The School of Rock is a summer camp held in cooperation with Sartell Community Education at Calvary Community Church in St. Cloud, Minnesota .  The camp completed its eighth successful run in August 2012 with 65 participants from 14 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.

 

Registration will open on April 11, 2013 for our 2013 summer camp!

Grades 6-12 (2013-2014)

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 30 to Aug. 1, 12:00 – 3:00 pm
Tues. Wed., Thurs. Aug. 6-8, 12:00 – 3:00 pm

Calvary Community Church, 1200 Roosevelt Road, St. Cloud, MN  56301, (320) 251-4825

 

Rock Concert:  August 8, 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Paramount Theatre, 913 West St. Germain Street, St Cloud, MN, 56301

 

Fee:  $195

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

 

Registration 2013

To register:  https://ssl.dwebsite.com/secure2/ce_sartellststephen/php/public.php  

 

 History: 

Dr. Paul Wirth, WCPA 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). Enrollment has grown from 39 students in the first year to over 60 students in 2012. 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 . 

Other instructors are also professional musicians including 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 Pete Johnson (a WCPA percussion instructor and musician).  Other instructors are added on an as-needed basis.

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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, Jim McAllister, 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 provide students with a wonderful memento of their experience.