We're so excited for our spring show season! The season will start in February and performances will take place at the end of May. Check out the full desciptions of our main performance themes as well as the full rehearsal schedule below.
Mondays
drum core (5:30-6:30 PM)
Drum Core is our new program specially designed for kids ages 8-11 with no prior drumming experience. This foundational program is the perfect starting point for aspiring young drummers and teaches essential skills to help students play drums confidently in a live-band setting, paving the way for a smooth transition into our Rock 101 program and beyond!
90s Rock (6-9 PM)
The 90s Rock show is arguably one of the most popular School of Rock shows in our collection. Packed with a plethora of what are now known as ‘classic rock’ songs, the stylistic spectrum of this show is wide enough to excite any student rocker! Hard Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Alternative and Indie encompass this decade of music that many parents grew up on! While some connect the era of ‘90s Rock to the Seattle-area Grunge scene with bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam, this show expands to also feature acts like Sublime, Hole, Oasis, The Smashing Pumpkins, Alanis Morissette, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day. This show will stretch any students’ musical progress while delighting and creating nostalgia for their parents!
tuesdays
joan jett (5-7 pm)
Joan Jett’s initial entry into the music scene was as a guitarist for the all-girl group The Runaways. Flanked by fellow guitarist Lita Ford, The Runaways created a following in the mid '70s as a Hard Rock/Punk band. Jett decided to branch off on her own to form Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, who cemented their place in ‘80s rock culture with the mega-hit “I Love Rock and Roll.” Jett’s punk-inspired style and classic guitar-driven sound make her an enduring rock icon. This is a great show for up-and-coming players, but there are definitely challenges for advanced students here.
Pop punk & emo (7-9 PM)
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, Sum 41, Paramore, My Chemical Romance, All Time Low 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 teaches solid fundamental skills, Pop Punk & Emo is sure to appeal to all levels of students and will entertain any crowd!
wednesdays
progress [prog ii] (4:15-7:15 PM)
You asked for it, and we delivered! PROGress brings a modern twist with bands like Tool, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, The Mars Volta, and more! The term “Prog Rock” can often be interchangeable or associated with “Art Rock”, “Symphonic Rock”, “Progressive Rock”, or “Classical Rock”. This stellar music often deals with longer albums that feature extended solos, higher instrumental skills, and fantasy-like lyrical content. PROGress is geared towards more experienced students, but will propel beginner and intermediate players’ ability to higher standards. It is truly a celebration of boundary-pushing music and certainly a challenge for everyone.
rock 101 (6:30-8 pM)
Rock 101 is our beginner performance program for students 7-12 years old. This is our first day/time option for Rock 101.
thursdays
rock 101 (5-6:30 PM)
This is our second day/time option for Rock 101.
opening act (6:30-8 PM)
Opening Act is our performance program for beginning teens, ages 12-17. Develop your chops alongside other beginners your age while learning classic songs and techniques.
saturdays
arena rock (12-2 PM)
This is our second ever School of Rock featured show! Arena Rock refers to the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll as big business in the 1970s and early 1980s. Advances in music production technology, along with the proliferation of higher fidelity FM radio stations, resulted in the arrival of a slicker, more commercial rock sound, popularized by bands such as Journey, Boston, Styx, Heart, Queen, Foreigner, Kansas, Fleetwood Mac, REO Speedwagon, Grand Funk Railroad, Toto, Cheap Trick, and more. These artists, and the growing music industry behind them, brought Rock ‘n’ Roll out of the clubs and into the arenas and stadiums. No matter the bands, the songs of the Arena Rock show are the true stars, and anyone who’s had the joy to sing along with this music in its intended environment will surely agree. This is catchy music that is meant to be turned up loud!
alternative 80s (2-4 PM)
Alternative rock from a time before “alternative” was a genre. This underground rock was featured on many college radio stations in the 1980s and early 1990s, before Grunge swept alternative music into the mainstream. A few of the bands and artists from this era found mainstream success, but all of them began as DIY underdogs and were incredibly influential in the evolution of the Grunge and Indie Rock that defined rock music in the 90s and 2000s. Alt 80's is known for its wide variety of musical styles and unique personalities, including artists like Sonic Youth, REM, The Pixies, Depeche Mode, Meat Puppets, Kate Bush, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, The Smiths, and Dinosaur Jr. Students of all instruments and experience levels can expect good challenges playing these songs that often still sound innovative, even today.
sign ups
The sign up form will be released via email on Wednesday, January 8th at 6 PM. Sign ups are first come, first served, though student placement will be determined by several factors including scheduling, age, experience, group dynamics, and educational value. If you are not currently enrolled and you'd like to get on the email list for sign ups, please reach out to us at strongsville@schoolofrock.com.