Suburban Music Center - Teacher Biographies

Robert is a graduate of the Musicians Institute of Hollywood, California. He specializes in Jazz, Latin, World Beat and others on the Drum Set, Congas and Djembe. Robert has been teaching drums and percussion for over three years to 150 students, ranging in ages of 5 to 55. Teaching students all styles of rhythms, rudiments, and to read music. Robert continues to play with bands based in the Chicagoland area.

Guitar - Paul Rodriguez

Paul Rodriguez graduated from Elmhurst college in 2001 with a Bachelors of Music in Music Business. Paul has been teaching at Suburban Music Center since September of 2000. Paul teaches a wide variety of music to a wide variety of students, from classical music to classic rock, blues, punk, alternative and YES even country and rap. Paul enjoys every opportunity to share his love of music with his students and learns as much from them as they do from him.

Guitar - Andrew Vacilek

Andrew Vacilek joined the staff of Suburban Music in January 2005. He is 23 years old and has been playing guitar for 10 years, mainly classical & rock. At Harper College, Andrew played in the guitar ensemble for 5 years and has also done solo performances. Additionally, he had 5 semesters of private instruction with Steven Vasquez. Currently he is working on his Associate in Fine Arts Degree.

Brass / Woodwinds
/ Strings / Piano -
Tom Scheffler

Tom Scheffler earned a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Montana State University, where he learned how to play and teach band and orchestra instruments. Joining the Suburban Music staff in 2003, Tom teaches all of the brass, woodwind, and orchestral string instruments, including trumpet, trombone, flute, clarinet, saxophone, violin, viola, and cello. He also teaches piano and beginning guitar. Tom’s teaching style emphasizes the development of music sight reading and creative improvisational skills. Over the years, Tom has learned that great musicians aren’t born. Becoming a fine musician is a goal that can be achieved by determined students who have the drive to put in the time and hard work that it takes to develop the craft of playing a musical instrument.

Piano - Ralph Greco

Ralph Greco has been teaching piano for 40 years and has been at Suburban Music since we first opened. He has the patience and experience to teach piano to all types of individuals (young children to older adults) whether beginning or advanced.

Guitar - Dmitri Rakuba

Dmitri is a highly motivated individual with an underlying desire and determination to become the best musician he can possibly be.

With a deep love for song writing and musical arrangement – he takes you further than the standard guitar lesson and offers his perspective from a more “musical” standpoint. His desire to constantly progress and never be stale and stagnant opens up doors to all types of music, ranging from classical and jazz to rock and popular music. One of Dmitri's views on becoming a good musician is opening up one's ears to all styles and learning from them in order to become a somewhat original musician.

Dmitri has played in successful bands in the Chicago area, consistently playing venues like the Metro, Beat Kitchen, Bottom Lounge (which is no longer), Schubas's, Double Door, and many more. He is currently writing and recording in a new musical endeavor called Vertigo Whales and is in pursuit of a BA in guitar performance and the process of a transfer to Columbia College is in progress.

Guitar/Bass - Ryan Richko

Ryan Richko has been involved with music since he was 6 years old taking cello lessons. It didn’t last too long; however, he started taking piano lessons when he was 8 years old at the Suzuki academy of music. Once he turned 15, his father handed him down his very own guitar. He primarily self taught while forming many different bands throughout high school. Once enrolled at the Columbia College Chicago, he started taking fusion rock and jazz guitar lessons, as well as sight singing, theory, and even more piano courses.

He is currently starting a new band and is producing several artists, and he is still attending Columbia College Chicago for a BA in instrumental performance.

Ryan Richko is available for studio/live gigging work, production, and composing.
www.ryanrichko.com

Guitar/Bass - Steve Michals

Steve Michals received his AA degree in music from College of Dupage and is currently working on his BA in Musical Performance from Columbia College. Driven by a wide variety of styles, Steve received most of his influence from classical, rock, and metal. Currently Steve is playing in Gideon's Pawn, a metal band based out of the Joliet area.

Guitar - Tim Johnson

Tim Johnson is 27 years old and has been playing guitar for 14 years.
He graduated from Elmhurst College in 2001 with a BA in Music Business. Aside from playing in various jazz and classical ensembles, Tim has consistently played in several successful bands in and around Chicago at venues such as Beat Kitchen, Bottom Lounge, Lyon's Den, Martyr's, The Note, and Double Door. Accepting students of all ages, Tim has been teaching guitar for 7 years in a wide range of styles from Jazz & Classical to Rock, Pop, Blues, & Metal.

Bass Teacher Jerry Evans

Jerry Evans graduated from Wheaton College in 2006 with a B.A. in Music degree. He has studied bass guitar with a number of bass instructors, namely Scott Mason of Roosevelt University, and is able to play bass professionally in all main styles of music and grooves. He has played in the Wheaton College Jazz Ensemble, for international artist Keith Getty, and for the T.V. channel "TLN." In addition, Jerry has studied 2 years of classical/Jazz guitar, and enjoys teaching rock, pop, classical, jazz, and blues. Jerry has been teaching guitar and bass guitar for the past 6 years.