Welcome to Rochester Music Lab

Rochester Music Lab is an educational space dedicated to creating, performing, and producing music. Our mission is to inspire curiosity, creativity, and confidence while helping students explore the endless possibilities of sound.

Take one-on-one lessons to perform your favorite songs or write your own using music theory and creative writing techniques. Learn to play and record real instruments—drums, guitar, piano, steel drums, and more—or compose using a wide range of virtual instruments.

Develop professional production skills using industry-standard Digital Audio Workstations like Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Studio One. Students learn recording, mixing, and mastering for music, podcasts, games, and film, while exploring microphones, signal flow, electronic beat-making, and synthesizers.

Students also have access to our fully equipped Computer Lab, featuring Mac and PC workstations with dedicated recording interfaces, MIDI controllers, and sequencers. Our lab includes Native Instruments and EastWest virtual instrument libraries, along with the full Adobe Creative Suite and Final Cut Pro for album art, animation, video editing, and game assets. Students can even learn the basics of video game design using Construct 3.

Collaborate with others by joining a Drum Circle, Group Ensemble, or other creative workshops—and bring your ideas to life.

Call or text us at (585) 750-8509 to schedule a tour and trial lesson!

Meet Our Teachers:

Travis Rankin

Travis is an RIT graduate with a degree in Music Technology, Music Performance,
and Visual Culture and studied Communication & Media Arts and Adolescence Education at MCC. In addition to playing and touring in bands and playing in concert, jazz and steel drum ensembles, he interned as an Audio Engineer at WXXI and facilitates drum circles through the TIES Program in Rochester.

Jilli Walch

Jilli is a University of Rochester graduate with a degree in Music and
Brain & Cognitive Sciences. From a young age, she has played and sung in jazz bands, orchestras, and choirs. In addition to teaching at the Rochester Music Lab, she also facilitates drum circles through the TIES Program in Rochester.
Jilli teaches piano, saxophone, voice, guitar, and hand drums, and music theory.

Cam Guck

Cam is a Fairport High School graduate who honed his musical skills through extensive practice and performances. He drums in several bands and serves as a band coach at Rochester Music Lab. In addition to teaching one-on-one drum and guitar lessons, Cam guides students in Music Exploration, sharing his passion and expertise.

Abi Culbert

Abi has been a dedicated student at RML from the start! She studies Voice, Guitar, Piano, Percussion, Steel Drums and has developed a strong and versatile musical foundation. She assists with Group Classes and Music Exploration, helping students build confidence and develop their skills. Additionally, she contributes her artistic talents by designing logos and creating artwork for RML projects.

Ted Canning

Ted, a lifelong music educator specializing in steel drums, leads the Steel Drum Ensemble at RIT and teaches percussion. In addition, he leads a Community Steel Drum Band in Geneseo and performs with Pan Loco. With over 30 years of experience in playing and teaching steel pans, Ted brings a wealth of expertise to his students and performances.

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Zak Spath

Zak is an RIT Graduate with a degree in Computer Science. Zak is passionate about sharing traditional West African music and polyrhythms and has studied djembe as a hobby since 2001. He began facilitating drum circles through the TIES program in Rochester in 2003. In addition to djembe he plays the bass guitar.