The East Hartford School of Rock and West Hartford School of Rock locations announced the Performance show lineup for the 2024 Summer session. These shows are music education programs for children ages 8 to 18 and consist of weekly individual lessons paired with a group band practice focused on a musical theme. School of Rock teaches electric guitar, bass, drums, piano/keys and singing. The 9-week session ends with a full-scale professionally run performance at a local popular venue. The current Spring session's final shows are Sunday, June 9th for East Hartford and Sunday June 16th for West Hartford. Both shows start at noon at Parkville Market in Hartford. Attending these shows is a great way to see what these kids can do!
For the Summer 2024 session, East Hartford has three show themes that are sure to resonate with kids. The shows are Indie Rock, Hair Metal, and Riot!. West Hartford has five show themes that are perennial favorites. The shows are Abbey Road, New Wave, Hybrid Theory, Radiohead, and A Vox Supreme.
Show descriptions and associated Spotify playlists follow below - the playlists provide the list of songs that the bands may choose to learn.
Rehearsals start in the middle of June. Shows fill up quickly so contact our Front Desk soon for more info and to enroll:
easthartford@schoolofrock.com 860-962-7625
westhartford@schoolofrock.com 860-973-7625.
Programs for Younger Kids With Little or No Experience
In addition to our performance programs, we offer two introductory programs for kids with no or limited prior experience – Rookies and Rock 101. Rookies is a music program designed for kids ages 6-7 with no previous musical experience. Students have one weekly group lesson where they learn musical fundamentals like chords, rhythm and song structure. Rookies’ students also learn and experiment with multiple instruments, so they are then able to decide which one they ultimately want to continue pursuing in Rock 101.
Rock 101, for kids ages 8-13, offers a weekly group rehearsal where they learn classic rock songs that have been arranged and simplified specifically for beginner musicians. These rehearsals are all about getting young musicians to learn the fundamentals of their instrument and playing with a band in a positive and fun atmosphere. Students also have a weekly private music lesson where they learn foundational music and instrument skills and concepts.
Experiencing live performance is the core of our curriculum. Our students grow as individuals by taking the stage with others. When our students work with bandmates, they learn broader life skills like collaboration, compromise and courage. We call this revolutionary approach to music education The School of Rock Method™. The School of Rock Method builds musical proficiency through our proprietary Method App, Method Book collection, SongFirst approach, and Performance Based Music Education. Our Method has been awarded a US patent making our teaching system available nowhere else.
West Hartford Show Descriptions & Playlists
Abbey Road
An album with no name or label, a man with no shoes, an all-denim outfit. Abbey Road was The Beatles last recorded album, not their last release. 1969 was a momentous year across the musical world, but few bands came close to a 17-week run of #1 on the British top 100. Abbey Road contains a wide swath of material, with grandiose arrangements and attention to the smallest detail. Guitarists and bassists will enjoy memorable and challenging riffs from Octopus’s Garden to I Want You (She’s So Heavy) while keyboardists are featured with strings, organ, and brass. Drummers can master groove and pocket with Come Together and Oh! Darling. Vocalists have tight harmonies and well-known hits to honor.
Check out the album for free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kNHSbdxcxJIrDDs1ADDZ4?si=85676b774d3e4c5d
New Wave
The New Wave genre incorporates a variety of different sounds and styles that were prevalent at the end of the 1970s and expanded until the end of the 1980s. New Wave began as an extension of Punk Rock, which changed the music scene starting in 1976 in the US and the UK. American power-pop groups like The Cars and The Knack were New Wave, while the Disco-inspired hits of Blondie, and the Reggae-influenced rock of the Police fell under the same umbrella. Gloomy goth rockers like The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees and dance-oriented synth pop artists like Gary Numan and Eurythmics are all considered New Wave bands as well. One unifying factor shared by most, but not all, of the New Wave artists was an increasing use of electronic instrumentation, specifically the synthesizer. Many '80s New Wave artists, Soft Cell and Eurythmics among them, used the synthesizer as the foundation of their sound, while others like The Cars and The Police integrated the synth seamlessly into their punchy guitar pop. By the end of the 1980s, New Wave as a genre had splintered and the term became increasingly meaningless. The spirit of New Wave would live on in Indie Rock and College Rock, soon to become known as Alternative. The legacy of New Wave is still felt today as rock artists continue to experiment with synth textures and embody the quirky and offbeat image that made the New Wave era such a vibrant and influential time.
Check out the playlist for free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1st2HamFFvJOxJHHZyc4pL?si=fb205e1e8c1a42ef
Hybrid Theory
The first album of a brand-new hard rock band in 2000 Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory successfully combines metal and rap with grit, emotion, and talent. Influence from Guns n’ Roses and Deftones are clearly heard in the guitars, drums, and bass, while vocalists Mike Shinoda and the late Chester Bennington show ties to Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots. Linkin Park had a sound that was irresistible in the 2000’s, creating magic in the nu-metal scene and paving the way for many of the pop punk, emo, and metal bands we enjoy today. Metalheads will thrive in this show with distortion and screaming being integral sounds of Hybrid Theory. Need a heavy hitting band? In the End this show will provide a Cure for the Itch. Don’t Runaway from this opportunity to cover a legendary rock album, you might get a Papercut. Every musician has a chance to be the leader of the ensemble with synth, piano, double kick, screaming, rapping, and irresistible angst and battle of Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory.
