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Sun 3 Feb, 2008 02:41 pm
Recently the Paul Green School of Rock opened a branch in my city.
This is from their website (http://www.schoolofrock.com/manifesto.php)
Quote:We proceed from the belief that the best way to learn to do almost anything is by doing it. And, we feel that this is particularly true about learning to play music.
Our goals at the Paul Green School of Rock Music are: to help our students realize their potential as artists, to put them on stage in front of as many people as possible and to help foster a new generation of incredible musicians.
From the moment a student joins one of our schools they are PLAYING music; loud, on professional equipment with other musicians. Before long, our students are playing live rock concerts. These are not your old fashioned wait -through-fifty-other-students mangling-their-songs- until-your-child's- turn-arrives recitals, but real rock concerts at real rock venues in front of real rock audiences.
Shows are picked for their educational merit and content (for example: Queen teaches harmony, punk develops performance and stage presence and Zappa offers a crash course in musicianship). Thus, if they fail, they fail at aiming at the best. And, when they succeed, which is more often than not, they have accomplished something extraordinary.
Each year our students play over 500 concerts to more than 200,000 people, at such legendary venues as CBGB's, The Trocadero, Cafe DuNord, The Knitting Factory, Cervantes Ballroom and BB Kings in Times Square. We are always looking for grander stages to put our students on, and to date our students have played Lollapalooza and other festivals from California to Germany, opened for national acts coast to coast and performed live on television and radio countless times.
What results from all of this is the best education of the execution and performance of rock music that I could imagine. Our goals are being met, as I am personally astonished by how good our kids have become.
Paul Green,
Founder and President
Does anyone have any experience with this school?
Any ideas on this type of music education v. the more traditional lessons?
Thanks Walter!
We drove over and did a drop in tour and it was pretty cool. It's kind of expensive but includes 1 hour of one on one instruction and 3 hours of group "rehersal" a week. Pretty intense.
The younger kids/beginners are working on Sex Pistols and The Clash while the older kids/advanced are working on Led Zepplin.
Mo's a little on the young side (not by much, though) but since he's had some music classes they are willing to consider taking him on as a student. We're going to do an evaluation class next week.
Meanwhile, I would love to hear from anyone about experiences with the schools or about what they think of this type of immersion learning of music.
Just watched the movie "School of rock"
Jack Black.
as Dewey
Ridin' down the highway
Goin' to a show
Stop in all the byways
Playin' rock 'n' roll
Gettin' robbed
Gettin' stoned
Gettin' beat up
Broken boned
Gettin' had
Gettin' took
I tell you folks
It's harder than it looks
I thought that I repost here after letting Mo get a few lessons under his belt.
He LOVES it.
It doesn't look or feel like a traditional kid's music school. I think that makes it a lot more fun even though they teach the same sort of thing. His teacher is a wild looking fellow who is as nice as pie, great with kids, makes the lessons a fun no pressure time. Mo thinks he the greatest.
I think it's a great alternative.
We went to see the schools "stage band", composed of the school's best students, this evening. Those kids were absolutely amazing. I mean, damn. They ranged in age from about 11 to about 17. They played Zepplin, Ozzy Ozborn, AC/DC, Beatles, Janis Joplin -- a really rounded set.
Mr. B was bowled over. He was a bit harder sell on rock school than me. Now he's convinced.
It was really cool.
Mo continues to love going to lessons.
Yeah!
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