Mark Pellegrino started playing drums at the age of 15, and started teaching when he was 22 years old in his home town of St. Louis. As a teenager he began taking lessons at Drum Headquarters, where he quickly began a lifelong relationship with Dixon Drums Brand Manager, Jim Uding. Fast forward to now, Mark is very honored and excited to be a part of the Dixon Roster! Check them out at playdixon.com

In 1998, Mark received a 2 year certificate in Drumset Performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. He has studied privately with some of the greats, such as Jim Chapin, Kenny Aronoff, and Dave DiCenso just to name a few. He has toured all over the U.S. playing a wide variety of musical styles. After 3 years of living in Nashville TN where he stayed busy with live and studio work, Mark and his family settled down in Springfield, MO.

In 2006 Mark and his wife Teresa opened Pellegrino’s School of Music and Art to try and create an environment much like what Mark experienced at Berklee, and what Teresa experienced at the Art Institute of Boston. Pellegrino’s school had 10 music lesson rooms, an art lesson studio, and a venue with a fully equipped stage. On June 1st 2020 after being forced to shut down for 2 and a half months due to COVID 19, Mark and Teresa decided to shut the doors of the brick and mortar chapter of Pellegrino’s. They immediately went to online and in person lessons in their home studios without missing a beat. No pun intended!

Mark’s teaching method includes trying to find what motivates the student, and helping them set and develop their goals. If you would like to contact Mark you can reach him at mark@pellegrinosschoolofmusicandart.com.

Kyle’s musical journey has been closely tied to Pellegrino’s School of Music since the school’s grand opening in 2006. As a teenager, Kyle took guitar and vocal lessons with numerous instructors at Pellegrino’s, and performed as a guitarist, singer and bass player in multiple student bands, including the very first student stage band under Mark Pellegrino’s direction. After graduating high school, Kyle auditioned and was accepted into Belmont University’s prestigious guitar program in Nashville, Tennessee, an achievement he credits to the experience he gained during his time at Pellegrino’s.At Belmont, Kyle’s musical training was extensive and wide-ranging. His first two years were spent studying jazz and classical guitar under the rigorous methodology of John Pell. He took advanced classes in ear training, music theory and music history. As a junior, Kyle auditioned and was accepted into Belmont’s competitive songwriting program and spent the subsequent two years studying under professional songwriters including Tom Douglas (Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert)  and Drew Ramsey (Jonny Lang, Dave Barnes). Belmont’s songwriting program also included music business classes such as Music Publishing and Copyright Law, as well as recording technology classes where he gained experience with modern digital audio workstations like ProTools and Logic. In 2013, he graduated as a songwriting major with a minor in commercial guitar.

After graduation from Belmont, Kyle remained in Nashville and played guitar in various rock, country, and pop bands. In 2016, he began touring as a solo acoustic act, and has since played over 300 shows at colleges, wineries, house concerts and coffee houses all over the US. He has collaborated often with YouTube phenom Megan Davies and is a winner of the coveted Eddie’s Attic Songwriters Open Mic in Atlanta, GA. He has self-produced a number of projects which can be found on all major streaming platforms under his name.

Kyle currently only offers online lessons for his students!