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Prepared to be blown away at the School of Rock Huntington Beach

You probably remember the School of Rock from that Jack Black movie some years ago. But did you know that we have an actual School of Rock music school right here in Huntington Beach? Located on Main St. at Beach Blvd. across from 5 Points Plaza is the School of Rock, a music school that’s a little bit different from traditional music schools. They are having a Fall Open House on Saturday, September 10th and you are all invited.

school of rock open house

School of Rock began in Philadelphia as Paul Green School of Rock Music in 1996. Since then, the music education program that combines group learning with solo instruction has opened schools across the nation. The tagline for the School of Rock is “Music lessons done differently.” According to Jeff Nunes, professional musician and co-owner of School of Rock Huntington Beach, “Our focus is on performance-based music education. Unlike traditional music lessons where a student sits in a room with a teacher for 30 minutes a week, only to return the next week to repeat the same exercise, and in most cases losing interest, our performance group students have a 45 minute lesson once a week that is focused on the songs and parts that the student has to learn to perform in their “band.” The bands meet for a 3 hour rehearsal once a week. Students are working towards an end of the season rock show which typically takes place at the House of Blues in Anaheim. Each show has a theme. Most recently, our three performance group shows were a tribute to Prince and David Bowie, Green Day, and One Hit Wonders.”

Check out this recent performance at Campus Jax.


Walking into the School of Rock, you get a clubhouse feel, where not only do students get to learn to play instruments, but also learn the value of friendship and teamwork.

School of Rock Huntington Beach
School of Rock Huntington Beach is owned by three professional musicians and friends whose passion for music and education converged in Huntington Beach. Larry Boodman, a Huntington Beach native, and Jeff Nunes were the drummer and guitarist for the L.A.-based indie rock group Fourwayfree for over a decade. When their touring days were over they decided to put their musical efforts into inspiring the next generation of rockers. Surf City was the perfect place to open their school with its supportive community that seemed engaged in offering great opportunities for kids. But, before opening in late 2014, Nunes and Boodman needed the consummate “frontman” for their “band” to inspire kids. And so, Joey Ancona, an Orange County professional musician and performance teacher at the Orange County School of the Arts joined the team and leads School of Rock Huntington Beach as its music director.

School of Rock HB at House of Blues Anaheim.
School of Rock HB at House of Blues Anaheim.

There are classes for children as young as 5 years old at the School of Rock. But adults looking to tap into their rock n roll dreams are welcome too. “Programs are age-appropriate and designed to allow the student to progress to the next level ultimately reaching the performance program, but almost all programs involve some group element. The added component of being responsible to your team, or your band, keeps kids engaged, excited about learning, and has proven to show amazingly fast progress in students’ ability. It is common at a School of Rock show to have kids performing onstage who have only been learning their instrument for a few months,” said Jeff.

SOR_HOB2
When asked what spectators can expect from a School of Rock performance, Jeff replied: “In short, to be blown away. When you realize that the performance you are seeing, for example, a rendition of the Stones “Give Me Shelter”, Rage Against The Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” or in the case of our last show Prince’s “Purple Rain”, are all being performed by kids none older than 17, and some who have been playing less than a year, you can’t help but be blown away.”

Sign up for a lesson at huntingtonbeach.schoolofrock.com and visit the School of Rock Huntington Beach during their Fall Open House. You will be blown away!

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