Meet Our Staff

Having played over 1000 live shows, John's band  "Tidewater Grain" signed with Ruffnation records and then later signed to Warner Brothers records. His band toured and opened for some of the biggest rock bands ever including:  Alice Cooper -Kid Rock- No Doubt - Stone Temple Pilots - Sevendust - 3 Doors Down - Quiet Riot - Tesla - Gwar etc etc....

Between playing and managing bands John has done deals and showcases with some of the most influential music icons of all time including Clive Davis - Rick Rubin  - Atlantic records - Epitaph Records - Equal Vision - Warner Bros - Roadrunner Records and many many more-   

John has since opened Delco's Let There Be Rock School with his wife, Melissa, and enjoys watching a new generation of rockstars emerge. We have been able to have our students do everything from vocal leads in high school plays to placing a student on The Voice and opening band slots for bands such as KORN / Rob Zombie / Clutch - hangs with everyone from Kelly Clarkson to SIXX AM. The kids are truly getting the benefits of John's Rock & Roll history.

 He's done it all and now brings all that experience to Let There Be Rock School! 

Melissa has done everything from being an AGENT in the ENTERTAINMENT biz to working for CBS and being all over TV and radio in Philly and New York. She has worked both on the careers of upcoming stars ( Dawson's Creek/ Breaking Bad )and also worked with stars from every corner of sports, tv, film and music ( PHiladelphia Eagles, WWE, OZZY, BON JOVI) She has studied both singing and acting and now added songwriting to her resume.  She has also acted as an Assistant and Executive Producer of songs recorded in Nashville and works there often. Her skills as an acting, vocal and performance coach, event producer and creative Director have been recognized on a National level. She has  worked with singers on THE VOICE as well as had a student on MTV's COPYCAT singing Competition.  Melissa makes lessons a TON of fun yet is totally serious about helping these students get where they want to be socially, for fun or  in the biz. At Let There Be Rock School she uses her skills to help these young talents to turn from kids to Rockstars in no time!

Andre, our resident ROCKSTAR ,has proven well worthy of the title. From the beginning being in his Internationally famous band DOPE with over 100 Million streams to his constant touring on huge shows and festivals supporting well known artists  to his prestigious performances in the Broadway musical smash hit Rock of Ages .  Only to be followed by him joining the Worldwide famous band  Big & Rich.. He also was asked to join the supergroup DEVICE which comprised of David Draiman of DISTURBED, and WIll Hunt of Evanescence. Andre is a supertalent and amazing singer and songwriter as well as a gifted teacher with a special warmth and humilty that he brings with all of his experience  to LTBRS. He has planted his roots here  now and now we ROCK even more!!

Congrats to US for having Melissa Menago teaching at Let There Be Rock School for 10 YEARS now !!!!

Mel is also currently the songwriting Professor at Drexel U  , those students are very lucky to have her!

 Mel and her band June Divided just WON the awards from 93.7 WSTW for best lead singer AND best rock song for their most recent single " Body Wars" You guys completely deserve it!!!!

Mel is the lead singer of JUNE DIVIDED and has toured all over gaining fans Internationally! We are lucky enough to have her as part of the LET THERE BE ROCK SCHOOL crew and bring her talents to the students here.  She has recently come out with a solo album  and spends her days tracking the biggest cover songs in her own voice for an established karaoke company. She recently was awarded " Best Lead Vocalist"  being recognized in her competitive hometown market.  She takes all of her years of  music school training and live performance  and gives the kids a dose of reality about what it is really like being in the biz: hard work and great talent and lots of FUN and Mel has it all!

Ric Haas is a working guitarist / songwriter out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Starting to play at age 10, Ric quickly found his passion for music. In 2011 he enrolled with the Philadelphia School Of Rock. He became an All Star player and was able to meet musicians such as, Dave Mustaine and Brent Hinds.

Ric joined his first original band Slyphr in 2014. They played along side the likes of Jake E Lee ( Ozzy ) , George Lynch ( Dokken ) and Hellion to name a few.

Ric has since joined forces with the band Mach22, his first gig.....Lincoln Financial Field opening for Guns & Roses on July 14, 2016!

Ric celebrated his 18th birthday in March of 2017 opening for Bon Jovi at the Wells Fargo Center. The list goes on to include opening for bands such as Michael Schenker, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons, Tom Keifer, Bret Michaels, Airbourne and many others. Ric also plays with the power trio On Top and with legendary bass player Buddy Cash in The Buddy Cash Band and Revelation. Ric holds a guitar credit on the track Believe off of Dee Snider's solo album We Are The Ones and MANY more credits to come!

Daniel Antonelli, guitar, attended Penn State University before moving on to the Musicians Institute (G.I.T) in Hollywood California. At Musicians Institute he studied under some of the industry’s finest guitar instructors including Paul Gilbert, Frank Gambale, Scott Henderson, Marty Friedman and Jason Becker. He has performed guitar live and in the recording studio in the styles of Rock, Jazz, Country, Blues, Funk, Pop, Fusion and Classical. He has played in various original and cover bands in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Nashville and Florida and is also credited by playing on a handful of movie soundtracks including a major motion picture from 20th Century Fox. He was also awarded an honorable mention from the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2001 for his original composition “Tryin’”. He started teaching guitar in the eighties and also teaches bass, piano, ukulele, mandolin and vocal lessons. His teaching objective is to teach guitar on all levels, from beginning to advanced emphasizing on acquisition of skill, theory, development of personal style and self-confidence. He also creates a personal program for each individual student.

