Enrollment has started for our Fall/Winter performance season!
Performance Program - School of Rock’s Flagship Program - is a unique combination of private and group lessons which offers students the opportunity to apply every concept they learn in their private lesson into a real rock n roll setting; essentially connecting the dots from the practice room, to full band rehearsals, and finally up to the stage at some of Chicago's best rock clubs! Our students have performed at Lincoln Hall, Double Door, Schubas, & The Empty Bottle, among countless other amazing venues. Each season, we offer a variety of amazing performance group themes (i.e. the music of Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, HeavyMetal, etc… ) from which students are able to select their group. Click HERE for some photos of our past performances! Tuition for this program is $354/month and includes a weekly 45 minute private lesson as well as a weekly group rehearsal that runs 2 hours and 15 minutes. You would be billed on a recurring monthly basis and you could cancel anytime during the current month for the following month. However, we ask that once you commit to a season, you stay until the final performance.
Need help deciding if performance program is the right fit for your student? Give us a call!
PLEASE NOTE: If you have participated in Performance Program in the past, you will notice the changes in rehearsal times. We are no longer doing 2hr and 15min rehearsals. All rehearsals are now 90mins!
And now, for our themes!
QUEEN
“Ah-yo!!”
In the mid-1970s, the rock world was forever changed by an ambitious four piece from London. “I have just seen the future of pop music,” wrote Jac Holzman of Electra Records, “and it is a rock band called Queen!” Jac’s prediction may have sounded stone cold crazy at the time, but he was right, and the band’s unique blend of pop, progressive, and hard rock soon took over the airwaves, and eventually the world as their records ran a bicycle race straight to the top of the charts!
Roger Taylor’s rock solid drumming was distinctive with heavy hi-hat accents on the backbeats, while guitarist Brian May delivered well orchestrated rhythm parts along with finely crafted leads. Bassist and secret songwriting weapon, John Deacon provided the melodic yet rhythmically precise basslines. At the center of it all was Freddie Mercury with intense vocals, dramatic piano parts, and unmatchable stage charisma. Let’s not forget about all the amazing harmonies!
Join us this fall, and we will rock you through some of the greatest music ever recorded! Are you ready, Freddie?
Rehearsals:
Mondays: 7:30pm - 9:00pm
First Rehearsal:
Monday, October 17th, 2022
Dress Rehearsal:
Friday, February 24th, 2023
Performance:
Saturday, February 25th, 2023
GREEN DAY
Hey Naperville rockers, do you sometimes give yourself the creeps? Does your mind play tricks on you? Does it all keep adding up until you feel like you’re cracking up?? Well, here at SoR, we’ve got just the solution for you! In the early 90’s, Green Day emerged from the thriving East Bay punk scene and soon brought their energetic sound to the rest of the planet! From Gilman Street to the Garden, the band went on to sell 75 million records! Taking cues from early pop influenced punk rockers like the Ramones and Descendents, Green Day offered a powerful and catchy alternative to the popular gloom of the day.
Learn to play Tre Cool’s bombastic drum style which has been described as “creative yet functional” by Drumhead Authority. Mike Dirnt’s punk rock approach to bass provides a solid foundation while remaining eclectic and colorful. Putting the power back into power chords, Billie Joe Armstrong’s frantic style is all over these tunes, but we also get a fair dose of melodic octave lines, open chords, and pentatonic style leads. The vocals here are filled with intrepid attitude and exceptionally catchy melodies. Warning: These songs will be stuck in your head for months!
Get ready to have the time of your life as we explore the exciting punk rock fun and fury that is Green Day!
Rehearsals:
Tuesdays: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
First Rehearsal:
Tuesday, October 18th, 2022
Dress Rehearsal:
Friday, February 24th, 2023
Performance:
Saturday, February 25th, 2023
NIRVANA
In September of 1991, Kurt Cobain struck four chords that unequivocally altered the music industry and commercial rock as we know it. His legendary band, Nirvana, brought the underground to the forefront changing the climate of modern music. Their Seattle sound was labeled grunge. In a time of spandex, hairspray, and over the top guitar solos, Nirvana offered a breath of fresh air immediately extinguishing all of the above. With a raw, cathartic look and sound, they became the poster children of their generation and one of the most popular bands of all time!
