Welcome to School of Rock, we can't wait to hit the stage with you! This New Student Guide was made to help you get familiar with some of our lingo and learn more about the school. Have questions about things we covered or missed? Ask anyone at the school, we're here to help!

HOW WE TEACH

Rock and roll is our heart and soul, and we’ll show you how in our patented teaching methodologies and tools. With these methods and tools, you are able to take centre stage with a high-quality music education.

SONG FIRST METHOD

Students are quickly assigned a song based on their skill level and unique interests. Using the song as a textbook, we reverse engineer the technical concepts they’ll need to play everything right. This keeps them excited to play real rock tunes without skipping the essentials they need to know.

CONCEPTS IN CONTEXT

To take their knowledge further, our instructors make sure to contextualise each song - understanding the artistry, songwriters, music theory, time period, history, cultural impact, etc., of each song. Additionally, we emphasise Rock music as an educational vehicle, not a lifestyle to be admired. So while we don’t pretend tough subjects didn’t happen, we make sure to emphasise healthy lifestyles and musical habits.

LANGUAGE LEARNING

We teach music like any other language - instead of lecturing on all the different terminology we need, we simply use it in the context it comes up throughout our private lessons and rehearsals. From our Rookies to House Band students, this approach allows them to learn this unique language the same way you yourself taught your child to speak in infancy!

Here's everything you need to know for your first lesson.

WHAT TO BRING:

GUITAR/BASS PLAYERS - Guitar/Bass with case, clip on tuner, picks, guitar strap, ear plugs, music sheets (if given by instructor)
DRUMMERS - Sticks, ear plugs, music sheets (if given by instructor)
KEYS PLAYERS - Ear plugs, music sheets (if given by instructor)
VOCALISTS - Ear plugs, printed lyrics

NOTE: School of Rock will always provide cables, amps, drum sets, microphones and keyboards for student use when at the School. Some of the above-listed items may be necessary for home practice.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Here's what to expect with your weekly private lesson.

SHOWING UP

As soon as you enter the school, check in with the front desk (let us know you are here), wait in our lobby and get ready for your lesson. Your instructor will either come to the lobby to get you, or find you in the student lounge.

DURING THE LESSON

TRIALS - Trials are not conducted as a lesson. Trials are used as a way for our instructor to gauge student skill level and behaviour, they are also our way of figuring out what program is the best fit for the student.

PERFORMING PROGRAM LESSONS - Depending on what program, Students are assigned a song/s based on a selected show theme. Using the song as a textbook, instructors reverse engineer the technical concepts for their student and teach them what they’ll need to play. This keeps students excited to play real rock tunes without skipping the essentials they need to know for rehearsals.

AFTER THE LESSON

You will be emailed a weekly lesson note noting what was done in the lesson, and a notification that an assignment has been sent in the Method App!

The reason we’re here - rehearsals are the best place for students to learn how to rock out on stage and in life! Whether you’re starting from the start of a season or midway through, here is everything you need to know about your first rehearsal!

WHAT TO BRING:

GUITAR/BASS PLAYERS - Guitar/Bass with case, clip on tuner, picks, guitar strap, ear plugs, music sheets (if given by instructor)
DRUMMERS - Sticks, ear plugs, music sheets (if given by instructor)
KEYS PLAYERS - Ear plugs, music sheets (if given by instructor)
VOCALISTS - Ear plugs, printed lyrics

NOTE: School of Rock will provide leads, amplifiers, keyboards, drum sets, auxiliary percussion and microphones for students to use.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Here's what to expect with your weekly rehearsal:

SHOWING UP

As soon as you enter the school, check in with the front desk (let us know you are here), wait in our lobby and get ready for your rehearsal. One of our front desk crew will guide you to your rehearsal room where you will meet your Show Director and band mates!

JOINING THE REHEARSAL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON

If you’re joining on the first or second rehearsal, all students will have the same experience on the first day! Rehearsal typically starts with introductions and icebreakers to get students interacting with one another. Next, the listening party! Show Directors have already picked songs and assigned individual parts to students beforehand. Directors will announce these assignments to the group and start listening to the music together. In addition to getting familiar with the tunes, they’ll work together to learn about song mapping, historical context, and performance quality. From there, they’ll start working through the songs at their instruments with tracks to guide them. Students should learn the songs at home, bring them into their lessons to work on, and be ready for the next rehearsal!

JOINING THE REHEARSAL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON

If you’ve joined mid-season, welcome! The most important thing to remember is that our students love new members to make music with! Our Show Directors will guide them through everything. Before you arrived, students were assigned songs to play and will be rehearsing them for the entire season. On your student’s first day, they’ll do a lot of observation. They’ll get to hear some of what’s been happening, meet their new bandmates, learn how rehearsals flow - it can be a lot at one time so don’t be surprised if they say they didn’t play much during their first session. They will next time! Your student will be added to our current casting with a tune or two to learn. In subsequent casting assignments (they occur in waves throughout the season) they’ll be given equal opportunities based on their skill level and educational needs.

AFTER THE REHEARSAL

At the end of each rehearsal, students gather with the Show Director to review the rehearsal and receive notes. After clean up, they are dismissed to parents/guardians.

Within 24-hours, your Show Director will have posted a progress note to you and your student's instructor, so they know what to work on for the next rehearsal. This note includes an overall review of the rehearsal, constructive feedback on each song rehearsed, and suggestions on what to work on in Private Lessons. It is up to the student to work on these songs at home before the private lesson and rehearsal!