When most people hear the name “School of Rock,” they often think of Jack Black and the movie, but for a special few, they think of a place where music meets learners of all ages and makes magic.
School of Rock is an organization allowing students to form and strengthen their musical abilities through voice, guitar and drum lessons. Further than just instruments, instructors also instill important life skills into students.
Things such as confidence and self expression are what School of Rock Coppell owner and general manager, Melissa Birchett, aims to expand with students.
”The goal is to just have a space for kids to grow in music and that’s all I ever really wanted,” Birchett said. “This is just another place for all the kids who maybe don’t have a hand in sports or things like that.”
School of Rock works with kids from the age 3 to adults, seeing them grow over their years in the organization.
“We get to watch them go from Rock 101, which is our younger kid group, to the Performance Program, which is for teenagers and it’s so cool to watch them become their own people and grow up right before your eyes,” Birchett said.
School of Rock is efficient with the pace in which students learn these instruments as well.
“He went into a five day camp to learn drums, and he came out learning bass guitar, electric guitar and drums,” said Laura Wortman, whose son, Max, is a School of Rock student. “At the end of those five days they had their rock show and we were shocked to see him up there playing two different guitars that he didn’t know how to play before camp.”
School of Rock parents are amazed at the talent displayed by their kids.
“It’s not just amazing to watch, but it’s accurate to the original music too,” Wortman said. “It’s not like they made it easier or anything. They are playing the original music in the original tunes.”
Coppell High School sophomore Mia Schuler has been taking lessons at School of Rock Coppell for more than a year, becoming a member of the Performance Program as a guitarist and singer.
For Schuler, the confidence she gained helps in many aspects of life.
“I had a solo last year in Vivace! and I wasn’t scared at all,” Schuler said. “When I first started I was just standing on stage but now I’m moving around a lot more.”
Wortman shares similar thoughts regarding the program.
“We wanted to get Max something that made him more confident, and School of Rock is proving to be that,” Wortman said. “He is learning skills he could take with him forever.”
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