Hey, Ashburn Fam!!
Our Summer season is right around the corner and we have an amazing show line-up that we are excited to share with you all! Please read through the entire email to stay up to date on the latest School of Rock Ashburn information. We place students in the show that will be educational for the students' musical and social growth. Not every student will get their first choice show. Bands will be cast not only based on first-come, first-served responses but by instrumentation as well.
*Remember that students in Rock 101, Performance, House Band, and Adult programs are not automatically added to the same rehearsal time that they are currently enrolled in.
Seasonal Timeline:
- Season starts the week of October 6th
- 2026 House & JV House Band auditions will be in November.
- Production Fees - November 15th
- MidSeason Showcase TBA - HOLD December 6th/7th & 13th/14th
- End Of Season Show: January 24th & 31st (Bands will perform on only one of these dates)
ROCK 101 PROGRAM
Rock 101 is one of School of Rock’s major programs for kids and beginners ages 8-12 years. Students have one weekly group rehearsal where they learn classic rock songs. These rehearsals get young musicians to learn the fundamentals of their instrument while playing with a band in a positive and fun atmosphere. Students also have a weekly private music lesson with an instructor who will help them rehearse performance songs while teaching them foundational music skills and concepts.
Weekly Rock 101 rehearsals are tentatively:
- Wednesday - Rock 101 - 4:30-6:00pm
- Thursday - Rock 101 - 4:30-6:00pm
SIGN UP BY CLICKING HERE!!
PERFORMANCE PROGRAM
The Performance Program is School of Rock's hallmark music program, where tens of thousands of students enroll each year for ages 11-18yrs old. Read more about our performance program HERE.
CLASSIC METAL: MON 6:00-8:00pm
LEAD DIRECTOR: ADAM
Classic Metal is widely regarded as ranging from the late 1960s Proto-Metal sound of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin up until the mid 1980s, when Thrash Metal reigned supreme with bands like the ‘big four’ (Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer) and Hair Metal was still a blip on the horizon. Full of guitar wizardry and riffs galore, Classic Metal’s explosion in the 1970s and early '80s would set the tone for a generation of Metal bands to come and leave an indelible impression on the music industry. This show will trace the roots of metal, from the late '70s hard rock, Ronnie James Dio fronted bands like Black Sabbath and Rainbow and to metal’s big break in the '80s with bands like Metallica and Megadeth. If you’re looking to sharpen your shredding skills on guitar and bass, speed up your chops on the drums, or hone your high range vocals - the Classic Metal show is for you!
LEFT OF THE DIAL: TUES 6:00-8:00PM
LEAD DIRECTOR: CHRIS
Alternative rock from a time before “alternative” was a genre, Left of the Dial refers to the underground rock featured on many college radio stations in the 1980s and early 1990s, before Grunge swept alternative music into the mainstream. These college stations often broadcast at lower frequencies, which were located on the far left side of the analog FM radio dial. The term “Left of the Dial” was coined in a song by The Replacements, and an eventual compilation album by Rhino Records further cemented the phrase as a nickname for this era of music. A few of the bands and artists from this era found mainstream success, but all of them began as DIY underdogs and were incredibly influential in the evolution of the Grunge and Indie Rock that defined rock music in the 90s and 2000s. Left of the Dial is known for its wide variety of musical styles and unique personalities, including artists like Sonic Youth, REM, The Pixies, Depeche Mode, Meat Puppets, Kate Bush, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, The Smiths, and Dinosaur Jr. Students of all instruments and experience levels can expect good challenges playing these songs that often still sound innovative, even today.
FLEETWOOD MAC: WED 6:00-8:00PM
LEAD DIRECTOR: ERIC
One of the world’s best-selling bands, Fleetwood Mac formed as a British Blues group in 1967 and morphed into a chart-topping British-American pop band in the mid-1970s. Despite several band member iterations, the Fleetwood Mac’s best known lineup featured Mick Fleetwood (drums), John McVie (bass), Lindsey Buckingham (guitar/vocals), Christine McVie (keys/vocals), and Stevie Nicks (vocals). It was this lineup that recorded their most successful and critically acclaimed Rumors album, which featured hits like ‘Dreams’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘The Chain’ and ‘Don’t Stop’. Throughout the remaining decades, Fleetwood Mac went on to produce material that, while somewhat popular, did not critically live up to the success of Rumors. Their May 1997 live concert on a soundstage in Burbank, CA, was recorded and subsequently released as The Dance, which premiered on MTV that year and brought the band back into the public spotlight and widespread popularity. Fleetwood Mac, including the Rumors-era and the original (Green, Kirwan, and Spencer) lineups, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Fleetwood Mac is an amazing show that will challenge vocal students to master harmonies, guitar players to learn the unorthodox fingerpicking style of Lindsey Buckingham, drummers to study Mick Fleetwood’s extremely versatile drumming, keyboardists to grasp how Christine McVie merged classical-training playing with rock improvisation, and bassists to learn from John McVie’s creative and rock-solid bass foundations.
BRITISH INVASION: THURS 6:00-8:00PM
LEAD DIRECTOR: KEVIN
The mid-1960s cultural phenomenon known as “The British Invasion” refers to the sudden and ubiquitous popularity of British rock and roll among the American youth of the time. The catalog of music created by these artists - including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Kinks among others - propelled Rock & Roll music to the mainstream of cultural relevance where it remains to this day. The British Invasion bands took inspiration from Blues, Folk, and early Rock & Roll and combined these influences in an exciting way that can teach both our students and audiences the foundation of modern pop and rock music. British Invasion is a prime show choice for all instruments and experience levels to learn the foundations of Rock music, and especially perfect for emerging players who are looking to take the next step in widening their musical repertoire. Some notable song selections may include The Beatles’ “Twist And Shout”, The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”, and The Yardbirds’ “For Your Love”.
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE: SAT 2:00-4:00PM
LEAD DIRECTOR: IAN
While emo music arguably started in the ‘90s, one cannot talk about emo and modern punk without mentioning My Chemical Romance. Their sound and look became synonymous with alternative music and defined the genre for the past 20 years. MCR's music offers a plethora of techniques and styles and arrangements: from the soaring, over-the-top dramatic vocals, to blistering guitar-harmonies, to ripping drums, it’s no wonder they sell out stadiums around the world. This show is for students looking to hone their stagecraft and their classical chops, but through a modern lens.
SIGN UP BY CLICKING HERE!!
ADULT PROGRAM
BEST OF THE 90S: SAT 4:00-6:00PM
LEAD DIRECTOR: PHEONIX
The 90s were one of music’s most important decades as grunge and alternative music took over the airwaves and popular culture. Come celebrate bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Weezer, and many more in our Adult 90's show!
