Saturday, January 10, 2009

Learn To Rock Like A Star

Learn To Rock Like A Star
There’s still hope for students whose school music programs have gone the way of the buffalo (or who would prefer rocking out as opposed to Little League or soccer practice). The Paul Green School of Rock Music teaches kids not only music theory and how to play their instruments, it also teaches kids the [...]

There’s still hope for students whose school music programs have gone the way of the buffalo (or who would prefer rocking out as opposed to Little League or soccer practice). The Paul Green School of Rock Music teaches kids not only music theory and how to play their instruments, it also teaches kids the fundamentals of performing in front of a live audience. The idea being, you can’t have a rock show without (a) an audience, and (b) crazy lights and a fog machine.

And, really, most kids are learning to play an instrument for only one of three reasons:

(1) Their parents are making them.

(2) They hope someday to perform with a world-renowned symphony and maybe have a stunning violin solo.

(3) They are biding their time learning guitar in the standard guitar-learning setting until they can absorb enough guitar knowledge and gather enough of their middle school friends to finally get their band going so they can be ass-kicking rock stars on tour with roadies and groupies by the age of 21.

From the CS Monitor article:

Aspiring rockers can enroll in any of the three semesters throughout the year. Students can learn how to play the keyboard, guitar, drums, or bass, and take voice instruction. Every week, students participate in a 45-minute lesson and a three-hour group rehearsal. The school also offers summer camp sessions where students get lessons in recording their own music and marketing.

Mr. Green grew up playing guitar and bass. He taught music lessons and played gigs to pay his way through college. Ultimately, his lessons turned into jam sessions when he asked his students to collaborate with him – and play the music they were individually learning. That’s when the idea for the school emerged. In 1998, Mr. Green opened up the first School of Rock in Philadelphia.

Now, 10 years later, there are 45 schools across the country, with 20 more schools set to open.

Seattle has a School of Rock should my kiddos ever want to test their rock-star mettle.

Posted by Alexa Harrington

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