Business & Tech

Music Education Rocks Out As School of Rock Opens For Business

School of Rock will celebrate its opening on May 4 with an open house and concert.

Glen Ellyn will be turning it up to 11, as the School of Rock kicks off its opening May 4 with an open house and jam sessions rocking out downtown.

School of Rock will showcase some of its best musicians who perform in the School of Rock Chicago Show Team, while also welcoming guitarist Earl Slick, known as David Bowie and John Lennon’s guitarist, as part of the opening celebration.

Construction began in September at the new business located at 535B Crescent Blvd. The music school provides children with real-life experience playing and performing, incorporating rock-n-roll music into the students’ musical education. The school’s core enrollment are students from 7 to 17.

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Adam Mackintosh, regional manager for School of Rock and musician who has been playing guitar since he was 16, said he is thrilled to see the Glen Ellyn location finally ready to open and can’t wait to get students into the classrooms. The Glen Ellyn school is a company owned location, as is the Chicago school, he said, adding its been his baby and he is happy to see it completed.

School of Rock launched 16 years ago and since then, the chain of rock-n-roll based music schools has changed the way students learn to perform music, he said.

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“We are the biggest and best at doing this in the United States,” Mackintosh said. “We offer a lesson one day a week. You learn a part of a piece of music and a couple days later you will take that piece of knowledge and apply it in a rehearsal room with other students of the same level. It is an instant application of learning.”

If students studying geometry were allowed to participate in building a skyscraper, they would learn much more than just studying in a classroom, he said. The same is true for students learning to play music. They are given music to learn and then over the course of several weeks, they practice and perform with the culmination of what they learn being showcased at a rock-n-roll concert.

According to School of Rock, the first stage is School of Rock 101, where students are taught basic skills through 45-minute private lessons and 90-minute group sessions. Next, students reach the main program, the Performance Program, which consists of 45-minute private lessons and a final show. The students are cast in songs and rehearse them in a 3-hour rehearsal each week, preparing for the show. After 12-13 weeks, the students are transformed into rock stars and perform in a concert for a live audience.

The experience can be transformative for students, Mackintosh said. He’s seen some students who start off shy and like hermit crabs, he said. Over the course of participating and performing they grow musically and gain a confidence.

“When you walk into our school your teacher is either a national or international trouring artist. They have been on tour. They have recordings and are genuine performers. They have real experience,” he said. “Students think, this is cool I get to learn from this person. They get to be taught by them, inspired by them, mentored by them.”

It is night and day to what traditional music education has been in either a private lesson environment or in schools, he said. In traditional music education, a student is going to learn a bunch of scales and then maybe one day perform with a band.

“They get the instant application, it is experiential,” he said adding that after 13 weeks they are performing in a show. With the pressure to do a good job, the students also learn a work ethic, because they want to learn their parts and not let any of the other students down.

While the school’s core students are ages 7 to 17, it has also launched a program for younger children, called “Little Wing” and an adult performance program. In addition, School of Rock has summer programs and camps, which can be a good introduction to the school for those parents who are uncertain if the program will be the right fit for their child, Mackintosh said.

During its open house, School of Rock will be offering 15 percent off for those who sign up for three months in the performance program. A 20 percent discount will be available at the open house for the summer camps. The specials will also be available during the Taste of Glen Ellyn, where the School of Rock Chicago Show Team will also be performing.

The school will open with 14 or 15 teachers but Mackintosh expects he will be adding more teachers into the school as more students enroll. Right now he has heard from more than 100 families interested in enrolling at the school.

“Over the last three years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to play a role in building kids’ musical skills and aspirations through School of Rock,” Mackintosh said. “It has been such a rewarding experience and I’m thrilled to be able to introduce this kind of hands-on, performance-based music education to the Glen Ellyn community.”

School of Rock will celebrate its opening on May 4. The opening events include an open house from 2-5 p.m. where students and parents may meet music instructors, take a tour, and schedule evaluations. From 5:30-7 p.m. a concert will be held in the Glen Ellyn Library parking lot with guitarist Earl Slick, who will also sign autographs. There will also be food and refreshments.

School of Rock Glen Ellyn is located at 535B Crescent Blvd. and will be open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, please contact Adam Mackintosh or Stephanie Aitken at 630-474-3260 orglenellyn@schoolofrock.com. Find them online. http://glenellyn.schoolofrock.com/


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