Study the drum style of the great Dave Grohl! Sure, the heavy hitting drummer knows how to play loud, but it’s his great understanding of dynamics that propel these songs. Learn to play Krist Novoselic’s hypnotic basslines which support the chord progression or provide clever harmony when needed. His playing was the substructure to Nirvana’s Sound. The guitar parts are intuitive to play but not without challenge. As far as lead guitar, Kurt Cobain was the master of the anti-guitar solo. Often making noise or quoting the vocal melody, he was trying to show us that you don’t have to be a virtuoso to make a statement. Powerful vocal melodies with abstract and illustrative lyrics are ever-present.
This fall, bring your flannel or just come as you are! We’re taking on the grunge hits of the one and only Nirvana!
Rehearsals:
Tuesdays: 7:30pm - 9:00pm
First Rehearsal:
Tuesday, October 18th, 2022
Dress Rehearsal:
Friday, February 24th, 2023
Performance:
Saturday, February 25th, 2023
THE DOORS
“We want the world and we want it now!” sang Jim Morrison in 1967, and he wasn’t kidding! In just a few short years the Doors went from Venice Beach bum film students to rock stars with hits like “Light My Fire” and “Riders on the Storm”. They began as regulars in the Los Angeles nightclub scene, and quickly developed a reputation for their reckless, swaggering stage show and an unmistakable signature sound. The Doors had a love for the blues and a knack for improvisation. These things along with Morrison’s intense poetic lyrics set them apart from their peers and earned them a chapter in rock n roll history!
John Densmore had an outside of the box approach to psychedelic rock drumming with a strong jazz influence. Keyboard player Ray Manzarek was classically trained, and you can tell when you study his parts, but he wasn’t afraid to show off his early rock influence adding texture and improvising solos. Robby Krieger developed his own hybrid guitar style by mixing jazz and blues and applying it to a rock setting. With commanding vocals and stage presence to match, Jim Morrison’s performances were rarely the same twice.
This fall, we’re breaking on through to the other side. Don’t miss the bus!
Rehearsals:
Wednesdays: 5:15pm - 6:45pm
First Rehearsal:
Wednesday, October 19th, 2022
Dress Rehearsal:
Friday, February 24th, 2023
Performance:
Saturday, February 25th, 2023
SMASHING PUMPKINS
Who says we don’t support the locals? In the early 90s, when the rock world was blowing up in Seattle, London, and Los Angeles, we had our own response right here at home in Chicago! We’re ecstatic to announce the return of one of our favorite SoR shows: Smashing Pumpkins! Billy and company established themselves as the Midwest answer to modern alternative rock and have proven that they can still hold that title to this day!
Jimmy Chamberlin, who has shown his support for our own School of Rock here in Naperville, is considered to be one of the greats. His dedication to developing his craft is an inspiration for any young musician. The harmonic foundation was provided by D’arcy Wretzky on bass who’s lines were seemingly simplistic, yet perfectly suited for each song. Billy Corgan and James Iva’s guitar parts explore different genres including shoegaze, metal, and dream pop.
Sign up today, not tonight, tonight! Sorry, had to get one more bad joke in! See you this fall!
Rehearsals:
Thursdays: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
First Rehearsal:
Thursday, October 20th, 2022
Dress Rehearsal:
Friday, February 24th, 2023
Performance:
Saturday, February 25th, 2023
The Venue: Heroes West
1015 STATE ST. | LEMONT, IL 60439
Heroes West is a large Sports Bar located South West of Chicago in Lemont, Illinois. They offer a variety of live entertainment including live music, DJ's, karaoke, bar trivia, acoustic music and much more! You can check out their website here.
Admission
In lieu of ticketing at the event, School of Rock will charge a one time show fee of $50 which will include admission for family and friends (venue capacity pending Covid regulations/ restrictions) and 1 show poster. Show fees will be charged at the start of the season (October 3rd). Show fees are non-refundable.
Sign up HERE today!