School of Rock

by Jill Duff-Hoppes 

At School of Rock Oviedo, students get to rock out right away. Why? Because School of Rock is different from conventional music schools in two important ways, says Wes Simmons, who opened the Oviedo location in 2011.

First, the school employs a SongFirst Approach to learning.

“Learning music should be fun, but it’s not always taught that way,” says Wes.

With its SongFirst Approach, School of Rock intentionally buries lessons about music theory and technique into the act of playing a song from the get-go.

School of Rock offers training for kids, teens, and adults in guitar, bass, drums, voice, and keyboard. Most of its programs are a combination of private lessons and group classes or rehearsals.

Second, School of Rock focuses on performance-based music education through group-play sessions.

“Our group-play layer inspires motivation, excitement, and commitment in a very practical and meaningful way,” says Wes. “We’re playing real equipment in a band setting with other student musicians and having fun while learning.”

Students also have exciting opportunities to perform in the community and show off their considerable musical skills.

“The performance-based aspect provides a reason to practice and therefore helps students develop solid practice habits,” says Wes.

For details about this rockin’ approach to music education, visit SchoolOfRock.com.