Despite freezing temperatures and being in the middle of winter, our rock stars from all schools put on stellar shows for their friends, family, and the community. 

Iowa weather brings a whirlwind of conditions within a month: a day of 50s to 10 inches of snow, and even days feeling like -40.

Even though certain days feel horrible outside, it did not impact the attitude of School of Rock musicians. Groups from all three schools put on a stellar performance and hundreds of people showed up to catch the shows.

Five groups from the Cedar Rapids/Marion location came together for a season show at CSPS Hall in Cedar Rapids on January 14. The Rock 101 and performance groups came up with different themes and performed for two and a half hours without intermission!

If you recall, January 14 was one of those -5 but feels like -40 days… Many people would stay inside, but about 250 people braved the cold and showed up to support the 64 performers.

Their show featured a diverse group of music including new wave, funk, best of the 70s, and turn-of-the-century pop. The kids did a great job creating their version of legendary songs from artists such as Jackson 5, The Cure, and Maroon Five.

Temperatures saw some relief a week later when students from West Des Moines and Ankeny took the stage at Wooly’s in Des Moines.

Not only was it a great show, but it was also the first time the Ankeny students performed live since the school opened last summer. The theme of songs for their performance group: best of the 90s. Ankeny’s aspiring Rock 101 students also performed, alongside Rock 101 students from the West Des Moines school.

The eight groups of students from the two schools performed a range of music with themes including Movies/Soundtrack hits, The Rolling Stones, Arena Rock, Funk and R&B, and Iron Maiden vs Judas Priest.

All this rocking is a great way to kick off 2024! Thank you for supporting the students no matter if there’s rain, sleet, sun, or lots of snow.