School of Rock Oak Park and the legendary venue, FitzGerald's, are collaborating to create its first Songwriting Summit.
Local business owners Amy Renzulli (School of Rock Oak Park) and Will Duncan (FitzGerald's and Babygold Barbeque) saw a need in the community for in-person, high quality music education in an outdoor setting -- and they wanted something truly unique and special. Amy states, "Kids have been isolated from their friends and for the most part, their music education in academic schools has been online." Amy and Will have similar entrepreneurial styles, their teams work together frequently, so the match just made sense. They are excited to build something that they hope will be an annual event and will attract students from all over the Chicago area -- their goal is to help create the next generation of recording artists.
The Songwriting Summit will bring together students, touring artists, teaching artists, and sound and recording professionals to produce a collection of original music. At the end of the six week session, the student musicians will be the opening act for a live show at FitzGerald's. Even lunch will be a special event with food provided by the new premier restaurant, Babygold Barbeque.
The director of this epic songwriting is the exceptionally talented, Nick Fane. Nick is a well versed, multi-instrumentalist with over 15 years of music experience. With extensive experience gained from years of touring the continental United States and Northern Europe, Nick works with students to fully enrich their musical lives, as well as make them better players. The experience will include extensive instruction and practice in: writing lyrics, building song forms, chord progressions, melody, harmony, workshopping ideas as a group, working with a DAW like Logic Pro, the recording process, postproduction, and more!
"We have been lucky that people stuck with us throughout the pandemic but we wanted to do more. We are so excited to combine forces for this incredibly special summer program. Writing original songs and getting to work with visiting artists at such an iconic venue is such a great opportunity for the kids," says Michael Morgan, Music Director of the School of Rock Oak Park. "We love working with Will Duncan and Donnie Biggins and this is a continuation of our ongoing collaboration. We hope that the Songwriting Summit becomes a program that people look forward to every year."
"Partnerships like this, especially where we're able to grow our family focus, are very important to us at Fitzgerald's. We're always on the lookout for great talent, and helping cultivate that in our community's young people fits squarely with our mission." says Will Duncan, Owner of Fitzgerald's. "We fully expect to host the Fitzgerald's headliners of the future during this summer's Songwriter's Summit!"
The first-of-its-kind Summer Songwriting Summit will take place over the course of six action packed weeks (June 15 to July 23), two days per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) with a concert on Friday, July 23rd. The Summer Songwriting Summit is open to students ages 11 and up, and no prior songwriting or recording experience is required. At least a beginner-level proficiency on an instrument or vocals is suggested for prospective students.
About School of Rock:
School of Rock provides students of all ages an exciting and engaging learning environment for taking guitar lessons, drum lessons, bass lessons, keyboard lessons, and singing lessons. Drawing from all styles of rock 'n' roll, School of Rock students learn theory and techniques via songs from legendary artists such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Frank Zappa. Thanks to the school's performance-based approach, students around the world have gained superior instrumental skills and confidence on the big stage, with some moving on to record deals and larger platforms such as American Idol, The Voice and Broadway.
Follow School of Rock Oak Park at www.facebook.com/SchoolofRockOakPark and www.instagram.com/SchoolofRockOakPark/.
For more information email OakPark@SchoolofRock.com or call 708-298-0002.