At School of Rock Tampa North, we don't teach music to put on shows - we put on shows to teach music. Students are assigned songs selected to develop them as musicians, and work on them in private lessons with their instructors, as well as in weekly rehearsals with groups made up of their peers. The season culminates with a performance at our seasonal showcase, where they can show you everything they've been working on throughout the season!
See the end of this article for important dates, and ways to sign up for the new season!
decades of awesome
Rock 101 | AGES 8-12 | REHEARSES MONDAYS, 5:45 PM - 7:15 PM or THURSDAYS, 4:45 PM - 6:15 PM
Fire up the time machine and get ready to rock through the ages! Rock 101’s Decades of Awesome takes young musicians on an epic journey through the greatest eras of rock and roll — from the groovy ‘60s to the electrifying ‘90s and beyond. Students ages 8–12 will explore the iconic sounds that shaped music history, performing songs from legendary artists like The Beates, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and Green Day. Each rehearsal brings a new decade, new energy, and new opportunities to shine — whether they’re powering through a ‘70s guitar riff, locking in a ‘80s drum groove, or singing their hearts out to a ‘90s anthem. Packed with fun, learning, and nonstop jams, this show celebrates how every generation keeps rock alive. So grab your instrument, channel your inner rock star, and let’s make every decade awesome!
Modern metal
Performance Band | AGES 13-18 | REHEARSES Mondays, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
The Modern Metal show traces the evolution of metal music from the turn of the century to the present day, and focuses on bands who kept the virtuosic spirit of metal alive while incorporating more contemporary techniques into their sound, such as an emphasis on melody and harmony, and modern studio production. Artists such as Disturbed and Slipknot rose to prominence with the popularity of Nu-Metal, while Metalcore bands such as Killswitch Engage and The Dillinger Escape Plan brought the genre into the 2010s. The Modern Metal show will celebrate this next generation of metal artists - including Avenged Sevenfold, Tool, Falling in Reverse, Gojira, System of a Down, Lamb of God, Mastodon, and more! This is a super challenging show for all instruments, as the speed and precision of this music requires quite a bit of proficiency to master.
indie rock
Performance Band | AGES 13-18 | REHEARSES TUESDAYS, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
While “Indie Rock” began as an underground DIY movement in rock and roll in the late 1970s and 1980s, the term began to be used more broadly in the aftermath of Nirvana’s success in the early 90s to refer to any music that fell outside of mainstream tastes - a synonym to the more well-known “alternative” label. By the turn of the millennium, Indie Rock was mainstream, and became defined by the hard-driving garage-influenced sounds of bands like The Strokes, The Walkmen, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Dead Weather, and The Killers. As the 2000s unfolded, Indie Rock evolved to incorporate more varied influences, such as Folk (Grizzly Bear, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers), Space Rock (Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard), World Music (Vampire Weekend, Florence + The Machine, Arcade Fire) and Electronica (Imagine Dragons, MGMT, St. Vincent). This show celebrates all of the varied sounds of Indie Rock in the 21st Century, and is a great option for students of all instruments and experience levels.
New wave
Performance Band | AGES 13-18 | REHEARSES Wednesdays, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
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 Tears For Fears 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.
yacht rock
Performance Band | AGES 13-18 | REHEARSES Thursdays, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Easy Listening. Dad Rock. The West Coast Sound. Whatever nomenclature you choose, Yacht Rock music has survived the test of time and has made an explosive, full-steam-ahead resurgence in today’s popular music. Mostly emerging from the late 70s to early 80s, Yacht Rock’s mellow moods and relaxing vibes overshadow the sublime musicianship and songwriting skills of artists like Steely Dan, Toto, Hall and Oates, The Doobie Brothers, Boz Scaggs, Pablo Cruise and many more. Steeped in jazz, R&B, and dense harmony theory, these songs feature collaborations between some of the best studio musicians in history. These enduring songs will surprise and challenge even the most advanced SoR student. There are multi-layered vocal harmonies for singers, jazz-inspired guitar parts and solos, legendary grooves for bassists and drummers, and intricate keyboard parts utilizing what were, at the time, innovative electric pianos and synthesizers. This is one of the most challenging shows in the School of Rock curriculum!
OUR NEW SEASON STARTS THE WEEK OF October 5TH! SAVE YOUR SPOT IN THE BAND TODAY!
tentative show dates
Mid Season Show - 11/14/26
End of Season Show - 1/23/27
The show dates listed above are tentatively confirmed and are expected to be accurate. Please add these dates to your calendar. In the rare event that any show dates need to be adjusted due to venue availability, we will provide as much notice as possible.
HOW TO SIGN UP:
- CURRENTLY ENROLLED SCHOOL OF ROCK FAMILIES
- ROCK 101: Let Melissa know your preference of Mondays or Thursdays
- Performance Groups: We will email a survey in early September. Fill it out, then discuss your options with your instructor by the end of the month.
- SOON TO BE SCHOOL OF ROCK FAMILIES
Call us at 813-683-7625, email us at tampanorth@schoolofrock.com, or fill out the free trial form to get started!
A NOTE ABOUT SHOW CASTING
We strive for well-balanced shows where all of our students are challenged and get equal opportunity for parts. Please understand that factors such as attendance at rehearsals, behavior at rehearsals, and musical preparation for rehearsals can affect the number of songs a student is assigned. The School of Rock method is merit based. While a show’s first casting is as equitable as possible, in subsequent castings we reward commitment, hard work, and steady improvement.
We know many students have talents beyond the instruments they study at School of Rock. We do our best to encourage (and show off) all of our students’ abilities! However, students who take lessons on an instrument at School of Rock get priority casting on that instrument in shows. Students are guaranteed to be assigned parts only on instruments they are actively taking lessons on at SoR. Depending on the makeup of the show’s cast, we may not be able to accommodate students who wish to perform on an instrument (including vocals) that they do not study at SoR. If your student is interested in studying an additional instrument, please reach out to us to discuss options.