Check out the album for free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rpk4745ZJr9b9QhnZNtMF?si=76ece2bd26314a00
Radiohead
Radiohead has emerged in the 21st century as torchbearers of the progressive rock tradition and have threaded the needle between innovation and popularity as well as anyone. Formed in 1985 in the UK under the name On A Friday, with members Thom Yorke (vocals), Johnny Greenwood (Guitar/multi-instrumentalist), Colin Greenwood (Bass), Ed O’Brien (Guitar/Vocals), and Philip Selway (Drums), they eventually changed their name to Radiohead upon the request of their record label, EMI. After two albums that found some success in the alternative scene thanks to the slacker anthem “Creep”, Radiohead released what would become their landmark album, OK Computer. This masterpiece cemented them as true artists and gained them worldwide success. With their constant instrumental experimentation, culturally relevant lyrics and themes, and blend of styles and genres, Radiohead are heralded as one of the most important and critically acclaimed rock acts of the modern era. The Radiohead show is an ambitious challenge for all student levels but can be one of the most rewarding and educational shows offered by School of Rock.
Check out the playlist for free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1WEBu8ynstxi2nYOKUX3vc?si=5241e478504b46f9
A Vox Supreme
This show theme traces the history of the “vocal group” in rock and roll, focusing primarily on the '50s and '60s R&B that grew out of the Doo-Wop tradition. Artists like The Impressions, The Supremes, The Crystals, The Temptations, and Martha & The Vandellas set the standard for this popular style, though there were dozens of very successful acts. These groups were often branded as anonymous performers until the talents of stars like Curtis Mayfield, Diana Ross, and Smokey Robinson began to outshine their bandmates. Differentiated from bands who employed lots of vocal harmonies (such as The Beatles and Beach Boys), the vocal groups in this theme primarily employed studio musicians as backing instrumentalists, while the band members were known for singing. The vocal group tradition continues to influence rock and roll, and this theme has various artists from the late 1960s (Mamas and the Papas), 70s (Jackson 5) and even '90s (TLC, En Vogue) who were heavily influenced by the original pioneers.
Check out the playlist for free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5GZI8DGJKKTvE7ExzzjB61?si=0bc80549ec9a426f
East Hartford Show Descriptions & Playlists
Indie Rock
Indie Rock emerged as a genre in the 1980s as a response to the highly polished music of the '70s and '80s. The origin of the Indie movement can be traced back to the year 1977 when the Buzzcocks self-published their Spiral Scratch EP. The band’s rejection of the typically major label-generated approach to the recording and distribution of music earned them their independent, or “indie”, status. As other bands adopted the Buzzcocks’ DIY ethos, the movement grew, and Indie Rock came to describe a particular sound that came from small post-punk labels of the early 1980s. In the '80s, bands like REM, The Pixies, and The Meat Puppets were known for putting musical experimentation before commercial goals and gained popularity through college radio. In contrast with the synth-heavy pop music of the day, those Indie bands continued the emphasis on guitar that earlier Rock and Punk music popularized. In the '90s, the influence of Grunge helped usher in an era of commercialization in the Alternative genre. After many influential Indie acts achieved great commercial success, “Indie” soon began to describe artists who clung to their independent status and refused to sell out. The music industry began to market any music that embraced a retro, guitar-centric sound as “Indie” as well. Through the 2000s, groups like the White Stripes, Jet, and The Strokes released garage-twinged music that received a massive amount of radio play. The Indie Rock Show will give guitar players a look into unconventional chord voicings and manipulating guitar sounds with effects. Keyboardists, too, will enjoy applying more sound patches into the songs’ soundscapes. The rhythm section of bassists and drummers will be challenged by the diversity of playing styles which Indie Rock is known for. This fun and musically varied show is a great choice for all experience levels
Check out the album for free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1RRguEifRqC0zyBuDGKHcN?si=beebf43040b34e9d
Hair Metal
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 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!
Check out the playlist for free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/34qVNMeiy6qVoHtWMWehfW?si=9d8876f59c5347d8
Riot!
Paramore retains their title as one of the greatest pop punk bands of all time with frontwoman Hayley Williams owning the spotlight and carrying the band through all their personnel changes. Riot! Is their second album and highlights musical skill and melodic writing in both slow charts like We Are Broken, bops like Fences, and anthems like the indelible Misery Business and That’s What You Get. A true window into the world of 2000’s alternative rock Riot! Has been described as pop punk, power pop, emo, and even new wave. Without the characteristic whine and brattiness of contemporary pop punk music Paramore still finds their way into the heart of the genre. Playing with emotion and difficulty across the full band, this show provides ample opportunity for each instrumentalist to find a voice and contribute to the absolute powerhouse that is Paramore’s Riot!
Check out the album for free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PXySIXHehdW8chhSws5PM?si=26cbe32f25744e83