Spring 2024 Performance Program Theme Descriptions
Rock 'n' Grohl
Rock 'n' Grohl (aka The Dave Grohl Show) is a killer show that covers quite a lot of musical ground on all instruments, featuring Grohl’s work with Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Queens Of The Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Probot, and more. This music is centered in the Hard Rock aesthetic but ranges from Grunge to Punk to Metal to Prog. Best known for his work in Foo Fighters and Nirvana, Dave Grohl is unanimously admired throughout the entertainment industry and continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the modern music scene. The Rock ‘n’ Grohl show is ideal for guitarists of every experience level, in that it encompasses a wide range of skills and techniques - from Nirvana’s rhythmic yet aggressive strumming to the Foo Fighters’ melodic and driving octaves to Queens of The Stone Age’s heavy but quirky leads and solos. Dave Grohl is especially well-known for his prowess behind the kit throughout his career, making this show a favorite for drummers. For vocalists, Foo Fighters songs provide great examples of the belting and chest voice techniques, and intermediate vocalists will be challenged by frequent dynamic changes and two-part harmonies.
Pop Punk & Emo
In the 1990s, artists such as Green Day, Offspring, and Blink-182 achieved success by blending punk attitudes and influences with a more polished, melodic, commercially appealing sound than their often raw predecessors. By the 2000s, Pop Punk and its Emo offshoot (featuring lyrics that touch on emotional and confessional topics) were fully entrenched in the mainstream music world, with bands such as Fall Out Boy, Paramore, My Chemical Romance, and Panic! At the Disco topping the charts and selling out arenas. Of course, this music is still incredibly popular and influential today. A fun show that can be musically challenging but also teaches solid fundamental skills, Pop Punk & Emo is sure to appeal to all levels of students and will entertain any crowd!
Black Sabbath
While the phrase “Heavy Metal” had been thrown about during the '60s, it took the arrival of Black Sabbath to fully realize the genre. Considered the pioneers of heavy metal, Black Sabbath are rock and roll legends. Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward created some of the heaviest music of the 1960s and '70s, and have influenced practically every metal band who have emerged in their wake, including Metallica, Slayer, System of a Down, Slipknot, and Soundgarden. After 50+ years, despite lineup changes (Ronnie James Dio as vocalist being the most notable), band names (including both the Polka Tuck Blues Band and Earth), and inter-band personality conflicts, Black Sabbath have still emerged as the first and most influential heavy metal band in rock history. Major musical concepts employed by Black Sabbath that the students will learn include alternate tunings, changes in tempo and feel, and improvisation. This show is sure to be incredibly fun for your student rocker, and will aid in their development to the next musical level.
Best of the 2010s
School of Rock pays tribute to the past decade of Rock and Roll! The 2010s proved that rock and roll is alive and well, with diverse artists such as Adele, Imagine Dragons, Tame Impala, H.E.R., and St. Vincent all rising to prominence in the music world. These current artists combine modern production techniques with retro-sounding riffs and song structures, resulting in today's chart topping hits. While the music itself has generally evolved somewhat from decades past - less guitar solos, more keyboards, and more influence from Hip Hop and R&B - the spirit of Rock and Roll remains as vital as ever. This show will be a stylistically diverse recap of the best music from the decade, featuring modern takes on Punk (Green Day, My Chemical Romance), Blues (Gary Clark Jr., Black Keys), Pop (Taylor Swift, Katy Perry), Rock and Roll (Greta Van Fleet, The Dead Weather), and more! A great show for students of any instrument and experience level.