Salem School Teaches Students to Rock

If you want to be a rock star, RiverCity Rock Star Academy will help you fulfill those dreams. You’re watching the “Local News Network,” brought to you by FASTSIGNS of Salem. When Mark Green and his wife, Karen Green, wanted to introduce more music to the culture of Salem, he and his family organized a three-month long program with the goal of performing before a live audience. The results exceeded all expectations.

Both my wife and I have a background in education and business, that sort of things, like, “Let’s just try this little experiment and see how it goes.” And we had 14 kids show up our first program, and started learning how to play songs with the idea of doing a show in 12 weeks. And it was very, very successful. We thought we’d just kind of do it once, then we’ll do it again like maybe, you know, fall or something like that. And, after the show was totally sold out, everybody was really happy, kids did a great job, and then we decided, “Okay, well, let’s keep going.” So that was how we got started, and it went from just kind of a project that we were trying out to a full-fledged school, and the music store now.

With more than a dozen instructors and a variety of classes, the academy offers anyone of any level the opportunity to pick up an instrument and immerse themselves in the local music scene.

So we have our young rockers group, which is eight to 12 year olds. We also have our rockers program, which is ages 12 to 18. We also have our Royals group, this is Advanced Teens, and they have to audition to be in this group, and they’ll go out and actually play gigs, so that’s 14 through 20.

We’re over 250 students right now. Every type of instrument being played, we have these performance groups that cover rock and doing a Americana program, we do a jazz program, we do metal.

RiverCity fosters students’ enthusiasm to learn with a unique approach. Whether it be country or 80’s pop, instructors meet the students wherever they are in their musical journey.

For me, when I’m teaching a lesson, first thing I ask is what kind of music do you listen to?

We can learn whatever songs they’re wanting to learn, and then, as they progress and get better in music, their tastes will typically change, and we kind of just roll with that.

But what’s a rockstar without a band? While RiverCity offers personalized, one-on-one classes, the magic of the academy is in the community it cultivates.

The best way to learn how to play music is to do it within a group. It’s a collaborative experience for most musicians. And when you practice by yourself, you’re learning things, but you’re not applying them to the group scenario that you’re always going to be in. And that’s what this program does differently, is we have those group classes.

We provide the creative outlet, we provide the place for people to collaborate, to build relationships and friendships. And it’s a very community-driven idea centered around music.

We’re in an environment that is all inclusive. We do not hold anybody back based on perceived limitations, and that is the main thing that is special about this place, it’s the ability to work with everyone.

You really get to see their true selves shine. And it’s quite rewarding for the teachers especially to see them progress and develop, and come into their own. And that’s like… That’s what rocks!

RiverCity Rock Star Academy celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Visit the website to stay up to date on soon-to-be announced celebrations, or enroll in your first class. To learn more about this and other stories, visit midvalleylocal.news. Thank you for watching this edition of the “Local News Network,” I’m Zach Marqua.