new year, new music!

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.

Spring 2024 Show Themes

Best of the 2010's

Mondays 7:00pm-9:00pm

School of Rock pays tribute to the past decade of Rock and Roll! The 2010s proved that rock and roll is alive and well, with diverse artists such as Adele, Imagine Dragons, Tame Impala, H.E.R., and St. Vincent all rising to prominence in the music world. These current artists combine modern production techniques with retro-sounding riffs and song structures, resulting in today's chart topping hits. While the music itself has generally evolved somewhat from decades past - less guitar solos, more keyboards, and more influence from Hip Hop and R&B - the spirit of Rock and Roll remains as vital as ever. This show will be a stylistically diverse recap of the best music from the decade, featuring modern takes on Punk (Green Day, My Chemical Romance), Blues (Gary Clark Jr., Black Keys), Pop (Taylor Swift, Katy Perry), Rock and Roll (Greta Van Fleet, The Dead Weather), and more! A great show for students of any instrument and experience level.

Neo Soul

Tuesdays 6:30pm-8:30pm

One of the coolest shows in the SoR curriculum! Neo Soul refers to the revival of Soul and R&B music in the 90s and 2000s, led by artists such as Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, TLC, Erykah Badu, and D’Angelo. Combining elements and grooves from R&B, Jazz, Pop, Funk, and Hip Hop influences, Neo Soul distinguished itself from other Pop music of the time by focusing on a return to live instrumentation. As the genre gained in popularity, artists such as Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse, and Mary J Blige became pop superstars. Neo-Soul remains incredibly popular today, with Bruno Mars, John Legend, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Silk Sonic carrying the torch. Neo Soul is a super educational show that will turn students into sophisticated groove monsters! Beginners up to advanced players will be challenged by these intricate arrangements and diverse styles.

Pop Punk & Emo

Wednesdays 6:30pm-8:30pm

In the 1990s, artists such as Green Day, Offspring, and Blink-182 achieved success by blending punk attitudes and influences with a more polished, melodic, commercially appealing sound than their often raw predecessors. By the 2000s, Pop Punk and its Emo offshoot (featuring lyrics that touch on emotional and confessional topics) were fully entrenched in the mainstream music world, with bands such as Fall Out Boy, Paramore, My Chemical Romance, and Panic! At the Disco topping the charts and selling out arenas. Of course, this music is still incredibly popular and influential today. A fun show that can be musically challenging but also teaches solid fundamental skills, Pop Punk & Emo is sure to appeal to all levels of students and will entertain any crowd!

AC/DC

Thursdays 5:00pm-7:00pm

Parental Advisory: Some lyrical content in this show may not be appropriate for all students.

Few rock bands have had the longevity and commercial success of AC/DC. Formed in Sydney, Australia, in the early '70s, the band - led by guitarist brothers Angus and Malcolm Young - quickly began their rise to Hard Rock’ superstardom with the release of their albums High Voltage, T.N.T., and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. With Bon Scott at the vocal helm, AC/DC gained world-wide fame. After Scott’s untimely passing in 1980, Brian Johnson took over as vocalist and recorded one of the greatest, most influential albums in modern rock: Back In Black, featuring classic songs like “Hells Bells”, “You Shook Me All Night Long”, “Shoot To Thrill”, and of course “Back In Black”. After almost 50 years, AC/DC continues to be a favorite band for generations of fans. This is a perfect show for budding lead guitarists and vocalists, and also provides valuable lessons for bassists and drummers on playing tight grooves in the service of the song. For beginner and intermediate students looking to take their playing to the next level, the AC/DC show is the one!

The Beatles

Saturdays 12:30pm-2:30pm

John! Paul! George! Ringo! Arguably the most musically diverse and iconic band of the 1960s British Invasion, The Beatles set the standard for which bands still strive in today’s music. The Beatles are one of the few bands to literally create their own mythos - the lads from Liverpool are as enigmatic intellectually as they are musically. This show doesn’t merely center around the most well-known band of all time, it also happens to employ the most diverse musical range and skill-level window of any artist show. There are raucous three chord garage rock bangers of the early Beatles era, and late sixties era proto-prog technical masterpieces.  Drummers will learn the true artistry that is Ringo’s style; bassists will be blown away by Paul’s melodic yet rhythmic bass lines; guitarists will know the sophistication and complimentary guitar skills of John and George which are interwoven in every selection; and vocalists will understand the brilliance of their harmonies. With great material for all instruments, The Beatles show is a can’t miss opportunity for any SoR student!

Michael Jackson vs. Prince

Saturdays 2:30pm-4:30pm

Michael Jackson and Prince - there were, arguably, no two bigger superstars in the '80s.  MJ’s Thriller and Prince’s Purple Rain were perhaps the most iconic recordings of the entire decade, and cemented each artist’s place in music history.  In 1982, MJ released one of the greatest albums of all time, Thriller. The album would bring unprecedented success for Michael, topping the Billboard 200 for an impressive 37 weeks and becoming the first album to ever contain seven top-10 singles. The “Thriller” video turned the music video medium into a serious art form and helped to break down the racial barrier on the network. Michael would not release another solo album for 5 years, returning in 1987 with the highly-anticipated album, Bad. Although his output in the 1980s was limited to just two solo albums, the unprecedented massive success of both Thriller and Bad earned Michael Jackson the title as the undisputed “King of Pop.” Prince is hailed as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. Not only was he a guitar virtuoso, but he was also a prodigal multi-instrumentalist who played every instrument on his early albums, including bass, drums, and keyboards. Prince scored his commercial breakthrough in 1982 with the album 1999. The album became Prince’s first top-10 album, and the title track was his first international mega hit. Prince exploded back onto the scene with the hit film and accompanying soundtrack, Purple Rain. The album became Prince’s first number-one album, holding the top spot for an impressive 6 consecutive months, and featured the number-one hits, “Purple Rain”, “Let’s Go Crazy”, and “When Doves Cry.” Known not only for his prolific musical output, his wild, energetic dancing and genre-bending music made a strong case for Prince as the top superstar of the 1980s. This show will have plenty of opportunities for students to contribute on a variety of instruments in a wide range of styles, and there will surely be challenging moments where students at all levels can learn something new.