Introduction

Congratulations on exploring a very different approach to music lessons for your child. If you're like the parents of our current students, you'll be glad you did. Because if we're the right program for your child, he or she will be happier and more self confident than you've ever seen. You'll have to tell your child to stop practicing to go to bed rather than nagging them to practice. Your child will rush you to get to practice on time instead of the other way around. In a short amount of time (three months or less) you are going to see an amazing transformation in your child.

We think it's important that the kids be able to play music as quickly as possible to keep their interest. So we teach in a way that is easiest for each child to grasp and along the way we add the music theory and technique the kids didn't think they needed to learn or wanted to know. And by then they want to learn them because they are PLAYING music.

From the moment a student joins our school he or she is playing music - real rock music, with other musicians, on professional equipment and before long our students are playing shows. These are not your old-fashioned "wait-through-fifty-other-kids-mangling-their-songs-until-your-child's-turn-arrives" recitals but real rock concerts at real rock venues before real rock audiences. Nationally our students have played over 350 such concerts to more than 100,000 people. Imagine YOUR CHILD playing Pink Floyd, The Who, Black Sabbath, AC/DC or Southern Rock in front of a crowd of 300 people!

Our goal at the school is two-fold: to help our students realize their amazing potential as artists and then to put them on stage in front of as many people as possible. To attain the first goal we have established a highly competitive yet thoroughly supportive environment where our students are challenged at every turn.

The shows we perform are picked for their educational merit and content (e.g. Queen to learn about harmony, Punk to develop performance and stage presence, Zappa for a crash course in musicianship.) It is never even suggested that these kids shouldn't be able to learn and play their parts. Thus, if they fail, they fail aiming at the best. And when they succeed, which is more often than not, they have accomplished something extraordinary. As our founder Paul Green says, "If you do not tell kids what they cannot do, they may never learn."

Of course our students learn to play music but they also learn teamwork, cooperation, leadership, sharing, self confidence, stage presence, presentation/performance skills and a sense of accomplishment. Best of all, they have fun. And so do the parents. When was the last time you ENJOYED listening to your child practice a musical instrument? Our students are playing the songs we parents grew up to. So listening to them practice and attending one of their concerts is entertaining in many ways.

P.S. If our name sounds familiar to you it's likely because our first school was the inspiration for the 2003 hit movie "School of Rock" starring Jack Black as well as the subject of a documentary "Rock School".

P.P.S. Yes, you will be the "Cool Mom and Dad" when you enroll your child in the School of Rock!