Our Staff

Music & Rock School is not a traditional music school, and our instructors are not traditional, “by the book” instructors. In all of our instructors we look for musicians possessing a deep understanding of their instrument(s), and music as a whole. They are also active, working musicians, meaning they are regularly performing, writing, recording, etc. The combination of formal training and practical experience gives them an edge in providing students with not only a solid musical foundation, but more importantly, the ability to apply that knowledge to specific musical styles or wherever their interests take them. These are the distinct differences that make Music & Rock School’s instructors masters of their craft, as opposed to simply knowledgeable about music.

John Kozicki

Owner/Operator of Music & Rock School and Guitar Instructor

I am a musician, a songwriter, and a music fan. I love music. My primary instrument is guitar. I also sing pretty well. I used to play the trumpet in marching band, I dabble on the piano, and I absolutely love to freak out on the drums. Music has always been a major part of my life. As a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, I’ve been performing and studying for almost 20 years. I’ve performed, toured and recorded with independent and major label acts, and as a solo performer.

I have been teaching guitar and songwriting since 1997, and have made it my full-time career for the past six years. As I’ve lived in Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, I’ve taught hundreds of students all across the country. Some have found success in the music industry through touring and recording ventures, while others have found a fulfilling hobby in playing and studying music. In all of my students though, I’ve learned that their individual interests and enjoyment are as important to the learning process as the content.

I studied business in college and graduated with a degree in marketing in 1998 from Oakland University in Michigan. I’ve used those skills working for a public relations firm, a non-profit organization, even a skate park, but the office life just didn’t suit me. It makes me much happier to make my living teaching people how to rock out.

Theous Jones

Drum Instructor

Theous graduated from North Carolina Central University in 2010 with a degree in jazz studies. While in college, he played with the NCCU Jazz Ensemble and was the principle percussionist for the Chapel Hill Philharmonic Orchestra. Theous began teaching drum lessons in 2008 and started at Music & Rock School in 2009. Today, he plays all over the Triangle area in a number of jazz ensembles and as a hired gun and session player.

Johanna Boberg

Voice Instructor

Born in Sweden, Johanna grew up singing in church, performing in musicals and attending a music-only high school. She relocated to Los Angeles, California where she attended the Musician's Institute, graduated in 2002, and was awarded the coveted Most Outstanding Vocal Student award. Following graduation, she worked as an instructor there, where she focused her teachings on vocal technique, sight-singing and live performance. As a songwriter and performer, her music has been featured on shows such as the series Moonlight and the 2001 Teen Choice Awards. Her performance credits include The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, as well as touring North America as a backup singer for Hilary Duff in 2007. Johanna relocated to Raleigh following the Hilary Duff tour and began focusing on solo material. She sings locally and travels on a regular basis to perform with a number of groups, including the soul Psychedelique Orchestra. Johann brings the perfect mix of formal training and real-life experience.

Daniel DeLorenzo

Guitar Instructor

Bio coming soon!

Jacob Dowdy

Guitar/Bass/Piano Instructor

Jacob is a graduate of UNC Wilmington with a double major in jazz guitar and business administration. While attending UNC-W, he performed in the UNC-W Jazz Combo, the Wire Choir and the Studio 421 Praise & Worship Band. He began teaching lessons in 2008 and started at Music & Rock School in early 2011. Currently, Jacob records and performs in the Triangle as half of a jazz duo with Daniel DeLorenzo, another Music & Rock School Instructor.

Wade Durham

Voice Instructor

Wade studied vocal performance at the Musician's Institute in LA and has a degree in music performance from UNC-Pembroke. A professional musician since the mid-90s, Wade has performed, recorded and written with artists across the US and in Europe. Wade began teaching at Music & Rock School in 2012 and brings a unique perspective as a male voice instructor in a largely female-dominated field. Currently, he is the lead singer of The Soul Psychedelique Orchestra and runs his own concert promotion company. He is also married to our other voice instructor, Johanna!

John Westmoreland

Guitar Instructor

John began teaching guitar in 2002, shortly after attending the Berklee College of Music summer performance program. He later studied jazz performance and clasiscal composition at Berklee from 2004 to 2008. Influenced by West African music, John most recently began studying under the tutelage of Djelimady Tounkara. In 2011, John traveled to Africa for a month to perform with his current group Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba. Additionally, he regularly performs solo jazz gigs in the Triangle and surrounding areas.

John Sierra

Guitar Instructor

Bio coming soon!

Clay Anderson

Drum Instructor

Clay began studying percussion in middle school and has participated in marching and symphonic bands during high school and college. He studied under Joe Hunt and John Ramsey at the Berklee College of Music and continued his education through the Jazz Studies program at North Carolina Central University. He has over 15 years of teaching experience and 20 years of performance experience. His lessons stress hand development, general music knowledge and musicianship. These days, Clay stays busy working with 3 local groups, Puritan Rodeo, Honeychile and Vinny Stardust and the Riders from Mars, as well as subbing in a variety of genres including jazz, funk, rock and folk.

Sean Bruno

Bass/Guitar/Voice Instructor

Sean began studying music in high school in 1997, first on saxophone, then quickly adding voice, guitar and bass guitar. Following high school, he continued his private studies and studied through Berklee College of Music online courses for which he received a degree in Theory and Harmony. He also studied voice in New York City with Melissa Cross - world-renowned voice instructor for rock-specific vocal techniques. He began teaching private lessons on bass and guitar in 2007 and recently began teaching voice as well. In addition to teaching, Sean also composes music for video games and is lead vocalist and bassist of the band Needlemouse.

Chris Godley

Guitar Instructor

Chris began studying guitar through private lessons in 2006 and began training as an instructor under John Kozicki at Music & Rock School through the Apex High School student internship program in 2009. Chris was hired as an official instructor following his graduation in 2010 and has been teaching a roster of his own students since. In addition to his guitar students, Chris also instructs our All-Access groups in weekly band rehearsals and records our student groups in our monthly Studio Sessions. Chris is an accomplished classical guitarist who spent 3 years in the Apex High School classical guitar ensemble and is an experienced recording engineer, running his own project studio since 2009. In between pursuing a degree in computer engineering, he continues to record local musicians and writes and records music with former band members from his group Raising Anchors.

Shavon Russell-Jones

Piano/Voice Instructor

Holding a degree in music and vocal performance from NC Central University, Shavon is also an accomplished concert pianist. In 2008, she began teaching piano to fellow music majors while at NCCU and started at Music & Rock School in 2012. While classically trained in both piano and voice, Shavon has a knack for applying that training to other styles of music, specifically pop, blues and jazz. She performs regularly in the Triangle and is choir director and accompanying pianist at her church. Shavon is also married to our drum instructor Theous.