The School of Rock is a summer camp held in cooperation with Sartell Community Education at St. Katherine Drexel School in St. Cloud, Minnesota .  The camp completed its seventh successful run in August 2011 with 60 participants from 15 central Minnesota cities.  Open to youth from grades 6 - 12, it offers instruction in various rock band instruments plus the management and formation of a rock band.

 

Grades 6-12 (2012-2013)

If you’re already part of a band and want to improve, or if you sing or play an instrument and want to start a band but don’t know how, this is the class for you.

Rock along with the BEST professional rock artists in Central Minnesota as they group compatible students to create awesome bands. The class is open to guitarists (both lead and bass), drummers, keyboardists, string and horn players. Vocalists who are comfortable performing as soloists are welcome to enroll without an instrument. Bring your own instruments and accessories (keyboards will be provided.) Students must have a minimum of one year experience on their instrument. The highlight of this six session class is a rock concert for student bands to perform their songs on stage while instructors provide professional lighting and sound.

COME AND BE READY TO ROCK!!!

When you register, please indicate what instrument you play, or if you are a vocalist. There is a limit of 10 drummers and 10 bass guitar players. If these spots are filled please get on the waiting list in case we open up some more spots.

Tues. Wed., Thurs. July 31 to Aug. 2, 12:00 – 3:00 pm
Tues. Wed., Thurs. Aug. 7-9, 12:00 – 3:00 pm

St. Katherine Drexel School, 428 Second Street SE , St. Cloud, MN  56304 (320) 251-2376

 

Rock Concert:  August 9, 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Sauk Rapids-Rice High School Auditorium Door 1

Fee:  $195

Cosponsored by:  Wirth Center for the Performing Arts, Jeff and Tommy “Vee” Veline, Jeff Engholm, Mark Hasbrouck, and Paul Diethelm

 

Registration 2012

To register:  www.sartellststephencommunityed.com  

 

 History: 

Dr. Paul Wirth, CMMS Artistic Director, recognized that many students who play rock instruments wanted to participate in rock bands but had no safe, effective way to find band mates.  He designed the program and enlisted professional musicians to help implement his vision. Since 2005, this summer camp has been connecting kids in grades 6 to 12, providing a safe, educational summer activity that instructs in band formation, music selection, instrument instruction, band management and equipment requirements among other things.

The program began in 2005 in cooperation with District 742 (St. Cloud) Community Education and expanded in 2007 to include District 47 (Sauk Rapids). The highlight of the camp is the Rock Concert, usually a sell-out event, in which each band performs a couple of songs they have worked on during the camp.

 

Instructors:

Dr. Wirth hired Jeff and Tommy Velline (the Vees) as lead instructors.  The Vees are the sons of music legend Bobby Vee and members of his touring band.  Jeff and Tommy, who play drums and bass respectively, have performed with such stellar artists as Paul McCartney and Andrew Lloyd Weber and have toured to such far-away places as Australia and military bases in Kuwait and Iraq .  The other instructors are also professional musicians including Cristina Seaborn (a WCPA strings teacher who also conducts Seaborn Strings Youth and Fiddle Orchestras), Mark Hasbrouck (a WCPA guitar teacher and recording artist), Jeff Engholm (a musician, actor and composer who plays in numerous rock bands and appears in many stage productions in St. Cloud), and Paul Diethelm (an accomplished guitar player who has toured with Jonny Lang). Other instructors are regularly added on an as-needed basis.

 

 

Program:

During the 6-day camp, students are exposed to many facets of rock music.  Participants are given a brief history of rock and roll and are evaluated by instructors regarding their level of playing ability.  They are grouped into rock bands based on their instrument experience and style of rock music (punk, hard rock, 50's style, etc).  Students are guided by instructors in making the decisions professional bands need to make to be successful, such as learning and memorizing music, matching arrangement difficulty with available band personnel, choosing songs for audience appeal, coordinating schedules, evaluating, obtaining and moving equipment, overcoming stage fright, resolving conflicts and working as a team.  The bands choose their music and work to polish their performance for the final concert with guidance from the instructors.  The mornings of each class day are available for students (on an optional, informal basis) to rehearse songs with their band and to "hang out" with other students under volunteer parental supervision.

 

Other Items:

This year's concert will be filmed by professional videographer, Karen Meinz, and the DVD will be available for purchase by students. Students also receive a t-shirt and a copy of a slideshow made up of numerous snapshots of students taken during the camp and shown prior to the concert.  DVDs and posters provided students with a wonderful memento of their experience.