The San Francisco Rock School is a place where people can make magic with music...
It's a place where everyone can open up to their creative potential and explore the world of music in a nurturing environment. Each student can let the star inside shine out to the world! Conquer fears of performing or recording techy stuff. Learn recording and songwriting by color, and use that knowledge to reach your potential in the studio to make hit songs. Here at the San Francisco Rock School, we teach all the aspects of being in a music project: be it in band form or recording studio form. We offer Band Workshop classes and Recording Studio Project classes. Each of these offerings vary from school semester to summer semester. There are some school semester Recording Studio Project classes and some Special Project classes offered year round. Semester classes for Band Workshop run from August to December, January to May, and Summer Rock and Studio Camps are offered annually. For a list of classes and schedule CLICK HERE.
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We realize there are many ways to make music, be it for fun or be it for both fun and making it in the "industry". Since the "industry" is vastly open to anyone who can sell a song on iTunes, we feel it can be open to just about everyone we teach. Who's to say "little Peggy's" song she writes on green paper isn't gonna be a #1 charting song Hannah Montana sings. Creative magic comes in all shapes & sizes, from every emotion we feel in life, and from us deciding to take the time needed to cultivate our very own art to it's perfection. These days everyone is releasing tracks from their live gigs and home studios. We guide everyone in finding their goals with music and use our resources to help them achieve that goal.
Some people like to be in a rock band. Straight up. Other people just want to write and record songs all day long. From creating an amazing sound to creating a community fanbase to creating a sustainable activity that can pay for itself, the San Francisco Rock School gives the community a way to sustain their own musical goals.
Some students are part of a band, others part of a studio project that makes singles every semester, and yet there are still some students who just can't get enough music in their lives that do both recording studio projects and band workshop classes. They are two completely different sides of music that are connected by the very music itself. How that is re-created or logged in history is up to the artist!
Each session consists of a weekly rehearsal/recording at the desired location of choice. We currently have multiple locations in San Francisco, CA, one location in Hagerstown, MD, and are always open to SFRS rockers choosing their own Student Select Home Location.
Bands get together and rehearse once a week for 2 hours. Recording Project Classes meet weekly for 3 hour increments.
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In a Band Workshop, there is always a structured class with warm-ups, new instrument exploration, and band practice for the BIG SHOW. It is important to get everyone comfortable on the instruments they are playing for the semester and daily home practice and listening is highly encouraged to increase success. The progress of the band depends on the concentration and preparation of each band mate, both in class and out of class. Being in a band is like being on a sports team, the more a band member is on his/her "game", the better the band will sound overall. This is the main reason we highly recommend each student studies and practices outside of weekly band practice. The best accompaniment to the SFRS band workshop is having private lessons once a week on an individual basis to attain an even greater level of achievement. Remember, learning music is like putting pennies in your piggy bank. Each hour you practice is like a dollar in your musical piggy bank. You will be wealthy with knowledge and talent in no time! For a full description of this class please CLICK HERE and for a complete schedule please CLICK HERE.
We encourage students to explore their desired primary instrument as well as introduce opportunities to play new instruments to all of our students at weekly rehearsals. Some students and bands choose to switch instruments as part of their band line-up, and others just want to concentrate on one or two instruments. Whatever the SF Rocker wants to do is fine with us.
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In a Recording & Songwriting Project class, the goal is having a completed song and single that is copywritten by each writer, and can be professionaly released to all networks, such as iTunes, CD Baby, etc. Each class is focused on songwriting and recording a demo or finished single of that song. Depending on the process and ability of the student, the timing can be different for each student to reach a finished song and record a single. Some people want to produce more in the production like a string quartet and a choir, while others just play their own beats and music parts themselves from a keyboard using midi sounds or sound libraries. We promote both ways and support the process of each artist as an individual pathway in order to get to their own desired goal of the finished product that sounds exactly the way they want it to sound. We take each person through recording, producing, arranging, instrumentation, writting charts, rehearsing with a click for studio precision, and the art image creation for their product from seed to flower. Semester Recording Project classes are beginning on a semseter basis and will be running all year round. For a complete schedule CLICK HERE. For SFRS new hot releases made by our 10-year old Recording campers CLICK HERE.
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During each semester, in addition to working on the music of your own selection, each student will learn how to promote their band or song, do some basic fanbase outreach into the community both online and offline, learn how to write songs, and even learn how math is connected to music. Each member of the band is encouraged to treat this band as if it were a commercial band. The bands are taught the ins and outs of putting on a show, from start to finish, merchandising and having an e-mail list to collect fan contact information for future shows. They design a poster, merchandise, sell tickets, and come up with a concept for the show. The ticket sales go towards their next semester of the San Francisco Rock School. This teaches bands about being self-sustaining and paying for itself. Everything from music to merch to your band's e-mail list will be featured and on display at the BIG SHOW. We encourage SFRS rockers to involve their community whenever possible. Have a friend or an old band member sit-in with you at the show. This creates even more connection through music and keeps freinships alive and active in the fun world of music.
We are always being invited to events and will always consider every band for the opportunities that come our way.
Here's a look into one of our first huge events, the PeaceOuts! performed at the 2009 Power to the Peaceful, a free concert put on by Michael Franti in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. They played for an audience of 60,000 people and were great! This was their 2nd real show ever...not too bad for their 2nd show. Power to the Peaceful has asked us back on a yearly basis, so you can always see a San Francisco Rock School premiere band at this festival every year.
