Tim Egan, a Brookfield native, is a veteran of the Chicago music scene with over a decade of professional experience. He holds a BM from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, where he refined his expertise in guitar, bass, and piano.

As a full-time instructor at A Sound Education for over a decade, Tim is dedicated to providing comprehensive and engaging lessons, guiding students through a variety of genres, including jazz, rock, classical, and contemporary music. His commitment to excellence ensures that each student develops a strong foundation and cultivates their unique musical voice.

Q holds a Bachelor of Music from Indiana University, Fort Wayne, and has been a performer and teacher for more than 30 years. He loves teaching guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, piano, and all brass instruments (trumpet, trombone, baritone, tuba), along with music theory, ear training, and songwriting/composition to students young and old.

You can also find Q onstage around Chicagoland on his bass and microphone with cover bands and his jazz combo The Qombo. See what else Q is up to at and where you can see him perform at QKiser.com. Q has taught at A Sound Education since 2012.

Lauren Pena is a Brookfield native and started taking lessons at A Sound Education in 2012. She is currently pursuing a degree in music education.

At A Sound Education, Lauren teaches both violin and viola. She loves playing genres ranging from classical, country, and pop.

Marco's first introduction to music came at A Sound Education in 2001 shortly after its opening. During his undergrad, Marco studied at Berklee College of Music and received a degree in composition, arranging, and production. While at Berklee, Marco worked with Joe Stump, a renowned neo-classical metal guitarist and is Graham Bonnet's band Alcatraz.

Upon returning to the Chicago suburbs in 2018, Marco played in Serendipity and Fierce Atmospheres. The latter being an original power metal/progressive metal band that is currently working on a new studio album. Marco recently graduated with a master's degree in education and works full time at Proviso East during school hours.

The aspect of teaching that Marco enjoys most is helping his students reach both their short term and long-term goals musically. Marco's favorite styles of music include progressive rock and metal, classic rock, jazz fusion, and instrumental music.

Jorge Ieshua Covarrubias Rodriguez is a talented musician from Mexico with over 12 years of performance experience across various genres, including norteño, ska, reggae, mariachi, solo saxophone, and jazz ensembles. In 2020, Jorge relocated to Chicago to pursue a career in music.

He is currently studying for an A.A.S. in Music Business at the College of DuPage while actively performing with a chamber singers group and a jazz band. Additionally, he manages and performs with his Norteño Sax project.

At Sound Education, Jorge teaches guitar, piano, and woodwind instruments in both Spanish and English to students of all ages and backgrounds.

Rick received his Bachelors of Music degree in Music Education from NIU in Dekalb, Illinois. A former assistant band director at Riverside-Brookfield High School, he has been teaching private lessons for more than 20 years. He loves working with students of all ages. Rick helps students reach their goals and understand their instrument fully.

Rick also performs with the band "Midnight" on sax, flute and vocals. He has taught at A Sound Education since 2001.

Bass and guitar teacher Dan Huber started playing piano at a young age, switching to saxophone in middle school, then guitar and bass in high school.

He designed his own music degree at Ohio University, specializing in upright bass - classical and jazz - and studying with then principal bassist of the West Virginia symphony, David Messina.

He's now played in at least 20 to 30 original bands, a couple thousand gigs, including 12 years with Chicago jam band Old Shoe. With that band he shared bills with the Wailers, Bruce Hornsby, Keller Williams and countless others at festivals around the region. Earlier, his band Mos Funnel was featured on NPR.

He's currently playing with The Lizard Kings Chicago (a Doors tribute), and an original bluegrass band, Musichigan.

Dan has taught guitar, bass, upright bass, and ukulele at A Sound Education for 20 years as of 2025! He loves working one-on-one with people and watching them learn and grow musically - as they tackle their favorite songs, and get familiar with music theory along the way. Music is the most fun and interesting subject to him, and never gets old, especially now that his eleven year old daughter plays viola with him!

Dan Spielman, a native of Brookfield, has been playing and teaching guitar for over 25 years. While he has experience with a wide range of musical styles, Dan specializes in acoustic guitar, focusing on Bluegrass Flatpicking in the tradition of artists like Doc Watson, Tony Rice, and Billy Strings.

An active and passionate musician, he regularly performs with multiple groups and hosts community Bluegrass jam sessions throughout the Chicagoland area. Dan's lessons are designed to help students develop the skills and techniques necessary to participate confidently in jam sessions or ensembles, all while fostering the lifelong joy of making music with others.

Pat Walsh started his musical journey over 20 years ago, taking guitar lessons at A Sound Education when he was only 13 years old. Since then he mastered the instrument and been teaching and performing professionally with his band Hot Like Mars for over a decade.

In a full circle moment, Pat is now happy to be back at A Sound Education as a teacher specializing in guitar, bass & beginner piano lessons.

Mia Connery holds degrees in Music and Spanish from Elmhurst University and has been teaching violin, viola, and piano at A Sound Education since 2019. Mia is devoted to shaping well-rounded musicians by emphasizing solid technique and music theory, helping her students connect with their music on a deeper level beyond just notes on a page.

She brings this approach to life through engaging lessons filled with fun and challenging repertoire, interactive sight reading, duets, and performance opportunities. For Mia, the greatest joy in teaching comes from watching her students blossom into confident musicians who take pride in sharing their music with the world around them.

