School of Rock Rockville Centre

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• • 

    Young Musicians Morphed to Seasoned Rockstars

    “Getting out and performing,” Katie Bacchi began softly, listing the highlights of her two years at Rockville Centre’s School of Rock. She paused in thought before her face lit up. “Stage d...
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    “Getting out and performing,” Katie Bacchi began softly, listing the highlights of her two years at Rockville Centre’s School of Rock. She paused in thought before her face lit up. “Stage diving,” she added. Bacchi, 17, a senior at South Side High School who sings for the music school’s 10-member house band, said that before finding her role as a part-time rocker, it took a lot for her to talk to anyone. “I thought I’d be a public speaker before I even went on stage and sung in front of a bunch of strangers, or jumped off a stage…,” she said. “The fact that I’ve come this far, and I’m just doing it like it’s nothing, has become like a lifestyle in some sense.”
    
    Monica Rubin, owner and general manager of the Rockville Centre business, said this is the story of many of her students, who transform their timidity into undeniable confidence when they are given an instrument or microphone and an opportunity to perform in front of energized crowds. “I have a front-row seat to all their lives,” said Rubin, a former concert photographer who opened the school after seeing the effect it had on her son, Michael, now 18, who thrived at the Roslyn location. “It’s so funny, because I have one biological child, but whenever people ask me, ‘How many kids do you have?’ I go, ‘Well, I have 130 in Rockville Centre and about 50 in Huntington,’ and they’re like, ‘What?’”
    
    Replace Black with house band co-directors Dylan Gross and Tom Diognardi and it isn’t much different. About 25 of the roughly 130 students submitted audition videos for this season’s house band, which members named Trip Wire. After callbacks that included challenging live auditions, the school selected 10 of the “hungriest” students for a group that operates like many of the rock bands it regularly covers.
    
    After the auditions this spring, the hopefuls filed into Rubin’s office where they opened a note revealing whether they had earned a spot in the band. “They all give you a really bad look, so you always think you’re not getting in,” said 14-year-old drummer Jack Viceconte, of Lynbrook, known around the school as Shades. “But then I read that [I] was actually in the house band. It was just a really fun moment.”
    
    Fellow drummer Emily Bacchi, 13, Katie’s younger sister, came into the room shaking and began to cry, Rubin and Gross recalled. “From fear to this huge smile is unbelievable,” Gross said. Not only did Emily want to play one last season in the band with Katie before her sister graduated from high school, but she also hoped to be surrounded again by what she called “a nice big happy family” at her “home away from home.” “Everyone’s so loving to each other,” Emily said. “Nobody judges, nobody criticizes. … If you’re upset or angry, you can come here and take out your anger on the drum kit.”
    
    Other members of Trip Wire include keyboardist and guitarist Sam Civil, 14, and bassist James Bandini, 14, both of Oceanside; singer Erika Isaacs, 16, of Bellmore; guitarist Ben Goldsmith, 11, of Merrick; guitarist Hayley Sottovia, 14, of Rockville Centre; singer Amber Cresser, 16, of Valley Stream; and bass player Jack McDonough, 13, of Levittown. Rubin’s dog, Wally, often found mingling excitedly around the school, is the group’s mascot. Along with rehearsals every Friday, the group has been busy touring this summer, Rubin said, opening for bands and playing at charity events.
    
    Article has been edited for length - see the full article at http://liherald.com/stories/young-musicians-morph-to-seasoned-rockstars-in-rvc,95156?

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• • 

    School of Rock Set to Rock East Rockaway

    Some young musicians are set to put the ‘rock’ in East Rockaway when they perform in the first School of Rock Fest on Sept. 10 at Memorial Park. The free concert will begin at noon and will go...
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    Some young musicians are set to put the ‘rock’ in East Rockaway when they perform in the first School of Rock Fest on Sept. 10 at Memorial Park.
    
    The free concert will begin at noon and will go on for the next eight hours. The festival will feature a “best of the fests,” as students and national touring bands cover music featured at Ozzfest, the Warped Tour, Coachella and Lilith Fair. Bands involved in the event include The Inoculated Canaries, Craving Strange, Revel 9 and Midnight Mob.
    
    Show director Dylan Gross, who is the assistant general manager and an instructor at the School of Rock in Rockville Center, is spearheading the concert.
    
