BACK TO SCHOOL...OF ROCK
The Performance Program is School of Rock's hallmark music program, where tens of thousands of students enroll each year. Utilizing the patented School of Rock Method, Performance Program consists of a weekly group rehearsal where kids and teens learn by playing rock music's most iconic songs with a band composed of their peers. Students are assigned songs and parts that are tailored to them based on their age, experience, and ability to learn new skills and concepts. Students then work through their parts in weekly private music lessons, and refine the skills and concepts that those songs introduce. The goal of this curriculum is to prepare kids and teens for live performances. Every few months, Performance Program students take the stage and play at local music venues in front of a live audience.
To contact the school with any questions, or to sign up, please call us at 508-761-5300, or email us at attleboro@schoolofrock.com
School Of Rock Attleboro - Fall 2024 Schedule
SHOW DESCRIPTIONS
METALLICA
Mondays 7-9 pm
The biggest metal band of all-time, Metallica rose to prominence in the 1980s as leaders of the “Thrash Metal” scene, pairing heavy, aggressive guitar riffs with fast, driving rhythms, all punctuated by vocalist James Hetfield’s signature snarl. Their albums Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets are widely regarded as two of the best Metal albums ever recorded. The band found crossover success in the early ‘90s with ambitiously well-crafted songs like Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, and Sad But True, leading to Grammy wins and mainstream recognition. Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, and the band’s influence permeates all of the Metal that has come to follow. A must-do show for any aspiring shredders!
Classic R&B
Tuesdays 5-7 pm
Rhythm and Blues music was foundational to the evolution of rock and roll! Originating with jazz and blues in the 1940s, R&B music was predominantly created by black musicians for black audiences until the 1950s, when artists such as Etta James, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Ike & Tina Turner began to achieve crossover success with white audiences as well. By the early 1960s, record labels like Motown and Stax were churning out legendary hits by Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, The Supremes, and Otis Redding, which influenced virtually all of the Rock and Roll and Pop music that came after. The Classic R&B show features groove-oriented music with dynamic arrangements and standout vocal performances. Students participating in this show will have an opportunity to hone their rhythmic skills and broaden their repertoire of music styles by focusing on the music that inspired artists such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who, and which continues to be relevant today with its influence on modern Pop stars such as Adele and John Legend. Classic R&B is one of the most educational shows that School of Rock offers!
HEART VS. FLEETWOOD MAC
Tuesdays 7 - 9 pm
HEART: Heart rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hugely successful hits. Fronted by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart fused influences including hard rock, folk, and prog, into a sound that was uniquely their own. One of the most successful bands in Rock history, Heart offers students the opportunity for a challenging show that covers a lot of musical ground, from their proggy, guitar-heavy '70s compositions to their radio-friendly and synth-driven '80s material. Masterful technicians on guitar and vocals, the Wilson sisters continue to be a huge inspiration for young girls.Heart is a great show for intermediate and advanced kids of all instruments, and will also offer beginners a welcome opportunity to shine, especially on their well-known '80s ballads.
FLEETWOOD MAC: One of the world’s best-selling bands, Fleetwood Mac formed as a British Blues group in 1967 and morphed into a chart-topping British-American pop band in the mid-1970s. Despite several band member iterations, the Fleetwood Mac’s best known lineup featured Mick Fleetwood (drums), John McVie (bass), Lindsey Buckingham (guitar/vocals), Christine McVie (keys/vocals), and Stevie Nicks (vocals). It was this lineup that recorded their most successful and critically acclaimed Rumors album, which featured hits like ‘Dreams’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘The Chain’ and ‘Don’t Stop’. Fleetwood Mac is an amazing show that will challenge vocal students to master harmonies, guitar players to learn the unorthodox fingerpicking style of Lindsey Buckingham, drummers to study Mick Fleetwood’s extremely versatile drumming, keyboardists to grasp how Christine McVie merged classical-training playing with rock improvisation, and bassists to learn from John McVie’s creative and rock-solid bass foundations.
HAIR METAL
Wednesdays 5:30-7:30 pm
The Hair Metal show is one of the most fun shows in the SoR repertoire, and can be very challenging as well. Hair Metal took over radio and MTV in the 1980s, as bands like Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Quiet Riot combined great songwriting, acrobatic shred guitar, and sugary vocal harmonies with flashy outfits and tons of hairspray, capturing the hearts of America’s teenagers. As the 1980s began, a fusion of several musical styles began to occur. The Glam Rock sound and imagery of the '70s began to combine with Metal and Punk to create a “glittery” Heavy Metal: Hair Metal. As the decade moved forward, the first wave of L.A. bands began to get signed and work their way up the charts. This included acts such as Quiet Riot with Metal Health, Dokken with Breaking the Chains, and Ratt with Out of the Cellar. While each had their own distinct sound, what they shared in common was an image of leather and chains, and an aggressive musical style that emphasized great hooks and loud guitars. Students will have a chance to play selections by Motley Crue, Poison, Guns n Roses, Ozzy, Van Halen, Skid Row, Quiet Riot, Lita Ford, Def Leppard, Ratt, Warrant, Bon Jovi, Dokken, Whitesnake and the like!
‘90s ALTERNATIVE
Thursdays 7-9 pm
When Nirvana’s song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became an international sensation in late 1991, major record labels began searching feverishly for similar artists who could further capitalize on the massive interest in this new “alternative” sound. The result was an abrupt shift away from the formulaic Pop and Hair Metal anthems of the 1980s to the gritty and dynamic music of Grunge. Since the music industry wasn’t quite sure what would capture the public’s attention in this new landscape, major labels began signing and promoting all sorts of artists with idiosyncratic and unique sounds to serve as an “alternative” to what had previously captured mainstream popularity. Bands such as Pavement, Beck, Hole, Cake, Radiohead, Blur, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, and Belly drew from the influence of the underground rock and punk scene of the 1980s, and found quick success with music fans who were eager for new sounds and styles. Students of all instruments and experience levels can expect good challenges in this fun show full of interesting and catchy music.
BEST OF THE 2000s
Fridays 4:30-6:30 pm
The 2000s Show offers a huge variety of music that is sure to satiate any student’s musical appetite. The 2000s has produced more and more artists whose music blends and defies genres, and draws from a greater variety of influences than was available at any previous point in history. At the same time, more traditional bands and artists, including some who started making music in the twentieth century, have adapted to the changing times and continued to thrive. Though it is impossible to place the varied music of the 2000s into one definable style or category, certain themes emerge: 1) an interest in and revival of ‘retro’ sounds using modern technology and sensibilities, and 2) songwriting that draws from a huge diversity of genres and styles, making 21st-century ‘rock’ bands even harder to pin down to one style alone. Examples of blockbuster artists that might be in the setlist include Foo Fighters, RHCP, Evanescence, Fall Out Boy, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Paramore, White Stripes, Adele, The Strokes, Jet, System of a Down, The Darkness, Tool, and many others. This is a perfect show for students of all ages and experience levels and will offer many opportunities to perform across all genres!