For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

Montclair's new School of Rock presents In The Midnight Hour, the first in a series of Saturday concerts at Just Jake's on Saturday, July 10th, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. The concert will feature the Summer Boot Camp Band, a collection of kids ages 7 to 17. Here's a bit about this fabulous new music school and its philosophy of teaching.

Enter Montclair's new School of Rock and you instantly feel like the coolest kid in the class. Inside one of the school's bright soundproof studios, guitar virtuoso Mike Lawlor is playing a smoking rendition of The Rolling Stone's "You Can't Always Get What You Want" while fellow teachers Mark Dollar, Kraig Marshall, and Joey Biondi jam along.

After a few minutes, Lawlor hands an electric guitar to 14-year-old Jeremy Freeman who joins right in while vocal instructor Sibvon Rose Marshall gently coaxes 9-year-old Claire Parcells to take a mike for the first time. Soon Claire is singing lead vocals for a band that on any other night might find its members touring with Lil Wayne or Christina Aguilera. Her smile is contagious; the teachers are as happy as the students.

Comparing the School of Rock to traditional music lessons is like comparing cod liver oil to cotton candy. It seems almost impossible not to have fun in this place.   Getting kids onto a stage as quickly as possible is all part of musical director John Ginty's master plan.

"Our program is performance based. We give kids the opportunity once every three months to play in a real rock club on a real stage doing a real show," he said. "School of Rock's founder, Paul Green, has a mantra 'We put on a show to teach music, we don't teach music to put on a show'. "

There are now some 58 School of Rock locations nationwide. Located at 125 Valley Road, Montclair's School of Rock is the ninth to open in New Jersey. Here, kids ages 7-17 can learn to play instruments, sing, write songs, and produce music along side-seasoned professionals. Courses combine individual weekly lessons with supervised, structured group jams, with music running the gamut of classic rock from Bob Dylan to Pink Floyd to Radio Head. All ability levels are welcome.

Montclair's Summer Rock Boot Camp is now enrolling students for week-long programs in July and August. Other classes are ongoing throughout the year, and several new options are in the works for the fall including lessons for grown-ups.   

Ginty is quick to point out that there are no struggling musicians on the Montclair staff. "When I look for teachers, I look for experienced musicians. I want to destroy the old adage that 'those who can do, and those who can't teach'," he said. "Our teachers are Grammy winners, multi-platinum winners, and they bring real world experience to the kids along with basic theory as it applies to rock and roll.

"If you go to an ACDC concert, you won't find any music stands on the stage, but ACDC knows exactly what it is that they are playing," he said.

Listening to the instructors screaming chords, it's pretty obvious that these guys are not your average high school band teachers. Ginty (keyboards and drums) has toured and performed with Santana, Matthew Sweet, and Sheryl Crow. General Manager Matt Sandoski is a Grammy winning producer. Together the two men recently finished touring with Citizen Cope.

But after four years on the road and the birth of his son, Sandoski felt more than ready to put down some roots for a while and his friend Ginty agreed to join him.   Ginty notes that kids today are less likely to have a band of their own, and School of Rock can fill this void.

"I think computers and Guitar Hero have changed kids' ability to just make a garage band. I want kids to realize that those games are fantasies and this is the reality of what it's like to be in a real rock show," he said. "It's an experience you can't get out of the game. Our kids get a lot of opportunities."

For example, Montclair's School of Rock will be joining with other branches to play a joint concert at The Gramercy Theatre in New York City. Ginty laughs and says "I haven't even played the Gramercy yet!" Montclair students will also regularly perform at Just Jake's.

Another strength of the program is the blending of beginning musicians with more seasoned players. Ginty likes to put newbies with the kids who really rock. "There is a natural mentoring thing that happens when you put a kid who can really play next to a kid that is just learning chords," he said. "They want each other to excel so they help each other out. What you find is that the older kids learn also because the best way to learn is to teach."

Plans to develop programs in conjunction with many Montclair schools and nonprofit groups are also in the works. For example, the group's opening concert was a benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Ginty is hoping some of the many professional musicians who visit Montclair will show the school a little love as well. He's posted a small sign in the green room at The Wellmont Theatre offering bands a free ride to the school if they want to stop by and jam with the kids before their sets. If any one takes him up on it, it's obvious to this reporter that they will find the back-up band pretty great.

In The Midnight Hour

Concert series is for all ages. First show is on July 10th from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Just Jake's, 30 Park Street, Montclair. The series will continue Saturdays throughout the summer. The cost is free for those 10 and under; $5 for those 11 to 18; and $10 for everyone else. A special rock n'roll themed kids menu will be available.

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