Working toward and experiencing live performance is the core of our curriculum. Our students grow as individuals by taking the stage with others. When our students work with bandmates, they learn broader life skills like collaboration, compromise and courage. We call this revolutionary approach to music education The School of Rock Method™. The School of Rock Method builds musical proficiency through our proprietary Method App, Method Book collection, SongFirst approach, and Performance Based Music Education. Our Method has been awarded a patent making our teaching system available nowhere else.
Our two introductory programs for kids with no or limited prior experience are Rookies and Rock 101. Rookies is a music program designed for kids ages 6-7 with no previous musical experience. Students have one weekly group lesson where they learn music fundamentals like chords, rhythm and song structure. Rookies students also learn and experiment with multiple instruments so they are then able to decide which one they ultimately want to continue pursuing in Rock 101.
Rock 101, for kids ages 8-13, offers a weekly group rehearsal where they learn classic rock songs that have been arranged and simplified specifically for beginner musicians. These rehearsals are all about getting young musicians to learn the fundamentals of their instrument and playing with a band in a positive and fun atmosphere. Students also have a weekly private music lesson where they learn foundational music and instrument skills and concepts.
The Performance Program, for kids ages 8 to 18, is School of Rock's hallmark music program. It consists of a weekly group rehearsal where students work with a band composed of their peers to play through rock music's most iconic songs. Students are assigned songs and parts that are tailored to them based on their age, experience, and opportunity to learn new skills and concepts. Students then work through their parts in weekly private music lessons to refine the skills and concepts that those songs introduce. The goal of this curriculum is to prepare students for live performances. Every few months, Performance Program students take the stage and play at local music venues in front of a real audience.
East Hartford's 2023 Summer Performance Program Show lineup, in addition to Rookies & Rock 101 includes:
Green Day rose to prominence in the early '90s as one of the largest bands in Punk Rock. Mixing Pop-style songwriting with Punk Rock aesthetics, Green Day has continued to be one of, if not the most, successful act in the sub-genre of pop-punk. Ranging from their early hits from the album Dookie to their later releases like American Idiot, this show is sure to excite any student. The Green Day show will offer a wide variety of guitar parts which are perfect for beginner and intermediate players. Advanced players will be challenged with marrying musical accuracy with stage showmanship. Drummers will be challenged to gain the endurance necessary to power through high tempo songs while more beginner players can build their chops with some of the slower more ballad centered material. Vocalists will focus on Billie Joe Armstrong’s fast staccato delivery, the use of chest voice and belting, as well as exploring the use of the major scales. In addition, proficient vocalists will be challenged by the various harmony concepts. When it comes to punk-style bass parts, Mike Dirnt lays down solid punk rock bass tracks, ranging from driving root notes to dynamic riffing.
21st Century Rock
The 20xxs Show offers a huge variety of music that is sure to satiate any student’s musical appetite. The 2000s has produced more and more artists whose music blends and defies genres, and draws from a greater variety of influences than was available at any previous point in history. At the same time, more traditional bands and artists, including some who started making music in the twentieth century, have adapted to the changing times and continued to thrive. Though it is impossible to place the varied music of the 2000s into one definable style or category, certain themes emerge: 1) an interest in and revival of ‘retro’ sounds using modern technology and sensibilities, and 2) songwriting that draws from a huge diversity of genres and styles, making 21st-century ‘rock’ bands even harder to pin down to one style alone. Examples of blockbuster artists that might be in the setlist include Foo Fighters, RHCP, No Doubt, Green Day, The Killers, Weezer, Arctic Monkeys, Paramore, White Stripes, Adele, The Strokes, Jet, System of a Down, The Darkness, Tool, and many others. This is a perfect show for students of all ages and experience levels and will offer many opportunities to perform across all genres!
The mastermind behind Motown Records’ success was the endlessly entrepreneurial Berry Gordy. Gordy’s meticulous approach to the creation, performance, and distribution of music fueled the growth of one of the most successful black-owned businesses in American history. With over 100 hits in Billboard’s top 10 from 1961 to 1971, Motown and its subsidiary labels more than earned the right to become known as “Hitsville, U.S.A.”. The explosive success of Motown broke new ground by tearing down racial barriers in the music industry, helping to open the door to mainstream success for countless black creators. In the 1960s, Motown’s star-studded roster featured groups like Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Jackson 5, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, the Marvelettes, and the Temptations. Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross would eventually enjoy successful solo careers like label-mates Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. In the next decade, the label’s headquarters migrated from Detroit to Los Angeles and saw the artistic and comparatively more experimental offerings from Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Motown’s influence has impacted generations of artists since its heyday in the 1960s. Its contributions to the racial integration of the music industry will never be forgotten - nor will its infectious sound.