Since its inception in 2008, Boise Rock School has been led by the belief that the best way to get individuals excited about learning music is to have them play in a group. We believe the band setting, coupled with a strong curriculum and student-chosen songs, achieves better results than any other teaching method.
In addition to helping students achieve musical excellence, the band setting also encourages essential life skills such as group problem solving, compromise, and the value of positive social interactions.
Boise Rock School is so much more than just a place where students learn to play their instruments. We teach our students how to play songs (cover tunes of their choice in all genres and originally penned compositions), how to record those songs, how to perform those songs at a gig, and how to use those songs as an inspirational and exciting tool to contribute to our community.
We believe giving every student at Boise Rock School the opportunity to perform and share their musical accomplishments with an audience is a valuable and rewarding experience for everyone. In short, we develop the total musician.
From proper technique to creativity and songwriting, from music theory to listening and problem solving skills, we help students — both kids and adults — not only become better musicians, but better people.
After traveling the world teaching English in NYC and Czech Republic, Jared down in Boise, Idaho and earned his Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. Promptly after finishing his graduate degree, Jared put his education to good use and created the curriculum for BRS. Jared has played in bands The Veltexans, Halos of Mojo and Hillfolk Noir (with whom he played SXSW!). He currently plays lead guitar in The Ravenna Colt and Ponderay. In 2019 Jared attended an intensive weeklong Mix With the Masters taught by Tom Elmhirst (who has too many Grammys to count). When not being our Education Director, you can find Jared in front of his monitor s mixing tunes!
Way back in 2008, Ryan founded Boise Rock School with his best friend Jared. They met while rivers guides in Stanley. Ryan’s musical history consists of writing a lot of songs on piano and guitar. In his spare time, Ryan teaches Anatomy and Physiology at Boise State University (he used to teach 5th graders in the Bay Area), rides bikes and runs (a lot) and tries to teach his dog Olive to do more than nap. Ryan is 1/2 of the band Edmond Dantès with former BRS teacher Andrew Stensaas and has his own solo project. Ryan also really likes the NYT crossword.
Bri has been called the “Leslie Knope of Boise.” A loud and proud Boise native herself, Bri’s passion lies in the local art and music scene. Bri also manages the Volunteer Program and Under 21 Engagement for Treefort Music Fest, and in her “free time” you can catch her running concessions at Boise Contemporary Theatre. She, in a nutshell, is the glue that holds Boise Rock School together. If you sign-up, her smile will likely be the first you see.
Rylee began playing guitar at Boise Rock School when she was 7. Boise Rock School taught her how to play and perform. After attending Boise Rock School for many years, Ryan encouraged Rylee to become a teacher. She loves writing songs and performing. Rylee is super passionate about music and wants to pursue it as a career. She absolutely loves working with kids!
Cam! He plays drums in a rock band called The Phets. He likes groovy music and spaghetti! He is currently attending Boise State University and his skateboard is his main form of transportation.
Jackson is another past student of BRS that we convinced to teach for us. He is an incredible drummer. He has a rad band with Jesse called Killin’ Me Kid.
Jonathan Warren moved to Boise from Knoxville, Tennessee in 2008. He is a songwriter with the sounds of the Southern Appalachians stamped across his songs. Originally working as a wilderness guide, he traded in his hiking boots for cowboy boots and started the band Jonathan Warren and the Billygoats. When not guiding on the Payette river, Jonathan is teaching music and performing and touring with the Billygoats and teaching at BRS.
Alex began playing at age 15. Within a year he was playing in multiple garage bands and developing a passion for music and and the many instruments of a rock band. This passion led him to pursue a career in music by starting to teach lessons and beginning college as a music major. He has recently finished his Bachelors in Guitar Performance from Texas A and M. He now teaches lessons on every main instrument of a rock band and spends most his time composing, practicing, jamming or teaching.
Jesse loves playing and listening to music. You can find him around town playing in a few different bands or belting out 90s hits in his car. Talk to him about nerdy guitar stuff or writing music! Check out his band Killin’ Me Kid!
Michael is our in-house classical guitar master. He caught the music bug growing up around Nashville, TN. He got his first electric guitar at 13 and never looked back. He also plays and teaches bass, drums, keyboards, and vocals. He tried violin once, but it didn’t “take.” Michael also has the best hair and beard in the Northwest. He also plays in the band The Weary Times.
Sergio learned Ghost Riders in the Sky from his dad at age six and hasn’t stopped playing music since. He studied music and broadcast journalism down the road at the University of Montana. He currently plays trombone in Juice! and produces film with his friends in Wiser Wolves Productions.
Nick plays in many, many bands. He gets bored a lot so he plays lots of different instruments. Nick likes to play music with his friends in Cigarette Speedway, Preakedness, The Weary Times, Ponderay, and Neal And Friends. Nick also enjoys teaching kids how to play music. Party on Wayne.
Hailing from northern Idaho, Doug began his musical career minutes after seeing Def Leppard on TV when he was about 3 years old. Since then he has toured the nation with his band Stranger Neighbor and as a solo artist.
Jeff is a true volunteer extraordinaire. He plays bass for Aesopian Dream, a local Boise post-punk cover band. He loves jazz, world music and any music that is ‘different’ and a little “off”. His favorites listens are Morphine, Hot Tuna and Miles Davis. His favorite bassists are Jaco (too obvious?), Stanley Clarke, Jack Casady, Ron Carter, Ray Brown and Mark Sandman (Morphine).
Music became the driving force in Pete’s life when he was exposed to the “power of the drum” at age ten. In addition to other gigs, Pete has played drumset in Boise metal act XEX and jazz band Zeppo5. Under Dr. John Baldwin, Pete studied classical percussion and also became the section-leader/center-snare for the BSU drum-line. In 2000 Pete graduated with a BA in Sociology from BSU. He has always primarily-been a rocker at heart and wants to share any knowledge that he has with the next-generation of “rockers”.