Summer 2025 Season

This Summer, our performance groups are going to be working on tributes to the following themes:

• Woodstock: In 1969, almost half a million people made a pilgrimage to Yasgur’s Farm in upstate
  New York for three days of peace and music. Catapulting many iconic artists who played this landmark
  music festival into superstar status, Woodstock embodies the spirit of the 60s. It was a watershed
  moment for Rock and Roll, and this show celebrates the legendary, and very stylistically diverse, artists
  who promoted unity and embraced freedom of expression while performing at the festival. Songs by
  The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Janis Joplin, Sly & The Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival,
  the Grateful Dead and more make this show an exciting and well-balanced educational challenge for
  all instruments and experience levels!

• Yacht Rock: Easy Listening. Dad Rock. The West Coast Sound. Whatever nomenclature you choose,
  Yacht Rock music has survived the test of time and has made an explosive, full-steam-ahead
  resurgence in today’s popular music. Mostly emerging from the late 70s to early 80s, Yacht Rock’s
  mellow moods and relaxing vibes overshadow the sublime musicianship and songwriting skills of
  artists like Steely Dan, Toto, Hall and Oates, The Doobie Brothers, Carole King, and many more.
  Steeped in jazz, R&B, and dense harmony theory, these songs feature collaborations between some of
  the best studio musicians in history. These enduring songs will surprise and challenge even the most
  advanced SoR student. There are multi-layered vocal harmonies for singers, jazz-inspired guitar parts
  and solos, legendary grooves for bassists and drummers, and intricate keyboard parts utilizing what
  were, at the time, innovative electric pianos and synthesizers. This is one of the most challenging
  shows in the School of Rock curriculum!

• Best of the 80s: In the Best of the '80s show, School of Rock will travel back in time to an era of
  fluorescent clothes, poofy hair, and the best synth-driven pop anthems you will ever hear. On August 1,
  1981, music fans were catapulted into the '80s music era by the debut of a cultural phenomenon: MTV.
  This new music format - the music video - gave old and new artists alike the chance to reach
  unimaginable numbers of diverse audiences and sell millions of records and cassette tapes. The '80s
  would not have had its soundtrack without Michael Jackson. Jackson began the '80s on a sonic high
  that carried over from 1979’s “Off the Wall”, but he struck gold with the worldwide phenomenon that
  was Thriller. Also making a huge impact on the '80s were super-star Pop acts like Madonna, Prince,
  and all-girl band The Go- Gos. Gender became less binary and static in the '80s with wildly popular
  artists like Boy George of Culture Club, Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics, Chrissie Hynde of Pretenders
  and every hair metal act challenging perceptions of what is acceptable attire or behavior for “male”
  and “female.” Although pop acts reigned supreme in the '80s, rock bands like Guns N’ Roses, Journey,
  and Bon Jovi reaped the benefits from the ‘decade of excess’. The Best of the '80s show will feature a
  diverse mix of styles and artists, and is a challenging and fun experience for students of any instrument
  or experience level.

• 90s Rock: The ‘90s Rock show is arguably one of the most popular School of Rock shows in our
  collection. Packed with a plethora of what are now known as ‘classic rock’ songs, the stylistic
  spectrum of this show is wide enough to excite any student rocker! Hard Rock, Singer/Songwriter,
  Alternative and Indie encompass this decade of music that many parents grew up on! While some
  connect the era of ‘90s Rock to the Seattle-area Grunge scene with bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden,
  and Pearl Jam, this show expands to also feature acts like Weezer, Hole, Oasis, No Doubt, Alanis
  Morissette, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day. The ‘90s Rock show will stretch any students’ musical
  progress while delighting and creating nostalgia for their parents!

• Iron Maiden vs. Judas Priest: Iron Maiden and Judas Priest - no two bands better represent the
  epitome of 1980s Heavy Metal. While each act has their own unique sound, what they share in
  common is power, precision, technical mastery, and unrelenting energy. In the late 1960s, the earliest
  version of Judas Priest had begun performing on a regular basis. After several years and many lineup
  changes, the core band of Ian Hill, Rob Halford, KK Downing, and Glenn Tipton would sign their first
  record deal, resulting in Rocka Rolla being released in 1974. Throughout the rest of the decade, Judas
  Priest would steadily grow their fanbase worldwide. Influential albums such as Sad Wings of Destiny,
  Sin After Sin, Stained Class, and the live masterpiece Unleashed in the East would win over new fans at
  every turn. As Judas Priest was tearing it up on the road, a young Steve Harris was in the early stages of
  forming what would become Iron Maiden by enlisting singer Paul Di’Anno (later replaced by Bruce
  Dickinson), guitarists Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton (later replaced by Adrian Smith), and drummer
  Clive Burr (later replaced by Nicko McBrain). With their self-titled debut album in 1980, Iron Maiden
  began a decade which would earn them worldwide acclaim. Following the release of Iron Maiden,
  albums like Piece Of Mind, Number Of The Beast and Powerslave have cemented the band’s place as a
  legendary Metal band. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest continue to record and tour to this day. While
  there may have been some obstacles along the way, both acts have successfully made the transition
  from hot, new acts to elder statesmen of Metal. Their catalogs leave behind a legacy of music that will
  inspire musicians around the globe for generations to come. The Iron Maiden vs Judas Priest show will
  challenge even the most seasoned School of Rock students with the technical demands of the music,
  while encouraging fledgling players to up their game learning fundamentals of the Metal genre.

As always, we encourage students to keep an open mind and consider stepping outside of their comfort zone and exploring something new to them. All of these groups are going to be a ton of summer-y fun, so they really can't go wrong!


Summer 2025 Band Selection Form

Band enrollment for the Summer 2025 season is officially open. Please submit the google form linked below for each student you intend to enroll in a Rock 101 or Performance band this Summer, indicating up-to-date availability, preferences, and a few other pieces of information. We ask that you submit all forms by Monday, April 21st, though priority for genre preference in Performance groups will be given to those who submit early, so please do so ASAP! Once we have received everyone's selection forms, new bands will be put together and announced before the show on 5/4/25. The sooner we get all of the forms in, the sooner we can get new band info back out to you!



SUMMER 2025 PERFORMANCE BAND SELECTION FORM
SUMMER 2025 ROCK 101 BAND SELECTION FORM



Rehearsals for this season will officially begin the week of 5/5/25-5/8/25, immediately following our Spring show, in preparation for an end-of-season show in mid August 2025. The exact date and venue will be announced within the next few weeks, but if you have any planned schedule conflicts within that range, let us know so we can do our best to accommodate you.