If you have never been to a School of Rock performance, you are missing out! Personally, I’m a fan of rock music, and I play a little guitar and piano myself, but when I was young, my piano lessons were limited to scales and more classic “piano lessons” one on one with a teacher, which honestly didn’t really fuel my love for playing. I dropped my lessons and didn’t look back until later in life. I never even picked up a guitar until I was 20! I would have loved to attend a School of Rock when I was growing up – who knows what might have happened! For those of you who don’t know, School of Rock is a Performance Based Music School…..meaning they encourage their students to play music together in a band setting. The curriculum is based on rock music so when students play in the bands they not only become amazing musicians and total rock stars, they also learn teamwork and self-confidence, and make lasting friendships by being part of a group. School of Rock teaches guitar, bass, vocals, keyboard, drums and ukulele. There are nearly 300 School of Rock locations worldwide!
Originally from New York, Jennifer Moriarta grew up playing music since the third grade. She played piano and drums/percussion throughout high school, but ultimately her professional goals leaned toward math & science. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science, but always found time to sneak away from her engineering pursuits to the music building to practice piano. She learned about School of Rock about 10 years ago when her son went to the School of Rock in Downingtown, PA. “I saw not just his incredible musical progress but also the friendships and confidence he gained by playing in a band.” Fast forward several years and when they moved to Colorado in 2015, one of the criteria for their new home was that it had to be located near a School of Rock! When an opportunity came up in 2017 for her to take ownership of the Broomfield location, she couldn’t pass it up. In addition to her engineering degree she had also picked up an MBA along the way. That analytical experience combined with her life-long recreational music endeavors, made the School of Rock a no-brainer!
When I asked about success stories, Jennifer touted, “Too many to list!”. Their main Performance Program runs in “seasons” so they change up the groups every 3-4 months and put on their big performances at the end of each season. “It is so fun and satisfying to witness each student’s progress with the passing seasons, and I often hear parents compliment the musicians on how far they’ve come. For example, we have a student who started with us about 4 years ago as a vocalist. She was already a good singer when she came to School of Rock but over the years she has worked very hard and added piano lessons along the way. She tried out for our House Band several times before passing the audition, but she did not get discouraged, she just kept working on her craft, and today she is one of our most seasoned and confident performers. This year she even submitted an audition for School of Rock All Stars which is the highest level of achievement for School of Rock students. I am so proud of her and have enjoyed watching her grow up and now become a leader in our community. I literally got goosebumps watching her perform in her last show! She has come so far and gained so much poise and confidence. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her!”
When I asked about success stories, Jennifer touted, “Too many to list!”. Their main Performance Program runs in “seasons” so they change up the groups every 3-4 months and put on their big performances at the end of each season. “It is so fun and satisfying to witness each student’s progress with the passing seasons, and I often hear parents compliment the musicians on how far they’ve come. For example, we have a student who started with us about 4 years ago as a vocalist. She was already a good singer when she came to School of Rock but over the years she has worked very hard and added piano lessons along the way. She tried out for our House Band several times before passing the audition, but she did not get discouraged, she just kept working on her craft, and today she is one of our most seasoned and confident performers. This year she even submitted an audition for School of Rock All Stars which is the highest level of achievement for School of Rock students. I am so proud of her and have enjoyed watching her grow up and now become a leader in our community. I literally got goosebumps watching her perform in her last show! She has come so far and gained so much poise and confidence. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her!”
The Broomfield School of Rock’s youngest students are only 5 years old, and they are just the cutest! They have a class called ROOKIES for kids 5-7 years old. In this group class they get to explore music concepts and different instruments through hands-on activities and games. School of Rock has students of all ages and many of the adult students play in the adult band program. Their oldest student is in his 70’s. His name is Dennis & he started playing drums a couple years — and the rest is history, he is kicking butt! He is a dedicated student who comes to the school several days a week to practice and he has really become an important member of the community!
When I asked which instrument is on the top of the list of students wanting to learn, Jennifer said, “It’s always a toss up between drums and guitar for our most popular instrument, but since the new year GUITAR students surpassed the drummers! Honestly you can’t go wrong with either one, and we are always looking for talented bass players, piano/keyboard players and vocalists!”
If you’d like to see some of the Broomfield School of Rock bands in action come check out one of their live shows on April 24th or 25th! There are 7 bands each with a different theme including tributes to Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac, and The Police, as well as an Indie Rock group, Synth Pop, and Funk — literally something for everyone!
Winter End of Season Shows at Brighton Armory – April 24th
Winter End of Season Shows at Boulder Theater – April 25th
For more information about Broomfield School of Rock, visit their website at: https://locations.schoolofrock.com/broomfield.
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