Music lessons shouldn’t be a chore. Deana Luchia salutes a school that hits the right note...
I’m standing inside the vault of the old Barclays Bank in the middle of Twickenham. Soon, this iconic building will be one of the rehearsal rooms for Britain’s first School of Rock. Guitar riffs, drumbeats and punchy vocals will be the currency that fills this vast space.
I’m being shown around by Matias Puga Hamilton, School of Rock’s master franchise owner (and sometime drummer).
MATIAS PUGA
He’s already opened 25 schools across Latin America, including in his native Chile, and now aims to launch around 30 across the UK over the next 10 years.
As a self-confessed fan of British rock music, he’s clearly excited to be starting with Twickenham – just across the river from Eel Pie Island, where, famously, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Rod Stewart and Pink Floyd all performed back in the 60s.
School of Rock isn’t your average musical education programme, Matias tells me, as I lament the grinding formality of the piano and violin lessons my own kids took.
Instead of making children grapple with scales and chord progressions, School of Rock teaches them to perform in a band – singing or playing drums, keyboards or guitar – with the emphasis firmly on fun.
School of Rock
“We teach people to play first and to enjoy it. Once they get going, they begin to learn and understand musical theory, but exciting and engaging them through playing is the main driver of that. You reach the same end point [being an accomplished musician/singer], but by the opposite route.”
His own children are a testament to the efficacy of the method, says Matias. In Chile, he signed up his daughters for classes when they were eight and ten.
“After three months, they were playing lively bass and keyboard in a real venue. I couldn’t believe it,” he enthuses.
Now in their 20s, the girls still play at School of Rock – performing in their father’s old band – as the school runs separate classes for adults.
Whilst most of the students are aged 13-18 – typically in a 50-50 ratio of boys to girls and with a good mix of absolute beginners and kids who’ve been playing for years – School of Rock also runs classes for 4-5 year olds (Little Wings), who learn about music through play, and 6–7 year olds (Rookies) who experiment with different instruments.
Programmes for children aged eight and above involve one-to-one lessons plus rehearsals, all in preparation for the shows the kids perform every three months.
School of Rock
For these live performances, the school hires music venues “from intimate pubs to stadia”, with the audiences made up of parents, family and friends.
“Each show has a theme,” explains Matias. “It might be the best of the 80s, The Beatles or David Bowie v Queen.
We chose 20 songs for a 90-minute show. The only pressure is to play to the best of your abilities and not disappoint your bandmates.”
Learning music improves cognitive skills and confidence, provides an outlet for self-expression and creativity and boosts mental health. Crucially, playing in a band also gets kids out of their rooms and mingling with their peers.
“It’s like being in a sports team,” says Matias.
“In addition to the music, you also learn responsibility, teamwork, commitment, patience and respect. We sometimes say that this is a soft skills school with music.”
School of Rock
And if that isn’t enough, playing in front of a live audience is one of those pinch-me moments that is the stuff of dreams. Who hasn’t done a guitar solo with their mop and imagined themselves on stage? Or sung their greatest hits to an audience made up of family pets who have been ‘the most amazing crowd on this entire tour’?
Walking around the old bank, I can’t help but think about the large sums of money I (willingly) spent on my children’s lessons. I’d hoped that music would be a lifelong love. Yet neither of them, since they were teens, has picked up a violin or sat at the piano that I, ever hopeful, can’t bring myself to give away.
They were taught the same way as I was 30 years earlier – slowly going over the same few bars until those bars were perfect. I recall the dreadful sound of the metronome, ticking away as I stared out of the window. If only we’d all gone to a school of rock.
schoolofrock.com/locations/london
More band-style music classes
- britishschoolofrock.co.uk – teaches guitar, drums and vocals to children aged 8-18. Branches in Epsom, Guildford, Twickenham, Weybridge and Kingston
- therockproject.com – teaches guitar, drums and vocals to children aged 7-18. Branches in Worcester Park, Thames Ditton, Esher, Reigate and Dorking
