NASHVILLE, Tenn.– Crowds of parents with cameras occupy the front lawn and groups of carefree children race around in red, white and blue. The sun sets on the Nashville skyline as guitar chords and drum beats echo through the area. A shy teenage girl sits quietly in the background. The music stops and she stands to take her place on the stage. Suddenly, she radiates confidence. She holds the microphone firmly and peers into the audience, the soulful tone of the song is reflected in her eyes. She is no longer the shy girl who blended into the crowd; she is the star of the show.
On the day that our country celebrates its freedom, the Palm Beach School of Rock celebrated its music. School of Rock, an after school music program for middle and high school students, played a concert in Nashville at the Adventure Science Center on July 4.
“I used to be shy and quiet,” theatre junior Angel Leiser said. “Going on stage brings out my craziness and it’s great to know that people want to listen to what I play.”
Of the 23 students that went on tour with the School of Rock this summer, six were from Dreyfoos: theatre alumna Gianna Mascaro, theatre sophomore Ben Rothschild, band sophomore Austin Klewin and theatre juniors Drew Lederman, Angel Leiser and Chase Bencin. The Palm Beach School of Rock has two campuses. One is in Boynton Beach and the other is in Palm Beach Gardens.The school offers classes in voice, guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, trumpet, violin and piano and exposes students to a variety of genres. In addition to music classes, each campus puts together their own House Band, which is composed of the top members of the entire school. The House Bands play gigs all over Palm Beach County throughout the year.
“School of rock is an after-school program where [children] take lessons and do jam sessions to learn everything from metal and punk rock to classic rock and pop,” Leiser said.
The Fourth of July concert was one of six concerts the band played on their weeklong tour. As members of the School of Rock House Band, the six students also visited Orlando, Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville and Savannah. The tour gave the band an opportunity to perform out of state and work with other locations of the School of Rock franchise. In every city, Palm Beach School of Rock teamed up with the local franchise to perform a concert together. The local Schools of Rock were vital to the tour. When they played together, they were able to share equipment, and more importantly, the two bands got a unique opportunity to learn from each other.
“The local House Band [members] were like kindred spirits to us. We met them and we just clicked,” Lederman said. “School of Rock is just something special and unique that unites us.”
The students lived like rock stars for the week. They traveled on a tour bus and even got to visit the home of someone who made Rock and Roll history. One of their venues was Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll.
“It honestly felt surreal. It’s not everyday that you have the opportunity of playing at the King of Rock and Roll’s house,” Mascaro said. “I felt honored. I think we all made him proud.”
Their family friendly concerts in restaurants as well as Graceland and Adventure Science Center ended in uproars of applause from both children and parents. The parent chaperones, School of Rock teachers, and owner Rick Rothschild acted as the ultimate groupies for the band, traveling with them and cheering them on throughout the trip.
“We experience what it’s like to be a real musician,” Leiser said.
During the summer, the two campuses of School of Rock combined House Bands and set lists to go on tour together. The annual tour is the one time each year that the North and South bands have to get to know each other. In addition to the many other learning opportunities that the tour provided, it served as a team building experience for the band.
“Even though [the] tour is only seven days, it feels like a year: like I’ve known these people for much longer than I actually have. We have all gotten so close,” Lederman said. “[The tour] really made us a much tighter band and it will definitely help us in future performances.”
Every member of the House Band had his or her time to shine. Whether it was a guitar, drum or vocal solo, members were free to express themselves and explore their individuality. This freedom made School of Rock an irreplaceable part of students’ lives.
“[School of Rock] means everything to me,” Ben Rothschild said. “I don’t know what I’d be doing if I wasn’t at School of Rock.”
The stage time not only brought out the students’ personalities, but also strengthened their perception of their own self-worth. The performers grew as people and learned to be comfortable with who they are. They gained one thing that cannot be taught, but is vital to learn: confidence.
“Confidence on stage makes you more confident with yourself,” Bencin said.
Although the tour is now over, School of Rock is still an important part of even the seniors’ lives. School of Rock is more than just a place where students can take music lessons; students see it as a place where they can feel safe and comfortable with themselves. It is a support system that the members know they can always count on.
“School of rock means a lot to me. It is family to me and a second place to go and be myself,” Leiser said. “It means a lot to be accepted in a place.”
