School Of Rock To Give The "Gift Of Rock" To Fort Worth

Online, December 2, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Fast becoming famously hip amid rapid national expansion as the place to teach kids how to rock - from the classroom to authentic concert stages - SCHOOL OF ROCK continues its ongoing mission of "Inspiring Kids to Rock, On Stage and In Life" with its FOURTH DFW branch, located in the Fort Worth Cultural District just blocks from downtown.

Preparations are already underway for the Grand Opening of the new school in FORT WORTH, located at 905 University Drive directly across the street from the Fort Worth Modern Museum. The Grand Opening will be made official on December 28th, 2010 with a free concert featuring students from the Dallas/Frisco/Southlake area sister schools. The concert will be held at the Main Event Entertainment complex in Fort Worth at 4801 Citylake Boulevard from 3:00-5:00 PM.

Keeping in the spirit of the holidays, the School of Rock will be raising money and collecting donations for the Tarrant Area Food Bank at the Grand Opening Concert and at our Open House. 100% of the Net Proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Food Bank.

The students playing the event represent a range of ages and ability levels from the other DFW School of Rock branches, including the The Frisco Fall-Stars, which are a select group of students from the Frisco school who represent the most accomplished students, including several who have gone on national School of Rock tours and played stages across the country.

The School of Rock in Fort Worth will officially open for business on Monday, January 10, 2011. In addition to the concert on December 28th, there will be an Open House at the new location the weekend of January 8th-9th from 10 AM - 6 PM. The Open House will feature tours of the newly designed school, and allow for parents and kids to meet the teachers and staff, jam on the new equipment in the lesson and rehearsal rooms, and take advantage of early enrollment specials (which will also be offered at the Grand Opening Benefit Concert).

Terry Longhway and Dean Tarpley are the co-owners of the DFW based branches as well two additional schools in metro-Detroit. Longhway, who serves as Chief Music Officer is thrilled to bring another school to DFW. "Its so exciting to me personally to see the growth that our students make both on stage and off, and I couldn't be happier to bring a school to this great community. As a parent of two young children it is extremely important for me to ensure we have the best programs, teachers and staff...and I am thrilled that Fort Worth will join the family of schools and be a part of what I know is an amazing, positive, educational and social experience for kids and parents alike."

Classic rock rules at the School of Rock FORT WORTH, just as it does at the 60+ branches that have sprouted across the country. Students at every school are learning to play some of the most intricate rock music with a keen focus on performing the music before live audiences in actual concert venues. Preparations already are under way for the first FORT WORTH branch live show, planned for January.

The students will be staging live shows every four months, and in keeping with their philosophy, who better to teach than real musicians with years of live concert experience! The Music Director of the Fort Worth branch is Keith Naylor, a Texas-bred guitarist and performer who has spent the past 10 years actively involved in the Local Texas and National music scenes playing in bands. Keith studied guitar performance at the University of North Texas College of Music, and assumes the role as Music Director of the Fort Worth School with several years of School of Rock experience under his belt. He has been a teacher and Assistant Music Director at the Frisco branch since its inception in 2009.

"Where was the School of Rock when I was a kid," says Naylor. "The program works amazingly well, and the opportunity to teach in this format is as rewarding for me as it is for the kids. We give students of all skill levels the curriculum to become true musicians and socialize with other people of similar interests. It really is phenomenal how quickly they progress, and to be honest, I am a little jealous!"

For further information on the Fort Worth or the free concert, interested parties can call (817) 332-ROCK (7625).