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School of Rock Claremont turned four-years-old recently and they are grateful for the support and the successful journey they embarked on.
The school teaches more than 220 students between the ages of three to 100 to be rock stars. Leigh Spaun, School of Rock marketing director, says they believe that performance is the key to learning and enjoying music, and their results-driven programmes combine one-on-one lessons with group band practises, making School of Rock the ultimate music school for children and adults. “We teach music through performance and we help our students get on stage, that is what we live for,” she explains the ethos of the school.
Priding themselves in being the first in Africa, they believe the best way to learn music is to play music. “We take students from the lesson room to the stage, developing both their confidence and musicianship with programmes designed for all skill levels and all ages.”
What students are taught builds their confidence as performers and every three months students get to perform on stage for seasonal shows, which are sold out most of the time.
Though their four-year journey has been riddled with ups and downs, Spaun says they are glad that they took the plunge.
“It has been an amazing experience. Rock is our passion and to be able to share this with others is truly amazing. There was a lack of this type of music school so we decided to bring it here. It has been tough but we survived,” she says.
The school is currently offering all South African teenagers the rare chance for their talent to be seen by American record label executives as part of a worldwide artist search, Center Stage.
The search for singers aged between 13 to 19 will run until Sunday 30 June.
Teens that want to take part can submit a five-minute audition video in hopes of being one of 25 selected individuals flown to Los Angeles for an invaluable industry experience. These artists will perform in front of Atlantic Records and Artist Partner Group (APG) executives at a private artist showcase. They will record songs at APG’s studios with professional engineers. Additionally, 100 applicants that show promise as artists will receive a scholarship to a School of Rock camp of their choice.
“South Africa has limited opportunities to expose up-and-coming musicians, and with this competition, Center Stage gives talented artists the potential to reach their biggest audience yet.”
The artist search programme is open to vocalists living in a country where School of Rock operates, including the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Africa, Australia, and the Philippines. Vocalists do not need to be School of Rock students in order to participate in Center Stage, however, only students will receive feedback on their submissions to help them continue to grow and develop as musicians.
“All you have to do is submit a video of yourself performing and you could stand a chance to set yourself on a path to an international music career,” Spaun says.
