OUR SUMMER 2026 SEASON SHOWS!

Every 4 months, we announce the new show themes for the upcoming season. We choose our Performance and Adult Band themes based on our educational standards, while also trying to provide an exciting and fun experience to our students! We've got a GREAT Summer Line-up for our students covering multiple decades and genres of rock! Signups open April 16th at 12:00 p.m.! Don't wait - this is YOUR chance to tell us what show you want to do for Summer!

WE BELIEVE SCHOOL Of rock summer programs prevent "brain drain"

There's a myriad of research that points to the two-month brain drain experienced by students on summer break. This phenomenon doesn't just apply to academic studies, but is prevalent in musicians as well! Gains throughout the school year are taxed when students put aside their instruments for the summer. Muscle memory fades and must be regained upon starting back up in the fall. And let's not even talk about how students lose social connections without their regular programming over the summer. We strongly encourage our families to consider these factors when deciding "what to do" with School of Rock over the summer. See below for several options that might help to prevent music-related "brain drain."

READY TO JAM? CHECK OUT OUR SUMMER 2026 SHOW THEMES!

If you're ready to combat the brain drain and get your kid enrolled in something that will be beneficial and impactful through the Summer, read our show descriptions below! 

ROCK 101 

• Tuesdays (5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.)
• Wednesdays (5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.)
• Saturdays (11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

PERFORMANCE PROGRAMS: 

GUITAR GODS: 

The Guitar Gods show is a celebration of the influential guitarists who have defined Rock history. These guitar deities commonly go by just one name: Beck, Jimi, Clapton, Page, Orianthi, Santana, Van Halen, Zappa. Other guitar heroes celebrated in this show are trailblazers such as Nancy Wilson, David Gilmour, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ritchie Blackmore, Lita Ford, Duane Allman, and Joe Satriani. The guitarists featured in this show help students understand the evolution of Rock and Roll, from the Blues to modern shredding. While this show may focus on virtuosic guitar playing, all of these stars shared the stage with bandmates who were incredible musicians in their own rights. The songs in the Guitar Gods show present great challenges and opportunities for all instruments at any level.

BLUES LEGENDS: 

The Blues is a genre that transcends time and cultural boundaries, and has influenced, in some capacity, nearly every song that has come since its original inception. This show is a crash course in the great blues players over the years and within its setlist, it shows how the torch was passed throughout the years. From the original blues pioneers to the '80s blues revival and beyond, this show is not only a great lesson in instrument improvisation, but also why the blues will never fade away! Traditional artists like Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, and Albert King will be showcased, along with more contemporary blues masters like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Page, and Gary Clark Jr. Throughout the many changes in blues music over the years, it still remains the most influential genre from which all modern rock is derived. One of the greatest aspects of the genre is the way it remembers its creators, innovators, and pioneers. It truly is music that will continue to stand the test of time as we celebrate those that we call “Blues Legends”.

NEW WAVE: 

The New Wave genre incorporates a variety of different sounds and styles that were prevalent at the end of the 1970s and expanded until the end of the 1980s. New Wave began as an extension of Punk Rock, which changed the music scene starting in 1976 in the US and the UK. American power-pop groups like The Cars and The Knack were New Wave, while the Disco-inspired hits of Blondie, and the Reggae-influenced rock of the Police fell under the same umbrella. Gloomy goth rockers like The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees and dance-oriented synth pop artists like Gary Numan and Eurythmics are all considered New Wave bands as well. One unifying factor shared by most, but not all, of the New Wave artists was an increasing use of electronic instrumentation, specifically the synthesizer. Many '80s New Wave artists, Soft Cell and Eurythmics among them, used the synthesizer as the foundation of their sound, while others like The Cars and The Police integrated the synth seamlessly into their punchy guitar pop. By the end of the 1980s, New Wave as a genre had splintered and the term became increasingly meaningless. The spirit of New Wave would live on in Indie Rock and College Rock, soon to become known as Alternative. The legacy of New Wave is still felt today as rock artists continue to experiment with synth textures and embody the quirky and offbeat image that made the New Wave era such a vibrant and influential time.

THE BEATLES: 

John! Paul! George! Ringo! Arguably the most musically diverse and iconic band of the 1960s British Invasion, The Beatles set the standard for which bands still strive in today’s music. The Beatles are one of the few bands to literally create their own mythos - the lads from Liverpool are as enigmatic intellectually as they are musically. This show doesn’t merely center around the most well-known band of all time, it also happens to employ the most diverse musical range and skill-level window of any artist show. There are raucous three chord garage rock bangers of the early Beatles era, and late sixties era proto-prog technical masterpieces. Drummers will learn the true artistry that is Ringo’s style; bassists will be blown away by Paul’s melodic yet rhythmic bass lines; guitarists will know the sophistication and complimentary guitar skills of John and George which are interwoven in every selection; and vocalists will understand the brilliance of their harmonies. With great material for all instruments, The Beatles show is a can’t miss opportunity for any SoR student!

ADULT BAND: MIXTAPE - PUNK & NEW WAVE

This show will take us back through the '70s and '80s! Students will travel through Punk Rock and its development into electronic instrumentation, and more conventional pop song structures that were incorporated into the DIY-heavy, showmanship-focused stage productions favored by Punk musicians. Expect to see a mixture of garage acts bursting with attitude and more polished compositions with a focus on earworms. This show is friendly to students at a range of skill levels, with simpler, in-your-face rock songs balanced by more ambitious and thoughtful tunes. The one rule in a Punk show is to bring everything you’ve got to the stage! Loud fashion and loud amps are the name of the game. The connection between Punk and New Wave may not be readily apparent, but by the time this show is done, we will have explored the incorporation of pop sensibilities to the “everyone can play” attitude that originally gave birth to Punk. And that development continues to this day, with Pop Punk rising to prominence in the 90’s and the influence of New Wave on modern Punk and Indie Rock. If you love moody, gothic soundscapes, fast, devil-may-care rock, and everything in between, this is the show for you!