These kids can rock

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

So you’re a huge Jack Black fan and you think you know everything about the famous School of Rock thanks to the scruffy, pudgy and vociferous actor’s 2003 quirky hit film chronicling an out-of-work electric guitarist’s foray into a private-school teaching career.
But the real School of Rock is a classroom of a different color.
While Black’s movie has come and gone, much like the pop singing career of one-hit-wonder Right Said Fred, the Paul Green School of Rock is still banging out the hits seven years after its founding by a University of Pennsylvania undergrad with a bent concept of music education.
In fact, the Bucks County branch of the growing institution is gearing up for its first anniversary and planning two diverse public shows to entertain area audiences.
On Sept. 9 and 10, the School of Rock kids will present Funk ’n Reggae, followed by A Tribute to Kiss on Sept. 16 and 17, with all performances to be held at The Moose Lodge, 127 E. State St., in Doylestown.
The two shows will feature some 50 youths, ages 8 to 18, rocking out on the songs they’ve spent months learning within the friendly confines of the local branch’s Huntingdon Valley studio.
The owners of the local branch rightly shun any comparisons to the Jack Black feature film that made School of Rock a household name. Yet the teaching environment that permeates their school is no less unconventional and innovative than the one presented in the Hollywood version.
"It’s a teenage event, a teenage experience," said Paul Pollock, who, along with his wife Janine and friend Mitchell Brook, opened his satellite of the original School of Rock last November.
"We want the (parents) to understand that this isn’t ‘Romper Room,’ (but) it’s fun work."
The concept that kids should enjoy their music lessons has always been a driving force since Green opened the first location in Philadelphia, at 13th and Race streets, in 1998.
The school’s "manifesto" today identifies it as "the original performance-based, interactive music school." Further, its leaders "proceed from the belief that the best way to learn to do almost anything is by doing it."
That they do.
Regardless of age or ability level, the moment a student enrolls at the school, an instrument is placed in the youngster’s hands. Each student receives a weekly individual teaching session and takes part in a three-hour group rehearsal. They hone their abilities individually, then use those lessons in the group setting.
The local branch, at 79 Buck Road, just east of County Line Road, specializes in guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. After about four months of rehearsals, it’s showtime. All students have to get on the stage and play a part in a real, live rock concert.
"It adds a new facet to (the students), rather than them going to a music school, taking lessons, then going home and performing for their parents or the posters on the wall," Paul Pollock said.
"We’re giving real rock concerts. (The lodge) seats over two-hundred. It’s got the lights, the sound. The kids get the feeling of being in a real venue."
And they have to be ready.
"Because they have to perform at a live venue, it puts pressure on them," Brook said. "They don’t want to let the other kids down."
The Huntingdon Valley branch has about 50 students so far. All are expected to play in the upcoming shows. Some will be in both.
"There are approximately twenty-five to thirty kids in a show," Pollock said. "The music director (Tim Karsten) will break the songs down into parts and assign the positions to the different kids."
Previous concerts put on by the local branch include Pink Floyd’s The Wall, as well as tributes to The Who and AC/DC.
"The whole idea is friendly competition. We want them to understand that competition in life is good if you handle it properly," he added.
And so is the cooperation, which they learn through the weekly rehearsals. It takes a lot of work to get everyone on the same page, and it doesn’t always seem like it’ll come together in time.
"The kids always step up," said Karsten, the music director. "You get nervous, but they always come through."
The performers who stand out have an opportunity to go places with their music. The original School of Rock has held concerts at big-time Philly venues including the TLA, The Troc and World Café Live. Also, the organization has an all-star band consisting of the top players from the various branches.
Paul and Janine Pollock’s daughter, Lauren, now 17, toured Europe with the all-stars in 2003, performing at a Frank Zappa festival in Germany.
Lauren and her brother Evan Pollock, 16, have been students since 2001. Though the school does not require parents to sign up for a long-term contract, kids who stay with the program could be looking at professional careers down the road.
"A lot of (students) are performing in their own bands now," Brook said.
But if they’re in it merely for the fun of it, that’s OK, too.
"For some kids, (the school shows) will be their level of performance and they’ll be happy with that," Paul Pollock said. "To some, they want to improve their level and make all-stars."
Brook notes that their skills can even be a ticket to higher education.
"Some even use it to help get them into college . . . which is kind of the antithesis of rock ‘n’ roll," he said. ••
The Paul Green School of Rock will present "Funk ’n Reggae" on Sept. 9 and 10, as well as "A Tribute to Kiss" on Sept. 16 and 17, at the Moose Lodge, 127 E. State St., Doylestown. Show times are 8 p.m. Tickets cost $7 and are sold at the door. For information on the Bucks County School of Rock, call 267-288-0306.
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com