ABOUT US
At the Staten Island School of Rock we believe in creating leaders. Giving children the tools they can use to build confidence is our goal. The way we do this is by teaching your child how playing an instrument takes time, practice and commitment; the very building blocks of a leader. And we happen to have incredible teachers here to do just that.
In 2004 I started the Staten Island School of Rock out of necessity. As a guitar teacher in Brooklyn I created my own way of teaching music. Before computers were available for recording, I would create studio backing tracks to accompany my lessons. This would help me teach my students how to play with other musicians.By creating these backing tracks for them, my students would incorporate what they learned to actual music. Call it Karaoke for your guitar if you will. Musicians came to me from other music schools and other music teachers with the desire to learn how to play with other people; to learn how to write songs and join a band. What better way to do this then to setup a band for them. This recorded backup band would teach my students how to play with a drummer, how to play with a bass player, a keyboard player and rhythm guitar player.
Well this idea worked. Within weeks of picking up an instrument, my students were starting bands! It worked so well that I soon had no more availability to take on new students. At that point I began teaching my students how to teach…the same way they learned how to play. This technique took off. In 2004 I opened the Staten Island School of Rock on Amboy Road in Tottenville. Eight months later we outgrew our music school and moved to Ellis Street to a bigger facility. Two years later we moved to an even bigger space in Great Kills. And now we added the Stage Left Musical Performing Arts Center. Stage Left Music was built solely to expose our students to a real Rock n Roll experience. Anyone enrolled at the Staten Island School of Rock has full access to Stage Left. What better way to get ready for that big show but to practice on a full stage with lights and a full PA system?
So what are you waiting for? Call now (718) 984 6988 and give yourself the gift of music. We look forward to meeting you! And hey…Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World!
At the Staten Island School of Rock we host Rock Shows every other month. Our teachers coordinate songs with other musicians taking lessons at the Staten Island School of Rock. Bands are formed and our students get to perform in front of an audience. Some musicians experience this for the first time. We found that these performances build confidence in our students. Many times, after these performances take place Rock Bands are formed. Our Rock Band program exists today simply because our students absolutely love performing live. Each rock band is supervised by one of our teachers. Songs are written and students get to host their very own Rock n Roll shows. In fact, the band Giffords Lane was formed with four students who met at the Staten Island School of Rock. They met when they were 9 and 10 years old. Four and a half years later they are still playing. If you’d like to learn more about the members of Giffords Lane, visit their website.
sale up front, lessons in a 4×4 storage area] and happened to see a drum lesson taking place. There was a drum instructor and student. Both were playing on practice pads. If you don’t know what a practice pad is, it is a pad most drummers use to warm up and play rudiments, or they are used when you can’t play too loud. Then I looked around and saw no drum set! I wondered how in the world can you teach drums without a drum set. Well, that’s not how we teach you how to play drums!
a year before you actually learn how to play a song…not a song that you like, but a song from your music book. I know that’s not how I’d like to learn how to play the piano!
probably seen it dozens of times. Music schools showing their instructors playing sweep arpeggios, blazing through major scales and tapping like Eddie Van Halen. Cool right? Well, yeah, if you already know how to do that. But then it gets better…The instructor in the video shows you the notes he (or she) is playing in slow motion. After an hour or so you finally get this awesome part down. Now what? You go to rehearsal with your band and you say; “Hey guys, look what I can do! I just learned this from my guitar teacher. He even has a Youtube channel with these really awesome guitar riffs. You should have a look”. So your bass player, rhythm guitar player and piano player ask; “That is great…let’s put that in our new song! What key is it in? What chords should we play in the background?” And your response; “Hmmmm good question…there was no mention of that in any of the lessons I took!”