This indie /rock/ jazz  vocalist is also a trained opera singer as well as an original songwriter.  She has done  amazing things in her young career. including singing backups for Sara McLachlan, Andrea Corr, and Loreena McKinnit,  worked under the direction of Tim Janis and sang in Carnegie Hall. Angelique is a brilliant harmonist and arranger  and multi instrumentalist which enables her to be a terrific band director.  She has much theatre and Broadway-style acting and singing background as well and is our go-to for theatre based singing lessons. Ang's all around talent brings so much to the school everyday!

Ryan was born on Chicago’s South Side and started playing guitar at the age of fourteen. Born with a deep passion for a broad variety of musical styles, Ryan studied with Grammy award winner and jazz giant Frank J. Rumoro at the Chicago Academy of Jazz Guitar. Since that time he has made a name for himself as a teacher, performer, session guitarist, and true stylistic chameleon. In 2013, Ryan moved to Philadelphia to continue his musical journey and has toured the East Coast with several nationally recognized artists since 2014. 

Ryan was lead guitarist and band leader for “The Voice” finalist, country singer, Audra McLaughlin. Lead guitarist for indie rockers The Electives, CaptainPilotDriver, Cities&Sounds, Soraia, The Raknoss and hiphop artist The DreamR. Lead Guitarist for pop singer Ces Picerno where Ryan was under the mentorship of producer David Ivory (The Roots/Halestorm). Lead guitarist for New York funk-pop band Nalani and Sarina where Ryan was teamed up with knock out players Jim Hines (drums Beach Boys/Brian Wilson) and Tommy Emanuel (keyboard Bryan Adams/Mark Knopfler) All of these experiences have given Ryan a unique perspective on professionalism, playing music live/recording and the role of the guitar in different musical landscapes. 

As a teacher Ryan has a passion for helping students find their own unique voice on the guitar. Stating “Guitar playing is a meditation of self-awareness and was a way for me to find structure, discipline, self worth and expression. Through that I have grown as a person and a musician. My sole reason for teaching is to help others find that passion and those qualities within themselves to live a beautiful and fulfilling life through his/her instrument.”

Students should expect a relaxing learning environment that is cultivated to bring the fundamentals of guitar playing to the student and promote individuality in the player through free form jamming, finger exercises, chord building, strumming patterns, dynamics study, scales, arpeggios, improvisational chop building and cover songs.

Alice Marie is an electric violinist/violist and singer/songwriter who has performed with several national acts, including an Ireland-England tour with the award-winning pan-Celtic Rock band, Barleyjuice, that was sponsored by the Irish radio station, Blarney on the Air. Barleyjuice has several albums and 12K Spotify followers to boast, and Alice was lucky enough to play the Shamrock Series at Fenway Park to 30K people with Barleyjuice. They also played the Dublin Irish Festival’s 30th Anniversary and were sponsored by Smithwick’s to do a series of Celtic concerts. Most recently, Alice Marie backed the Grammy-nominated, G.Love during Preston and Steve’s “Campout for Hunger” (93.3 WMMR FM) with her band, Jamison; they also headlined the Maryland Irish Festival in 2022 and Celtic Classic in Bethlehem (the country’s largest, free Irish festival).

Other national acts she has worked with include Hip-hop artist, Kuf Knotz (recorded on multiple albums); she also joined the Highway Women (Amelia Presley) to headline Yachtstock back in 2017. In 2019, she joined activist and artist, Jea Street Jr. to play the Firefly Music Festival.

Alice Marie belonged to two award-winning string quartets, while in high school, and studied with the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Rachel Ku, while at Temple University. Alice Marie is a Certified Educator and teaches for PMAY (Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth).

Alice Marie’s influences include New Age artist, David Darling, and Celtic artist, Eileen Eivers. She enjoys improvising with unique, stylistic nuance, while using various effects’ pedals on her electric violin.

With music in her blood, Alyssa Marie Canalichio is a third generation singer-songwriter, actress, and known to be a jack of all trades in music genres, and working part time jobs to keep her passion alive! This South Philadelphia native has built quite the resume during her time in the entertainment industry. Starting with a background in local music theatre and indie films, later performing with various party bands including local wedding agency EBE talent, East Coast Entertainment, and a recent feature on Netflix’s Sing On! Not only has she accomplished a dream of singing on television, Alyssa has also been hosting private events throughout the Tri state area bringing fun and empowerment! Trailblazing through to next opportunity in her career! 

Tommy started off as the first student in the Delco Let There be Rock School band program, playing within "student bands" for the school's first 6 years. Tommy continued playing music with a classic rock cover band, playing both Bass and Guitar, formed with former students under the name The Soundcheck. Tommy now plays in an all original pop-punk/alternative band called "Valendina" along with 3 other former students from the school, Karina , Chase and Eric. In total Tommy has a cumulative 16 years of experience playing guitar, and 12 years of live playing experience ranging from DIY basement shows to professional stages up and down the East Coast. Outside of music, Tommy has also attained 2 Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Neuroscience from Temple University, and currently works as an RBT, assisting children on the Autism spectrum with 1-on-1 behavioral support.

Tommy has been such a positive force in Let There Be Rock on MacDade since the day we opened and that continues today!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!