You hear “Boom beep boom and sweet symphony” in your headphones as you walk the halls. The music is an inspiration to want to join a music class or program. You want to sing or play an instrument. So you join the choir and band, but you want something just for you. You crave a place with friends and new opportunities. While walking down the hall, you hear rumors of a program called The School of Rock. You realize this may just be what you were looking for. 

The School of Rock is a program where students go to learn about music and playing instruments. Some of the lessons provided in this program are guitar, bass and singing lessons. There are different days of lessons, such as performance days and one-on-one days. The performance group days are the days when band students will practice. One-on-one days are days when students have their own instructors and practice only with them.

“House band is a group that you audition for,” Isis Kalma (10) said. “[The band has] a roster of songs and you play those in different shows in different venues. Once a year, we go on tour, which is a week long.” 

Through this program, students get the opportunity to perform live and even go on tours to different states to show off their skills, which are sometimes paid. The first show can often be nerve-racking and scary, especially after weeks of practicing

“It was kind of a fever dream,” Allison Brumbaugh (10) said. “I did my first song, and I went up to the [stage] and I was just shaking, my legs were trembling, my hands were trembling.” 

Other benefits of the program can be making new connections with people who have the same interests, learning to perform and bettering musical skills.

 “[Students] have a one-on-one lesson with a teacher where they can focus on [the students] own voice,” Kalma said. “[It] helps you tune in to what you need to personalize and improve your own journey.”

Some of the cons of this program can be having to put time aside to attend the program. The music classes take a lot of time , which can make it inaccessible for some.

“You have to set aside a lot of time for it,” Kalma said. “I go to School of Rock twice to three times a week: one day for my lesson, one day for performance group rehearsals and then one day for house band rehearsals.”

Every student has a different experience of how they joined and what influences them. For many, it’s because of previous musical experiences and finding comfort in music . Music can be healing to some, or it can simply be a hobby.

“I’d always liked [singing] as a kid,” Brumbaugh said. “I like singing in the car, and then I started choir in the seventh grade. I got more and more into it, so I [started] trying other forms of singing.”