MEET THE TEACHERS
Evan Cole
Guitar, Piano, Voice
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Evan is a singer, actor and performer from Boston, now living and working outside of Philadelphia. His roots are in choral music, musical theater, and folk, but he has been privileged to work with amazing jazz, rock, soul, and pop musicians on all kinds of projects and shows in his career. Theater credits include Captain Hook in Peter Pan, Johnny in American Idiot, Frederic in Pirates of Penzance, and Curly in Oklahoma.
In 2016, teaching became a new passion for Evan - he loves getting to know his students and finding the perfect balance of structure and creativity to lead them to their first "wow" moment. After teaching hundreds of students for thousands of hours worth of lessons, his experience has equipped him with the best lesson books, exercises, games, and sheet music so every lesson is focused, fun, and builds knowledge. Lessons always progress at the student's pace - plus a little push as they grow in knowledge and confidence.
John Taylor
Guitar, Ukulele, Bass
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John first picked up a guitar at the age of 17. Just a few short years later he'd mastered multiple genres, including classic rock, alternative rock, reggae and the blues.
For the past 9 years, John has been playing and writing music and continues to play live at various venues and bars. He is now an improvisational guitar player with a passion for blues, rock and jazz. As a teacher, he's multi-dimensional and would love to teach you any genre of music you would like to learn. If theory interests you, he will dive down into the music theory rabbit hole. If you'd rather stick to cover songs by your favorite artists, he can do that as well! John does everything he can to make sure that his students feel comfortable, have fun (because learning guitar is awesome), and gain knowledge every time they complete a session. Lessons with John will be geared around whatever the student would like to achieve!
RINNY PETRILLO
Guitar
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Rinny is an experienced guitarist from Milford, PA. Her love of music began early when she first picked up a guitar at age six after being exposed to bands like Motley Crue, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Queensryche. She has performed with Blues Hall of Famer Scott Weis and with renowned record producer Wharton Tiers in his band, The Wharton Tiers Ensemble.
After earning a reputation around her hometown as a “shredder,” Rinny went to college to earn a music degree. She earned a BA in Music with a concentration in Classical Guitar from Lebanon Valley College. She performed for four years with the LVC Guitar Ensemble and in a guitar trio. While at LVC, Rinny discovered her love for classical guitar technique and history. She has built a bountiful supply of exercises, lesson books, pieces, and songs for teaching. Rinny believes in building a solid foundation of proper technique for new guitarists.
LIZ SACKS
Violin, Viola, Piano
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Liz started playing violin at 8 years old, and joined the Reading Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 13.
She has a background in early childhood education and teaching neurodivergent students, and specializes in making music accessible for all. Her years spent teaching young children have given her insight and affinity for young learners and a plethora of strategies for engaging learning with enthusiasm and curiosity.
Liz believes that helping students of all ages to find what sparks their imagination can give them joy in learning music and sharing it with others.
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JACKY NGUYEN
Guitar
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Jacky began his musical journey at 10 years old, starting with the violin. He later transitioned to the cello and ultimately ended up with the guitar.
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Jacky attended the Girard Academic Music Program for high school where he had scores of opportunities to select and hone his musical preferences. Genres like pop punk, alternative rock, pop, jazz, Japanese rock, and progressive metal stood out for Jacky in his developmental period, crafting his way of learning and understanding music.
As a teacher, he hopes to help find what kind of music his students want to understand and play. Having genuine interest and passion in the songs they are learning is an integral part of his teaching method.
TYLER HERBERT
Guitar, Drums
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Tyler Herbert has been playing music for over a decade, with eight of those years on the drums playing for church youth group worship services. Throughout high school and college, Tyler also played in a number of house bands as well. The past 4 years, he has been a part of his current church's worship band playing the acoustic guitar.
"The thing I aspire to do most is show the world how much I have been blessed with, and one way I can do this is share my love of music with others".
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Tyler works well with both children and adult learners and we are lucky to have him as part of The Crossroads family!
Andrew Portz
Guitar, Banjo, Ukulele, Mandolin, Piano
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Andrew Portz has been playing the guitar for close to 35 years, and has taught private lessons for over 25 years. In addition to guitar, he can provide instruction on 5-string banjo, ukulele, mandolin, and beginner piano.
Andrew has been a member of the Philadelphia Funk Authority since 1998 and has performed at Rockefeller Center, Godfrey Daniels, The Sellersville Theatre, The Hammerstein Ballroom-NYC, and Musikfest.
He teaches all styles of music including rock, jazz, funk, finger-style, country, and folk. Andrew also coaches students who are aspiring to become singer-songwriters.
Josephine Fuss
Cello
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Josephine Fuss started playing the cello at the age of four and hasn’t looked back since. By 4th grade, she was playing in an adult orchestra, which gave her valuable early experience in performance and collaboration. She’s spent her life immersed in music—from camps and intensives to playing in orchestras, leading worship at church, and diving into music theory. With a few years of teaching under her belt, Josephine loves helping students find their unique musical voice.
As a mom of two, she has a special place in her heart for teaching kids, but she’s equally happy to work with adult learners, too! Josephine focuses on creating a supportive and engaging environment where students feel excited to learn. She tailors each lesson to the individual, ensuring that every student progresses at their own pace while building both technical skills and musical expression.
Austin Bright
Drums, Guitar
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Austin started playing drums at the age of 12. He studied various styles of music throughout his public school years joining every ensemble possible including concert band, marching band, jazz
band, and orchestra. He also had several rock bands throughout his teenage years, playing local shows and learning the art of live performance.
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After graduating high school in 2016 he spent his first college semester in Nashville, learning the in’s and out’s of the music business. After figuring out the city life wasn’t from him, he left Nashville in 2017 and moved back to PA where he spent the next three years earning a bachelor’s
degree in Business at Messiah University.
Austin also plays guitar,
harmonica, and loves to sing. His goal is to share his passion for music with his students and to inspire others to create art.