PERFORMING PROGRAMS EXPECTATIONS

LESSONS

For Rock 101, Performance and Adult Programs, you’ll be getting your own weekly personal 1 on 1 private lesson for 45 minutes, same day for each week to learn assigned songs & parts. The Music Director (MD) will choose the theme and songs based on educational needs that would benefit all the musicians in the class for that season. The MD and Rehearsal Director will “Cast” the song parts based on the same educational & class needs. Songs will be learned mostly in the private lessons as rehearsal time is Group time, where you will work on arrangements & performance. If you’d like to be a part of more songs, come prepared, learn the songs at home and in your lessons. More songs will be given to those that require & are ready for them.

REHEARSALS

Group rehearsals will run every week, same day, same time. Each group will learn the same group of songs (under a skilled director) that will become their setlist. Songs are rolled out every few weeks as needed (building the set over weeks/ months). Rehearsals are group time, to learn how to interact with the other musicians and play the songs as an ensemble. Individual song parts are to be learned in your lessons and at home. Stagecraft is also an integral part of the live music experience. Learning how to use, set up, troubleshoot, clean up your gear is an important part of being a live musician. Students will set up, dial in, and clean up their stage equipment as part of their training.

CASTING

We treat the shows as theatrical “Plays”. Each song is a scene, and not every scene needs every actor. Not everyone plays on every song. We will have multiple instruments in each class, usually several singers & drummers, and sometimes more than one bassist. Sometimes musicians will be asked to play instruments/ parts different than their chosen one. The goal is to limit the amount of time any musician may have to “sit” while others are working on their songs. As casting is ongoing, not everyone may receive equal castings. Every individual is unique, some may require more time to learn assigned parts, while others may have more experience and will be more ambitious and ready to take on more. Each case will be based on educational needs. Every 4 months or so, at the end of the season, there will be a live performance (and hopefully a few other show opportunities throughout the season), then a new season starts with new Themes and songs.

HOW THEMES/ SONGS ARE CHOSEN:

The Music Director is your “Benevolent Dictator”, taking away the pain of having to make these hard decisions for you. A lot of thought and logic go into these decisions, based mainly on educational needs swell as fun. Seasons are 4 months long, ending in a show, then a new season begins with new themes that will expose students to new musical concepts & styles, different from the previous season. The majority of songs will be licensed and available in our Method App.

THE MANTRA

“WE DON’T TEACH MUSIC TO PUT ON SHOWS, WE PUT ON SHOWS TO TEACH MUSIC”
Although the shows are the highlight of the season and they are a lot of fun, the point of the School of Rock is to become better, well- rounded musicians. Sometimes the Themes may not be a genre you prefer or what you’d really like to play. Please keep in mind that all musical genres and styles have so many educational opportunities for musicians to draw from. Staying within your preferred genres will limit your growth, both musically and socially. And remember, each season is only 4 months. If you don’t get your favourite genre one season, there’s a good chance the next season will be closer to what you prefer. 4 months flies by fast!