OUR INSTRUCTORS
Greg Hipskind - Owner/Director/Drum Instructor
Greg has been playing for 30+ years and has made a living as a professional musician for the past 19 years, teaching lessons and performing on a regular basis. He is the owner and director of QC Rock Academy and is the head drum instructor.
Greg is a proud member of the Vic Firth Education Team, Sabian Education Network and a member of the Professional Drum Teachers Guild. He is also part of the popular Quad City band, Wicked Liz & the Bellyswirls
Greg grew up in Moline and when not playing music he is an avid baseball fan and loves to travel with his wife, Jenny and daughters, Leah and Emma.
Accepting students age 9 and up.
Billy Gardner - Head Guitar Instructor.
Billy has been playing since he was 10 years old (30+ years) and has enjoyed teaching for the past ten years. He has played in many local bands including Keep A Lie, Axen Province, Alone, Transmission 13 and Katalina. He is currently playing with the band Kronos Resistor.
As a kid, his family and friends encouraged him alot in his learning and his biggest inspiration was always the joy of hitting the stage with his band and putting on the best performance possible.
When not teaching, he enjoys time with his family, fishing and Packers football.
Accepting students age 7 and up.
Scot Haut - Guitar
Scot has been playing guitar for over 20 years and has been playing professional for the past 11 years. As a young boy, Scot was consumed by the power of music. Most of his time as a teenager was spent learning and playing his guitar. Once he got a taste of being on stage he couldn't give it up. He currently plays in four bands; The One Night Standards, Terry and the Loan Sharks, The Afterdarks and Electric Machete.
When he's not teaching or gigging, he enjoys spending quiet time at home with his wife, Amy and daughter, Olive. He also enjoys restoring his classic car.
Accepting students age 7 and up.
Sharon DeKeyzer - Vocal and Piano
Sharon has been teaching and coaching since 2006. She gained her music degree from Morningside College in 2007. She got her vocal performance degree with concentration in piano, voice, and communication. She has been a competitor in the Miss America, Miss USA and Mrs America program and coached many students to achieve these goals.
Accepting vocal and piano students age 7 to adult
Maddie Wulgaert - Vocal, Piano, Ukulele, Guitar
Bio coming soon!
Bryce Swanson - Guitar/Bass/Piano and KidzRock Classes
Bryce Swanson, born and raised in the Quad Cities, has been playing and studying music for two decades. During this time Bryce has worked his way to being one of the top call guitarists in the Quad Cities. He is a graduate of Black Hawk College as well as The University of Northern Iowa, while at these schools he took many music courses and lessons despite being a non-music major. While at Black Hawk College he lead Jazz Band I and achieved a music achievement award each semester he attended. Bryce is proficient in many styles of guitar playing and students can expect instruction in genres such as: blues, country, metal, funk, jazz, pop, R&B, rock etc.
Bryce teaches to help promote a love of lifelong learning; he believes that no matter what your experience with music (or any other subject) may be, you can always continue to learn. Bryce is in a number of projects at any given time, but he can be heard with local favorite Soul Storm and Class of '82.
Accepting students age 7 to adult
Bryson Foster - Drums
Bryson Foster has been playing drums for over 10 years and has studied under some of the best teachers in the business. He started taking lessons as soon as he picked up his sticks at age 11. He then went on to the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, CA where he continued his studies on the drumset. While in Los Angeles, he was able to learn from world class instructors and he graduated with an Associates of Arts in Drumset Performance.
Bryson has a real passion for music and loves sharing it with others.
When he's not teaching, Bryson enjoys playing gigs around the Quad Cities with his band, Condor and Jaybird and traveling.
Accepting students age 7 and up.
Jeff Jackson - Guitar
Jeff was born and raised in Davenport Iowa, at a very young age, he knew that music was going to play a huge role in his future and life and it has. He started playing guitar in 1986 at the age of eleven, bass guitar in 1990 and pedal steel guitar in 1999. He have played and toured with many local bands along with some national acts. He is a long time member of the band Fifth of Country.
Accepting students age 7 to adult
Rebecca Casad - Vocals and Ukulele
Rebecca comes from a musical family and started as a student here at QCRA as a teenager. She has made a name for herself in the local music community as a songwriter playing ukulele and writing her own original songs. She released her own CD, "Memoirs" in 2018. Rebecca has also performed in many plays and musicals with Davenport West High School and Augustana College, where she currently attends.
Janette Lyle - Vocals
Bio Coming Soon!
Connor Lyle - Piano & Guitar
Bio coming soon!
Drew Irion - Bass/Guitar
Bio coming soon!
Eric Pobanz - Drums
Bio coming soon
Noelle Snyder - Vocal and Ukulele
Noelle got her start singing at age 8 as a student here at QC Rock Academy. She was very active through her years here doing countless performances and singing with our student band, Made Ya Look for nearly 6 years.
She started teaching in 2022 at another area lesson facility then joined us in early 2025 to give her students more performance opportunities like she had growing up.