Outside of teaching, Mia regularly performs with a variety of orchestras and string ensembles and enjoys traveling, learning languages, and taking barre classes.

Mary Messieha is an alum of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. She's performed in several genres including Classical, Jazz, Gospel, Musical Theatre, and various church settings (includes Catholic, Lutheran, Coptic Orthodox, etc.).

Mary has taught all ages in multiple countries and helped students with live performances, recording albums and singles, and just learning to have fun singing. She is currently working as a backup singer and voice actor in the Chicagoland area.

Mary is passionate about helping students understand how their voice works so they can have the confidence to make decisions for whatever they want to do.

Christa Creps started her music career singing classical music with organizations like The Grant Park Chorus and Light Opera Works. After going to hundreds of rock shows in Chicago, she decided to start her own band called Puerto Muerto.

Her band toured the United States and The UK for several years, winning critical acclaim for their albums and soundtrack. Christa is excited to help her students find their authentic voice and to help them achieve their vocal goals.

Wally Pochron is a LaGrange native who started playing percussion in school band at nine years old and shortly after enrolled as a student at A Sound Education. Wally's passion for music flourished throughout his adolescence and he decided to turn that passion into a career.

In 2017, Wally graduated from Millikin University with a degree in Music Performance. Since moving back to the Chicagoland area, Wally teaches drum set and percussion at A Sound Education.

As an active performer Wally enjoys playing a variety of genres such as rock, country, jazz, latin, classical, blues, and metal.

Nick Matthopoulos grew up in Arlington Heights, IL and has been playing guitar for the last 20 years. Within those 20 years, Nick has played guitar and bass guitar in a variety of groups ranging from his high school's jazz bands and musical orchestras to folk groups, indie rock outfits, and metal bands.

Currently, Nick plays guitar, sings, writes, and occasionally tours with his project Fieldmates—a 3-piece band that combines elements of improvisation, noise, and indie rock. When not playing guitar and making noises, Nick enjoys running, black coffee, and reading.

Gabby Bandera has been teaching at Sound Education for the last several years and has enjoyed building community with the students and families here. She graduated from Elmhurst University with a Bachelor of Music Education and Saxophone Performance.

She is currently teaching general music in Joliet District 86 and privately at Central Middle School in Tinley Park. In her free time, she is performing in Rimel, an all-female Norteño-sax ensemble gigging around the Chicagoland area.

During her time at A Sound Education, she has taught trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, flute, piano, ukulele, guitar, and voice. Her favorite part of teaching is making connections with her students and being able to learn just as much from them as they can from her.

Sharon Little-Junsay, affectionately known by students and staff alike as "Miss Sharon" has taught at A Sound Education since 2001. She treats each student as a distinct individual, while promoting and encouraging expression of their creative and physical gifts.

Miss Sharon's objectives as a piano instructor are to:

• Develop technique and facility at the piano or keyboard
• Teach musicianship skills, theory, ear-training, sight-reading, listening, and performing for others
• Instill life skills in younger students such as goal setting, good practice habits, personal discipline, and time management

A professional performer since the age of 12, Miss Sharon has been teaching for over 30 years at such esteemed venues as American Music World, Purdom's Suburban Music, and Soundpost. She's a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, Music Teachers National Association, and the International Association of Organ Teachers.

With a passion for RAWK, Matt Cortez has about 18 years of musical experience. He is a professional bassist, singer, songwriter, and audio engineer for Synergy Music Studio.

Matt currently plays for groups like Cutest Nuisance, fronting the band Silver Dollar, and has also shared the stage with many other talented original and cover groups/artists throughout Chicago.

Scott Reichard is a seasoned guitarist, composer, and educator with over three decades of musical experience and more than twenty years of guitar instruction under his belt. With a foundation in classical guitar performance, Scott's versatility spans an impressive range of genres including rock, metal, jazz, funk, folk, and blues.

Scott's journey began with the high-energy pulse of rock and metal before evolving through the rich harmonic textures of jazz and the technical rigor of classical music. His formal training as a classical guitarist has informed his technique and musicality, while his passion for diverse styles keeps his playing dynamic and expressive.

As a teacher, Scott is known for his patient, insightful instruction and his ability to adapt to the unique goals and learning styles of his students. His teaching philosophy is grounded in discipline, persistence, and passion. He encourages students to "play until you can't get it wrong" and frequently draws inspiration from the mantra: "Climb the hill" and "Do or do not. There is no try."

Whether on stage, in the studio, or in the lesson room, Scott brings a commitment to excellence, creativity, and lifelong learning.

Katelin is an Iowa native who moved to Chicago to earn her Bachelor of Music degree in music composition from Columbia College Chicago. While in college she performed piano and melodica with the New Music Ensemble.

Katelin has over 14 years of experience playing piano, and has been playing flute since the 5th grade. Additionally, Katelin loves learning new instruments such as the Irish tinwhistle, ocarina and pan pipes.

She is excited to share her passion for music composition and performance with her students.

Hershyl has been active in music for more 20 years. As a multi-instrumentalist (vocals, drums, guitar, bass, and keyboards), he has been a professional performer since age 17. He attended the University of Illinois as a music composition major.

After college, he continued pursuing a professional music career, performing in both original and cover bands. He has appeared with a multitude of bands at venues around Chicago and the Midwest including the Metro and Buddy Guy's Legends.

He has been teaching music for several years. As a voice instructor he specializes in classical, soul, blues, rock and jazz singing for all ages.