At a school on Sherman Place, a Steppenwolf album is audible even before visitors step through the front door. Vinyl records and posters of Jimi Hendrix and The Who line the walls. Instead of an Encyclopedia Britannica, the school shelves The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock.
Musician Paul Green founded his first “rock school” in Philadelphia in 1998. Now a national organization with more than 60 locations, the Paul Green School of Rock Music opened a franchise on the 1300 block of Sherman Place in September.
The new school offers private lessons in guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboard, saxophone, vocals and song-writing to children, teens and adults of all skill levels, manager Loren Seeger said. Students attend band rehearsals and perform at local venues.
“We’re a performance-based music program,” Seeger said. “It’s our goal to get every student at the school rocking out.”
She said the school is different from other music programs because it emphasizes performance.
“Not all music is just sitting by yourself, playing,” she said. “You want other people to hear you. You want input and feedback.”
Evanston’s School of Rock will perform Jan. 17 at Evanston SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Students will perform music by Green Day and The Clash at 4 p.m. and music by The Beatles at 7 p.m.
Guitar teacher Matt Berger said the school gives younger students a rare opportunity to play in clubs and venues aside from the school auditorium.
“I wish I had something like this when I was younger,” he said. “Kids don’t really ever have a chance to play semi-serious gigs unless it’s a school talent show.”Berger also said he wants his students to become comfortable with their instruments.
“Not everyone has to become a pro musician,” he said. “If they can get something out of playing an instrument, if they can evoke some emotion out of it, it’s a job well done.”
For Seeger, the school’s biggest goal is to get people involved in music. She said the school’s motto is, “Saving rock ‘n’ roll, one kid at a time.”
“A lot of music programs are being cut from schools,” Seeger said. “There’s just not a lot of emphasis on music like there used to be.”
Josh Saunders, a 17-year-old rock student, said the video game Rock Band inspired him to play drums.
“I loved playing drums on it, and I was better than all my friends,” said Saunders, a student at Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave. “It’s different to play real drums. Your whole body is engaged.”
Finn Rowe, whose parents own the Evanston school, said he has been playing drums and singing for about three years. A fan of The Who, the nine-year-old has already performed in two concerts through the school.
“The first performance I played in, I was kind of scared,” he said. “Then I got used to it, and it started getting fun.”
In addition to teaching music and performance skills, the school helps students make friends and understand their musical interests, Seeger said.
“There’s a little bit of rebellion to rock ‘n’ roll,” Seeger said. “It’s reassuring for students to know that there are other people who like to jam to the Rolling Stones or Ozzy Osbourne.”
