By Carl J. LaManto
I’m going to be a musician. I know a lot of other kids from around here who are going to be musicians too. I met them all at School of Rock.
School of Rock is where kids go to learn how to play an instrument; but it is so much more than that. School of Rock is the most advanced music education program I have ever seen because of the placement of students in real performance situations.
A few times a year, a new show season starts. Once we pick our show, we are assigned songs and work with other students and our instructors to make each song sound the best we can make it. Students learn pretty quickly that they are responsible for knowing and practicing their songs. Our accountability is to each other. No one wants to be the weak link. After a few months of rehearsals, we perform the show out in public in front of hundreds of people and it’s a lot of fun. I used to be nervous to get up there and play, but not anymore. I know I am prepared, so it’s no big deal.
My instructors are great teachers and incredible musicians. They are cool and treat us like the professional musicians they are making us. They expect a lot but that only makes us work harder. The last thing that any kid wants is to get up on that stage and play a song wrong or, worse, forget how to play their part!
I was nine years old when my parents first enrolled me in a School of Rock summer camp. The first day was pretty intimidating since I was shy. One of the first people I met was Burny Pelsmajer, the music director at the time. Burny told us stories of how the music business worked and made us laugh (a lot). Everyone was so friendly and encouraging, it didn’t take long to feel comfortable there.
The camp kids were split up into groups that were our ‘bands’ for the week. Each ‘band’ needed to learn three cover songs and write an original song inside of five days. On the evening of the fifth day, we had to play our songs at a real rock venue whether we were ready or not. I didn’t think I could do it and I was really nervous but we did it and my confidence increased tenfold from the day before. I was ready to take on the next challenge and immediately went begging my parents to sign me up for the regular program.
A few years ago, I tried out for the School of Rock House Band. The House Band kids are the best musicians in the school. They get more chances to perform and represent the school at a lot of events in the area. I didn’t make it my first time and learned the very important lesson of preparing correctly for an audition. The next time I tried, I made it. Because of House Band, I have played at Sunlife Stadium, BB&T Center, Pompano Beach Seafood Festival and so many more cool places.
I’m in a rock band with two of my friends who also attend School of Rock. Because we are all students there, we are allowed to have our band rehearsals there, too. This is really helpful, since all of the equipment we need is all there and ready to go.
Sometimes I go hang out at the school and help with the younger students in Rock 101 or get together with a few of the other students to jam. It’s kind of a home away from home. A lot of my friends also go to School of Rock. It’s a good place to meet some interesting people and get to know them, since we spend a good amount of time working together on our music.
Believe it or not, a lot of those kids that were in that first Summer Camp band with me are all still enrolled in School of Rock today and don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. After that first summer, my parents finally caved in and enrolled me in the Performance Program. It’s been almost five years now that I’ve been a part of School of Rock and I haven’t regretted a single second of my journey. I am really surprised at the amount of people that have never heard of School of Rock so I’m happy to be spreading the word.
To find out about the School of Rock – Coral Springs call 954-757-7625 or go to www.CoralSprings.SchoolOfRock.com
