My 9 year old son has been taking private drum lessons for the past 3 years, and he loves it! The problem we have been running into is that after 3 years, he has no desire to perform publicly. At this point, my husband and I are at a loss for what to do with him. Do we continue to pay for private lessons knowing he won't perform in front of an audience? Or do we waste hundreds of dollars and hours spent on lessons only to quit after 3 years?
Our options looked grim, until we enrolled him in School of Rock Cresskill's Rock Band 101 summer camp. He spent 4 full days playing different instruments like the snare drum, bass, drum set, guitar with 13 other kids ranging in age from 7 to 10 and with different music skills. He even tried singing, just like a real rock musician.
The results were so surprising. Each day, he left class excited to share what new songs they learned that day. At the end of the 4 days, their band "Dogstrich" (a combination of Dog and Ostrich) performed 6 songs in the studio. The play list brought back great childhood memories of listening to such classics like Queen's "We Will Rock You," "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (RIP Ed King), and "Beverly Hills" by Weezer.
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I was beaming with pride at all the kids' progress in just a few days. More importantly, I was proud of my son for standing up and performing in front of a crowd!
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If you're looking for a music program that focuses on fun and performance, definitely check out School of Rock in Cresskill. I love that the Rock 101 class allowed the children to try different instruments, and that they performed in a familiar, comfortable setting. They are truly rock stars!
