assistant Director. Kayleigh is a graduate from Hartwick College with a degree in Biology and a degree in Theater. She has a passion for music and visual arts of all kinds and has experience both on and off-stage. She also has a love of animals and has been working as a dog trainer for many years. She has many hobbies and interests including reading, singing, hanging out with her dog, and finding new music. Some favorite artists are Walk the Moon, Billy Joel, Smith & Thell, and Stray Kids.

Kaitlyn E

Kaitlyn E - Music Teacher. Kaitlyn is a local musician who plays violin, piano, guitar, vocals, and is always looking to learn more instruments. She continued to grow her love of music at Nazareth University where she completed a Bachelors in Music for Music Therapy. Kaitlyn has been working in the music field since before her time in college by creating and leading a children's bell choir, being a member of the fiddle club on campus, playing in concerts for the university or hometown events, and being an active member of NAC (Neighborhood Acting Company) in the pit band and on stage. Previously, Kaitlyn has taught violin and has tutored in guitar. Her musical inspirations/favorite artists are The Oh Hellos, Tophouse, Cosmo Sheldrake, Will Wood, The Altogether, The Paper Kites, They Might be Giants, Cody Fry, We Banjo 3, The Crane Wives, and the Zac Brown Band.

Laquanda M. F

Laquanda M. F - Laquanda M. Fields is the Fabulous Librarian – mom of two amazing daughters & three classy felines, and Ms. L to her students. Ms. L is the school librarian at Loretta Johnson Middle School in the Rochester City School District. She has her B.S. in Journalism & Broadcasting from SUNY Brockport and is currently working on her M.S. in School Librarianship at University at Buffalo. Ms. L earned School Library of the Year from the Rochester Regional Library Council, was named Community Partner of the Year by the Rochester Imagination Library, and was a 2023 Forty Under 40 honoree by the Rochester Business Journal. In addition to fashionably spreading the love of reading, Ms. L is actively involved in her community. She’s a graduate of the 2024 class of Leadership Rochester, and a member of the Corn Hill Arts Festival Planning Committee. She also serves on the boards of the Rochester Imagination Library and the Junior League of Rochester. What’s on Ms. L’s music playlist? A combination of reggae (my favorite), worship, and electronic music. I have too many favorite artists to name them all!

Sara V

Sara V - Admin. Sara was raised to have a love for anything music. Her father, a musician who has played in iconic local bands such as Nik and the Nice Guys, Boss Street Band, Autumn Skies, and currently Venton-Clark Band, fostered her passion. Always having a love of alternative music, inspired by bands she grew up on like Fall Out Boy and The Fray, she started attending concerts at age seven and taught herself ukulele at thirteen. Now, she's learning acoustic guitar to follow in her father's footsteps, who is her biggest role model when it comes to music.

Stan M

Stan M - Lead Music Teacher. Stan is a local freelance performer and music educator earning his Master's degree in Double Bass Music Performance and Pedagogy from Nazareth College. Stan focuses on multiple genres ranging from classical to rock; most recently was a member of the freak-folk group Multibird. Incorporating elements of rock and pop, Multibird had the opportunity to tour Europe in 2016. Currently, Stan is focusing on launching a jazz based group called the Stan Martinelli Project.

Allison M

Allison M - Music Teacher. Allison is a vocalist originating from Philadelphia. She recently graduated from Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance with degrees in both Vocal Performance and Music History. While she specializes in voice, Allison is also a proficient pianist and oboist. Music has been an essential part of her life from the time she began taking piano lessons at the age of 4. Her love and passion for music has only grown, expanding primarily into the classical genre, as well as more contemporary styles.

Andy L

Andy L - Music Teacher. Andy earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education with a minor in Contemporary Commercial Music from Nazareth University. Andy is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, playing the clarinet, guitar, saxophone and piano and specializes in teaching instrumental band instruments, as well as the guitar, bass guitar, and piano. Andy also enjoys writing and producing his own music and loves performing and listening to many genres of music, especially rock, pop, classical and jazz music. Some of his favorite artists include Van Halen, Queen, Journey, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Coldplay, The Beatles, Metallica, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and many, many others. His favorite composers are Mozart and Beethoven.

Christine P

Christine P - Music Teacher. Christine is a multi-instrumentalist composer, producer, and songwriter. Her primary instrument is the saxophone. She has her Associate’s degree in music performance from Monroe Community College, attended Belmont University in Nashville for commercial music, as well as SUNY Oneonta. Aside from saxophone she has a great passion for drums, guitar, piano, and voice. She has written music for short films based in Rochester, NY and have produced tracks for local artists along with producing her own music. She also loves to play music live! She believes learning music never ends and room for creativity should always be encouraged!

Greta H

Greta H - Greta is a student at Nazareth University pursuing a degree in music education. She has a vocal primary, but also plays trumpet and piano. She has a passion for both experiencing and teaching music in all of its forms. Music has been her passion since she was eight years old from songwriting, to performing in musicals and operas; music has followed her wherever she has gone. Greta loves a large variety of music, including The Garden, Chappell Roan, Edith Piaf, and almost any new musical.

