From School of Rock Vancouver to Camp Rock 3
We can finally talk about it!
If you’ve watched Disney’s new Camp Rock 3, you may have spotted some very familiar faces. Five current and former School of Rock Vancouver students are in the movie, and our team also had the amazing opportunity to work behind the scenes on the film.
School of Rock Vancouver alumnus Casey Trotter stars as Cliff, one of the new Camp Rockers. And the on-screen House Band includes Dael G. on bass, Maddie K. on drums, Sophia A. on keys and Crosby M. on guitar.
Needless to say, watching all of them on screen has been pretty surreal. We are ridiculously proud!
Behind the Scenes
One of our favourite things about the production was how seriously they took the music.
The House Band wasn’t just handed instruments and told to look like they were playing. They actually learned the songs and rehearsed the parts they perform on screen.
School of Rock Vancouver owners Mike Granek and Al MacInnes were brought in as consultants to help with the musical side of the production, including coordinating rehearsals with the House Band cast. School of Rock Vancouver instructors Dani Camacho and AJ Cunanan were also part of the team, working with the lead cast members on several of the big songs featured in the film.
Al, Dani and AJ worked directly with the actors before and during filming, teaching and coaching them on their instruments and making sure what they were playing on screen was accurate. Al learned the songs himself so he could verify that the actors were actually playing their parts correctly, to the point that they could perform the songs without backing tracks. Dani and Al were also on set during filming to provide feedback. In fact, there was even a scene filmed where the lead actors actually jammed the entire song “Echo” together live, although unfortunately it didn’t make the final cut!
“What I loved was that the music was treated seriously. The House Band cast wasn’t simply being asked to hold instruments and pretend. They learned the songs, rehearsed their parts and understood what they were playing. That commitment to making the performance real is exactly what we believe in at School of Rock.” - Al MacInnes, Owner and Music Director
For Dael, Maddie, Sophia and Crosby, the whole experience went far beyond playing music. They got to go through auditions, wardrobe, hair and makeup, rehearsals, call times, trailers and long days on a real movie set. And yes, we’re pretty sure having their own trailer dressing rooms and access to craft services were major highlights!
We caught up with the four of them to talk about the experience and share a few behind-the-scenes moments. WATCH THE CAMP ROCK 3 HOUSE BAND INTERVIEW HERE;
Watching Casey’s Journey
Casey’s story is particularly special for us because we’ve had the chance to watch him grow as a musician and performer over the years.
Before Camp Rock 3, Casey spent a lot of time behind the drums with the School of Rock Vancouver House Band, performing around the city at events including Khatsahlano Street Party, KitsFest, the Invictus Games and many others.
He even had the opportunity at one of our special events to perform alongside Frank Zummo of Sum 41, sitting at a second drum kit right beside Frank and playing with him.
Then, in 2024, Casey was cast as Freddie in Theatre Under the Stars’ professional production of School of Rock: The Musical at Malkin Bowl. Casey played drums live throughout the run, and it became an important step into the professional world of acting.
Before the theatre run was even over Casey had been signed by a film & tv agent, and in less than a year he was cast in the lead role of Cliff in Camp Rock 3! Subsequently Casey was cast as part of the main cast of Disney’s reboot of the Mickey Mouse Club with the pilot shooting in LA this summer.
Watching someone we remember playing drums at our House Band shows starring in a Disney movie is pretty hard to describe. Even better is seeing how happy he is and how much he clearly loves what he’s doing.
His journey is also a pretty amazing thing for our younger students to see. You never really know where learning an instrument, joining a band and saying yes to that next performance might eventually take you.
Casey has some advice for kids interested in pursuing acting.
“I feel like throughout this journey it has been really important to stay true to myself. That relates to the music I perform, what I wear, and how I act. So if there’s anything I have to say to kids my age that want to get into acting, it is just be yourself.” - Casey Trotter
AN EXPERIENCE WE’LL NEVER FORGET
Working on the production was an amazing experience for our team too, but without question the best part was watching the kids experience all of it.
Our students spend a lot of time playing real shows with real bands. They learn how to rehearse, listen to each other, take direction, recover when something goes wrong and get comfortable performing in front of people.
Most of the time, those skills are being used on a stage somewhere around Vancouver. Every once in a while, though, that stage turns into a Disney movie set!
“The whole thing was pretty surreal. Al and I spend every day helping kids get ready to perform on stage, so suddenly finding ourselves helping prepare performers for a Disney movie was definitely not something we ever expected. But seeing our own kids on that set, watching how professionally they handled themselves and how much fun they were having was easily the best part. We were so proud of them.” - Mike Granek, Owner and General Manager
We also want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Producer Tracey Jeffrey, Assistant Producer Stef Armstrong and Director Veronica Rodriguez. They were absolutely amazing to work with and created such a positive experience for the kids and for all of us. We genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to share this experience with!
We could not be prouder of Casey, Dael, Maddie, Sophia and Crosby, and we’re incredibly grateful that our team got to be part of the experience with them!
It’s something none of us will ever forget.
Now go watch Camp Rock 3. You might recognize a few people!
Camp Rock 3 is now streaming on Disney+.