The Rock Project
I’ve been lucky enough to spend the last year or so working for The Rock Project in Bristol. Here’s an insight into what exactly it is.
What is the Rock Project?
The Rock Project is a music school which has the focus on encouraging children to play together in a band. It’s a contemporary music school, so like to the tuition we offer, you will be learning anything from a Justin Bieber song to a song by Black Sabbath!
There are usually 4 tutors at the Bristol franchise, which allows for each discipline to be taught individually. There is typically 1 drum group, 1 vocal group and 2-3 guitar groups – lots of aspiring Hendrix’s!
Rock music, bands and lots of coffee; it’s Saturday morning!
The structure
Each session is structured into two halves, and this runs for both our junior learners (age 7-11), and then our senior learners (age 12-18):
The instrumental music lesson is structured in a similar way to a regular guitar lesson, for a example; starting with a warm-up, followed by a recap/development of a previous song, followed by learning a new song. The aim is to cover a song over two lessons.
These group lessons are always great fun, and each child has an active role in the learning process.
The ‘plug and play’ is a chance for all of the students to put everything they have learnt into practice, in a live band environment. The tutors often play along to support the learners, and it always sounds great. A room full of 20+ children playing an AC/DC song as loudly as they can may not sound like your ideal way to spend a Saturday morning, but the amount of fun everyone is having makes it all worth while!
The concert
As tradition, the concert starts with all of the teachers and learners on the stage, stamping and clapping along to Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’. Once everyone is suitably warmed-up and ready to rock, the performances begin!
In the concert you can expect many band performances and some solo performances. Often the singing group will play a couple of songs on their own, and similarly their may be a drum solo from the drummers! The children always work hard in preparation for the concert, and it’s great to see how they have progressed in terms of their own playing, and playing in a band.
The Rock Project concert is held every July
The concert concludes with the teachers and learners returning to the stage, where various awards and prizes are handed out to celebrate the achievements and progression made by the children throughout the year.
Follow the link for more information on The Rock Project!