    “Most of the music that day will be performed by School of Rock students,” Gross said. “As directors and instructors, there is a special feeling you get watching your own students shine on stage. With each lesson and rehearsal you see them face difficulties to grow both musically and personally.”
    
    Gross said he expects over 300 people to attend the festival. He also emphasized that it’s an all-ages family event.
    
    The four bands will play in between the students’ performances throughout the day. Two of the advertised acts have deep ties to the school.
    
    School of Rock alumnus Michael Rubin, who has performed nationally with School of Rock’s All-Star program, is the singer and lead guitarist of the Inoculated Canaries. Jimmy Gerovac, who is an instructor at the school, sings and plays guitar for Craving Strange.
    
    “I’m one of the teachers so I’m super excited to see the kids perform because I know how hard they’re working,” Gerovac said. “It’s a doubly cool thing because not only are they doing the show, but they get to be around the other bands and meet them.”
    
    Revel 9 and Midnight Mob have become friends of the School of Rock and have toured around the nation, according to Gross.
    
    Gross, 23, plays many instruments, including the bass, drums and keyboards and graduated from East Rockaway High School in 2011. He then moved on to Five Towns College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music.
    
    He currently attends Hofstra University, where he is working toward getting his masters of science in music education. And though he isn’t hitting the stage on Sept. 10, Gross, a musician in his own right, has played a pivotal role in organizing the event.
    
    “Since our program is performance based, we always try to find and create new opportunities for our students to not only take the stage but to actually share the stage with seasoned, professional touring artists,” Gross said. “It was a no brainer when the idea of ‘Best of the Fests’ was decided.”
    
    The event is just another step in the growth of the School of Rock, which started with one school in Philadelphia and has morphed into the leading performance-based music education program in the world with 180 locations internationally.
    
    Gross is imploring the whole community to come out, bring their lawn chairs and enjoy a free day of rock. “School of Rock is family-oriented, and loves to bring different generations together to enjoy the universal language that is music,” he said. “This is the first music festival to come to East Rockaway, and we’re more than excited to be a part of it.”

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  • 

    Wimbish & Calhoun Room Dedication

    School of Rock (Rockville Centre) and Caelum Music Production honor Grammy-award winning recording artists Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish, both of the multi-platinum outfit Living Colour, with a pai...
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    School of Rock (Rockville Centre) and Caelum Music Production honor Grammy-award winning recording artists Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish, both of the multi-platinum outfit Living Colour, with a pair of room dedications on Dec. 20 at 2 pm.
    
    The Will Calhoun Drum Room and Doug Wimbish Bass Room come as the result of an ongoing partnership between local School of Rock General Manager and Owner Monica Rubin and the pair of musicians, who have been actively involved in the local chapter since its opening earlier this year.
    
    Will and Doug are accomplished musicians, also known for their extensive session and touring work with artists ranging from the Rolling Stones to Harry Belafonte, as well as their individual and collective solo projects including HeadFake and Jungle Funk. Behind the scenes they actively support and nurture local communities with events and activities that further youth music education including Doug’s ‘WimBash Music Festival Series’.
    
    “Will, Doug and I all share the same passion about providing young artists an opportunity to create and learn about music,” explained Rubin. “My son said the kindest and truest thing about Will: ‘one of the great things about Will is that he remembers what it is like to be 13 and want to play music.’”
    
    A ribbon cutting will precede the dedication with a musical celebration featuring performances from the pair as well as Troy, The Inoculated Canaries and Craving Strange following the ceremony.
    
    About School of Rock
    
    For over 15 years, School of Rock has been inspiring the world to rock on stage and in life. We 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 programs designed for all skill levels. Founded as a single school in Philadelphia, PA in 1998, School of Rock has become a growing international franchise, operating over 120 schools in the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil with openings in Canada, The Philippines, Chile, United Kingdom and Australia planned for 2013.
    
    School of Rock is the leader in performance-based music education. We take students from the lesson room to the stage, developing their confidence and musicianship.
    
    Living Colour is a Grammy Award winning band best known for their double platinum album, Vivid. Wimbish is a bass player known for his versatility, use of bass effects, extended hand techniques and is considered a pioneer in hip hop bass playing for his work with Sugarhill Records.Calhoun is a versatile drummer known for his style that blends advanced funk fusion, drum-and-bass and world percussion with rock and metal grooves.

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  • Will Calhoun drum room dedication at the School of Rock Rockville Centre

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