Are you thinking of Jack Black’s “School of Rock,” or are having a flashback to a scene from the VH1 series “Gene Simmons’ Rock School”? Take the eccentric teachers out of the equation and you’ve got the Kitsilano Rock School, a rock band rehearsal program that runs three 12 week semesters during the school year, with a live performance at the end of each term. If you have a rocker in your little one, here’s a place where he or she can develop that special noise talent. But don’t take my word for it. Check out one of their concerts tomorrow night and see what the school has to offer:

What: Kitsilano Rock School’s “Kids Wanna Rock 5”
When: Wednesday June 20th at 6:00 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM)
Where: Canadian Memorial United Church at 15th & Burrard in Vancouver
Admission: By donation
For more info, contact Dave Danylchuk at 604.737.4984 or email him at daved@noahnine.com

Take your kids! These days, they really need something to stimulate their imagination and get those creative juices flowing!

For more details on this program, read on…
Having always been musically inclined, Dave Danylchuk started up the rock school because he was tired of working non-music jobs to make a living. He was looking to start private music lessons when a good friend of his suggested that he start a rock school instead. This friend had a stepdaughter who was learning drums and he wanted a place for her to go to keep up on them. A girlfriend at the time managed to find a guitar player for Dave and with only two students, Kits Kids Rock School was born. Shortly after that, Dave was able to add two more students and in December 2005, they had their first concert.

Each group in the Rock School has developed its own preferences and styles, resulting in a concert experience that showcases an exciting variety of music from classic rock to punk, blues to grunge, funk to art and progressive rock. Some of the artists that have been covered in the program include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, BTO, The Clash, The Who, Oasis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, The Foo Fighters, Supertramp, and many more.

In addition to working with some of Vancouver’s finest young musicians, the School has developed a program that brings adults with little or no musical experience together and provides an environment where they can come and learn to play a wide selection of popular songs at their own pace, ultimately resulting in the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience.

The response has been extremely positive. The parents have told Dave that they have seen remarkable results in their kids in a short period of time and many times he sees the kids running up the stairs, eager to get in the room to jam. He has had some parents tell him that Rock School is the kids’ favorite day of the week.

At the moment, Dave’s the sole instructor of the School, running 3 kids bands and 4 adult bands per week. The classes cost $35 per student per week ($420 per semester). Each class is 2 hours long and meets once a week for 12 weeks, with a concert as the goal for the end of each term.

The rehearsals take place in a private studio, fully equipped with drums, amplifiers, PA equipment and keyboards. All the students have to bring are their guitars and their enthusiasm. The studio is located just outside of Granville Island, between Fir St and the Granville Bridge, on West 3rd Ave in Vancouver.

The program is very organic and is developing at its own pace. At the moment they do not offer recording classes but each rehearsal is recorded live and then the group gets to listen back to their performances to hear where they can make improvements.

Being a class focused on playing Rock and Roll, Dave doesn’t actually grade the kids. Each band has its own dynamic and he works to play with the strengths of each group to bring out the best performances that he can in them. Students usually have some experience on their instruments. Dave’s main focus is to develop a cohesive set of well rehearsed material, concentrating on rhythm, form, styles, ear training and performance.

In most cases, the students are looking to have fun and enjoy the experience of learning to play in a rock band setting. With most of the students averaging 13 yrs old, it may be too early to tell if they are interested in pursuing music professionally, though there certainly are many students who show extreme levels of ability at a young age and would likely be successful if they chose to continue with music as a career option.

At the moment the school has one female (drummer) amongst all of the kids groups and she is a very talented musician. However in the adult classes, there are 2 all female groups and one other that is 50/50 male/female.

The adult classes are a little less intense, as many of the adult students are learning an instrument for the first time. These classes usually start with very basic songs to teach structure and form before they move ahead and try to tackle songs that they might have on the wish list.

Without downplaying anyone (because in Dave’s eyes, all of his students are wonderful), he does have some in every group that have shown a true natural ability on their instruments. The young drummer in Tremor - Miles Wong - has been playing for just over a year and can handle any number of complicated beats and feels. All the players in the 13 year old group All The Young Dudes are musically gifted, but look out for Sasha Olynyk - guitar - Dave says this guy will be dangerous in a couple of years if he keeps up the way he is developing. And then there’s Will Hodgins - Dave calls him his secret weapon - 15 years old with a veteran’s touch on the guitar, he can play circles around guys twice his age and excels in the blues rock genre.

The main thing that keeps Dave excited about this school is that he is always happy to work with his amazing students. The kids are consistently developing their skills and constantly wow him, and they are a joy to work with, especially when he sees the camaraderie they have within their groups, which is one thing that you cannot teach.