Panorama: School of Rock
Students in the “School of Rock” Panorama are amped up – literally. Every day they head to rehearsal (at Prue’s House) to set up, plug in, and get to work on the timeless and complex process of co-creation and collaboration known as the rock-n-roll jam session.
The philosophy of this panorama is simple: Everyone has what it takes to rock. Meeting students where they are, we invited seasoned musicians and beginners alike to come learn the fundamentals of rock instruments: drums, piano, vocals, bass, and guitar. This 3-week immersive course launched from the core question “what is rock and roll” and began with viewing the 2003 film School of Rock to explore rock’s place (often problematic) in different cultural spaces – politics, economics, gender/sexuality, lifestyle, and ethos/attitude.
Take a look at what this Panorama was all about:
Private instruction and practice: Whether Jimi Hendrix really did practice guitar for 62 hours per week or not, what’s clear is that he invested significant time in the practice of practice and the discipline of dedication. In this course, students also clock significant practice time with their instruments and are given space for focused training through private lessons with instructors at the Island Music Guild to advance technical skill with their instruments. (Classmates in the Teen Brain Panorama would tell them that practicing music also builds skills like abstract reasoning, verbal memory, mind-body integration, and spatial reasoning).
History of Rock: As a musical genre, rock has long been both a reflection and generator of major cultural shifts and its own historical force. Through the six-part documentary, The History of Rock and Roll, students explore this interconnection and travel through the decades to examine the social and political climate and global events that influenced rock’s evolution, as well as its origins in youth activism and social change. Students also had the chance to study Seattle’s imprint on rock history through exhibits of iconic Seattle rock bands at MoPop.
Song writing and song structure: Teacher Tom Neal explains that he and co-teacher Gardner Stevenett want students to not only learn the history of rock and roll, but to be able to do something with that knowledge. “We want to provide them with a framework for analysis and also with scaffolding so they can process what they’re learning and also contextualize that new knowledge so they can apply it to their work as a band and as musicians.” For example, in listening labs, students closely listen to two famous songs from the late 1960s, Strawberry Fields by The Beatles and God Only Knows by The Beach Boys. Tom explains, “we ask them to identify what’s going on in the song from the perspective of their own instrument, but also what was going on for other people in the band. This helps them get out of their own zone and really think as a band, to see the pieces as interlocked and how they fit together as an ensemble.” In other workshops with Peter Spencer at Island Music Guild, students explored what makes a song, what makes a good song, what makes a group of musicians, and what makes a band – getting into the subtle alchemy of band dynamics and, as Tom describes, “that magic weaving together of people collaborating in step with each other.”
Band Rehearsal: Students also get the chance to create that alchemy together. Alongside individual practice, students work cooperatively as a band, learning to think, listen, and respond as a unit to advance each piece of music. The nuanced collaboration of band work requires self-motivation, self-regulation, and the ability to truly listen to others – to the music they create, and to the ideas they present. From sound checks, to warmups, to breaks, band rehearsal requires a practiced balance of individual performance within a group ethos.
Recording studio session: Throughout the Panorama, students are building a set that will culminate with the chance to lay down tracks at a professional recording studio in Seattle. Their private instruction, practice, and group rehearsal build toward this final project. In another exercise of collaboration and teamwork, students even staged an album cover photo shoot in the Hilltop meadow just beyond the space where they rehearsed togehter. A gritty fog even rolled up for mood.
Shout out to our community partners
We are proud to support local businesses and non profits through our Panoramas, connecting students to teachers and experts in different sectors. All of Hyla’s Panorama courses happen in partnership and collaboration with different community groups and professionals who share their experitise and resources. The School of Rock Panorama thanks the talented teachers at the Island Music Guild, Parks & Rec for access to Prue’s House, and Mirror Sound Studios in Seattle.