Attention Students: Rock is in Session

They come with guitars slung on their backs, mini-rockers looking to make big music in a place dedicated to just that. At School of Rock, students don’t learn the standards, they learn the classics, channeling the likes of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd on their way to becoming rock stars of their own.

Things are still a work in progress at the new school located on Monmouth Street at the former site of Summit Music, the instrument and music performance center that closed down seemingly overnight this past spring. Though some walls are still sparsely decorated, and while there’s plenty of unused space making the place look empty save for a drum kit here and a guitar stand there, General Manager Janet Wheeler said she’s got the prized location she was looking for.

With its grand opening still a couple of weeks away, Red Bank’s School of Rock has plenty of eager rock stars in training already, more than 30 kids taking advantage of the opportunity to both learn on a one-on-one basis and through jamming along with other students after each lesson.

And this, Wheeler said, is where becoming a rock star starts.

“We’re back in Red Bank where we belong with the cool music and the cool scene,” she said. “We’re not babysitting with music here. The kids who come, they want to play, and they’re building a community of musicians.”

Building that community begins with rock and roll. The first School of Rock opened in Philadelphia as the Paul Green School of Rock Music and has since, after the name shrink and a buyout, grown to include more than 70 locations around the country and even Mexico. Green and his school are said to be the unofficial inspiration for the film of the same name that featured – or lampooned, depending on how you’d characterize Jack Black’s performance in School of Rock – a grown man teaching his students how to melt faces through their newfound powers of rock.

This local iteration of School of Rock began in the basement of the historic landmark and former borough hall at 51 Monmouth Street, directly across the way from the new location, about five years ago. From there, Red Bank School of Rock became the Matawan School of Rock before returning to the borough and Summit Music earlier this year.

When Summit closed shop, Wheeler said the location became hers for the taking.

Wheeler said the instruction is legitimate here, taught by professional musicians and rockers themselves. Even her son Ryan is an instructor. Ryan, currently a member of the band Outside the Box when he’s not passing along rock knowledge to students in Red Bank, was once a School of Rock All-Star. The school’s all-star program highlights its elite students and gives them the opportunity to play shows each year in iconic venues with equally iconic rock legends like Peter Frampton and Alice Cooper.

Though the all-star level is one most students won’t reach, the benefits for kids of all ages and skill are evident, Ryan Wheeler said.

“It really is great. Besides meeting all of the other kids it’s fun having a place and other people to play with,” he said. “I think playing with other people gives you that bug; it makes you want to keep at it.”

A corner wall in the building is plastered with photos of kids mid-rock, some looking eerily similar to their fully formed industry counterparts like Slash and Ric Ocasek of the Cars. On a Saturday afternoon, the assembled group waiting in the jam room didn’t seem to have the rocker look down pat yet. Despite the association to the scene and its aesthetic influences, it’s still all about the rock music first.

On keyboard, Cheyenne Spears waited for direction as a couple of other students fiddled with their guitars and drums. She’s been playing the piano for years, she said, but there’s just something more appealing about music when it’s presented in communal rock format.

“We get to interact more and we all have different interests so we have to learn to play our different styles together,” the 12 year old said. “It’s definitely more fun here.”

Rock and roll is more fun when it comes time to perform, too. School of Rock doesn’t have stodgy recitals, it has concerts. Students won’t be shredding to Hot Cross Buns or Baby Elephant Walk, but Pink Floyd’s The Wall, which happens to be the first concert all first time students are required to give when they attend the School of Rock.

But, that concert is still several months away. Right now, Wheeler said the school is accepting students and has room for plenty more. Those interested in School of Rock are invited to attend the Oct. 15 grand opening from 12 – 5 p.m. where kids and their parents can see first hand what to expect from the program. In the interim, visit the, or visit schoolofrock.com/redbank for more information.