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 settled 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) and in 2021 Jared attended another Mix with the Masters with Shawn Everett (War on Drugs, Kacey Musgraves, Adele, et al.). When not being our Education Director, you can find Jared in front of his monitors mixing tunes!
Jared teaches: Production 101, Production 102, Intro to Mixing, Production Lab, Session Band
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 is a PhD candidate in the School of Public Service at Boise State University. 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.” She, in a nutshell, is the glue that holds Boise Rock School together.
While studying neuroscience at The College of Idaho, she became fascinated by the healing power of music and its effect on the brain. She recognized early on that supporting and advocating for youth mental health was something she was passionate about, and eagerly joined the BRS family in 2019. Bri also plays bass in a spooky rock n’ roll band called the Mall Goth Moths. When she’s not holding down the fort at BRS, Bri enjoys playing music, going to concerts, and camping.
Jackson is another past student of BRS that we convinced to teach for us. He is an incredible drummer.
Jackson teaches: Beginner Drums, Intermediate Drums, Intermediate Guitar & Bass, Beatmaking, Band Lab, Session Band
Hi everyone! I’m Courtney and I am a former rock school student turned teacher. I graduated from the University of Utah with a Music BA in the fall of 2023. I love to sing and I am always down for a dance party!
Courtney teaches: Beginner Vocals, Beginner Keys, Band Lab, Session Band, Songwriting
Andrew Pearson attended fort Lewis College on a music scholarship for 5 semesters playing drumset in the jazz band as well as singing in the schools chamber choir. Andrew formed a student band that performed weekly at venues around Durango, Colorado. After leaving Durango Andrew moved to Boise, Idaho in 2018 where he started the Band ‘Kandy Shake’ a local funk rock and punk band. Andrew has been involved with Alley Reproitory theatre for 3 different shows as a music consultant and member of the pit orchestra on drumset for ‘Caberet’ and ‘Hair.’
Andrew teaches: Beginner Drums, Intermediate Drums, Beginner Guitar & Bass, Band Lab, Session Band
Jaxton’s Bio
Jaxton teaches: Beginner Guitar & Bass, Intermediate Guitar & Bass, Band Lab, Session Band
Hi! I’m Evan! I started volunteering at BRS in late 2020, then was hired on to teach in early 2023. I graduated from Idaho Fine Arts Academy in June 2021 majoring in Contemporary Instrumental Music, and I’ve been playing in bands pretty much since I was a kid. When I’m not teaching kids at BRS, I enjoy going to shows, road tripping and listening to weirdo indie rock from the 1990s.
Evan teaches: Beginner Guitar & Bass, Intermediate Guitar & Bass, Band Lab, Session Band
Hi there! My name is Saul Berman. I am a former Boise Rock School student. I became a teacher in 2022, teaching kids piano and the joys of playing and I love every second of my job! When I’m not playing the keys in local bands and venues, I perform improv and stand up comedy around Boise and Garden city. I help coach a high school improv club, Cen10. I like reading, writing, making music, and living each day to the max!
Saul teaches: Beginner Keys, Intermediate Keys, Band Lab
I’m a visual arts student at Boise State University! I have a background in art, theater, and opera and I love sharing new art forms with students!
MJ teaches: Beginner Keys, Band Lab, Session Band, Little Rockers, Mixed Media Arts, Photography, Filmmaking
Nathan loves sharing his knowledge and joy of music to students of any age or ability. A graduate from Berklee College of Music, he has proficiency in piano, guitar, songwriting, and production. Nathan is currently pursuing his certification in music therapy. Music has the ability to empower, heal, expand neural pathways, and bring communities together.
Nathan teaches: Beginner Vocals, Beginner Keys, Beginner Ukulele, Intermediate Guitar & Bass, Band Lab, Songwriting, Little Rockers
Hi! I’m Lily, I am a student and a teacher here at Boise Rock School. I began volunteering at BRS in at the start of 2024 and became a teacher later that summer. I love all kinds of music and am always down for new experiences!
Lily teaches: Beginner Guitar & Bass, Band Lab
Hey there! My name is Bel, and I was 13 when I started at BRS as a student way back in 2018. Now, I’m a teacher and a Creative Writing student at Boise State! If I’m not teaching kids how to play songs only their parents have heard of, I might be reading, writing, attending open mic nights, or just hanging out with my dog!
Bel teaches: Beginner Guitar & Bass, Band Lab, Little Rockers
Hi, I’m Cam! I’ve been teaching at the rock school on and off for a couple years. I like to play guitar, drums, and the bass. I also like to eat pizza and listen to a lot of weird metal music and rock classics.
My favorite thing to do outside of music is skiing at Bogus and spending time outdoors!
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”.
Jeremy has been playing drums for over 30 years. He was the Meridian High School Drum Corp section leader during his high school years. He enjoys Jazz, Blues and Rock styles of music. He has played in several cover and original bands and has been honored to play a gig with Grammy Award winning Blues legend Robert Lockwood Jr. and Boise Blues Star John Nemeth. As a volunteer, Jeremy is able to provide assistance with many other instruments as he also has a deep understanding of guitar and bass.