Hannah N

Hannah N - Hannah is a passionate musician specializing in strings, with over a decade of experience playing cello and bass. As an on-call bassist for Bill Tiberio, she has performed with a wide range of ensembles, including the Eastman Music Educators Wind Ensemble and SUNY Geneseo's Wind and Jazz Ensembles. Beyond performing, Hannah is dedicated to working with musicians in Geneseo. She also leads and plays bass in her own jazz band, Parsley, blending jazz grooves with a unique creative twist. Her musical influences include Jaco Pastorius, Bill Tiberio, and, most of all, Will Wood.

Kat L

Kat L - Kat is a jazz bassist and composer from the Eastman School of Music. They focus heavily on emotional spontaneity in musical performance, and are adept at improvising across many styles. They love exploring other instruments, especially the synthesizer and drums, and have sung for a decade in choirs, punk bands, and musicals. Their performing experience includes: The Eastman Lab Ensemble, Rising Jazz All-Stars, personal and cooperative tracking sessions, local funk and punk bands, and far too many jam sessions to count. Their favorite rock bands are Ween, my bloody valentine, Modest Mouse, and Pink Floyd.

Patrick C

Patrick C - Music Teacher. Patrick is a freelance musician from Rochester who received his music degree from SUNY Empire State College. With almost 25 years of musical experience, Pat has played trumpet for such groups including; The Spirit and Pride of Pennsylvania Marching Band (Mansfield PA), Rochester Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, and The GateSwingers. He has been on two East coast tours and recorded two albums with his ska/punk band The Steakouts, and also appears on albums for artists including Shiv Hurrah. He listens to almost anything; from Mozart to MachineGunKelly and back again. Patrick has an immense love for music and his mission is to spread that love for music to everyone he plays with and teaches.

Tim L

Tim L - Music Teacher. Tim has been a professional DJ for 30 years. He got his first set of turntables at 15 and he immediately fell in love with the craft. He began DJing school dances and was a DJ in a few teen clubs. He went on to successfully DJ in many adult clubs and started to DJ weddings. Tim has worked with many mobile DJ businesses in Rochester and Buffalo. Tim and his business partner Tony own and operate Tones Entertainment in Upstate New York. Tim has a deep passion for what he does. He even still has all of his crates of vinyl records he has amassed throughout the years!

Tommy F

Tommy F - Music Teacher. Tommy is a freelance Electric Bass, Double Bass, and Guitar Player. Tommy is versed in many different styles and gained his experience while being a part of the diverse/ eclectic music scene in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended Cal. State East Bay as a Double Bass major and toured Europe several times as a member of their top Jazz Ensemble. He has studied with members of the San Francisco Symphony, Top Bass Players in the Jazz scene and blues/rock guitar players. Tommy was the vocalist in his first band as a teenager and has sung in various groups, as has studied voice with a S.F. conservatory instructor. Tommy has toured the U.S. and Mexico with blues acts John Nemeth, Earl Thomas and played with RnB/Soul great Roy Ayers. With many years of teaching different styles and in the Rock School format, Tommy brings an inspirational and fun approach to learning an instrument and to being part of a band.

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Why Choose Us

The Bach to Rock Method

At Bach to Rock, we know that students learn music more quickly when they’re having fun! Our step-by-step curriculum keeps students engaged and rewards achievement at each level. Students get to choose which songs they play, learn from music pros, and perform with peers at live events!

Music Made Fun!

At Bach to Rock, students choose which songs and genres they want to play, making lessons more fun!

Band & Glee Programs

Through our Band and Glee Club programs, students get to play music with peers, a key skill for growing musicians!

Live Performances

Bach to Rock gives students the chance to perform live at local music venues, helping students build confidence on stage!

One-on-One Lessons

In private music lessons, our students learn one-on-one from some of the most talented music educators in the area.

Early Childhood Classes

Music is valuable for early childhood development! We offer programs for toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary students.

Music Lessons, Camps & Parties

At Bach to Rock, we offer music lessons and group classes for kids and adults, plus camps and birthday parties! With our fun and beginner-friendly approach, it's never too early or too late to get started with music!

Lessons

Bach to Rock offers music lessons for all ages and skill levels. Our private lessons include piano, guitar, drums, voice, and a wide range of other instruments. We also offer beginner classes and ensemble programs like Band and Glee Club. Anyone can learn to play music with Bach to Rock — even if you've never played an instrument before!

Camps

Our camps are a perfect choice for students who love music! We offer full-day and half-day summer camps, spring camps, and winter camps for kids, plus camps on school holidays. Our camps are great for students who want to start learning music and see what it's like to perform!

Parties

Birthday parties at Bach to Rock give kids a chance to be rock stars for a day! With themes like Karaoke Birthday and Rock Birthday, partygoers get to perform and record songs by their favorite artists. We also offer birthday party packages for younger children and corporate teams!

Meet Our Music Teachers

A great music teacher can make a world of difference when learning to sing or play an instrument.

At Bach to Rock, our instructors include a mix of classically trained musicians and working professionals. Our teachers actively tour, perform, and record as independent artists or as backing musicians for other musicians and bands.

By working closely with students in one-on-one lessons, our teachers make it easy to learn music and build performance skills!

Wall of Fame

Standout Students & Future Stars

Discover talented students at Bach to Rock! Our Wall of Fame includes featured students and bands, as well as winners from events like Battle of the Bands.

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