Iowa School of Rock - Spring 2007 Concert

More than 800 friends, family and fans gathered at the City Hall Auditorium in Ames IA on Saturday April 14^th for the Iowa School of Rock final concert. This was the second outing for the new program. Last fall's debut of the new program was a rousing success so expectations were mounting.

Those in attendance were not disappointed. Al Biela, director of Iowa School of Rock, hosted the evening. There were more bands this spring that in the Fall 2006 session, and the Faculty Band (Epoch) played a longer set.

Bands in the Spring 2007 session varied greatly in age from around age 10 to folks in their 20s and 30s. Repertoire likewise varied greatly from songs by The Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen, Santana, and up to modern acts like My Chemical Romance.

The thrust of the Iowa School of Rock program is all about creativity, teamwork, leadership and developing one's musical potential. Incoming students are grouped into bands by relative age and similarity in musical taste. The newly-formed bands are then put through an intensive 2-month session of professional coached rehearsals in preparation for a professional concert experience with full sound, lights and video

At the May 14^th concert in Ames, the kids were treated to a performance in front an appreciative concert audience for the very first time. The first band of the evening was one of the little kid bands - Army of Rock. As a case in point, lead singer Zach Collins had never A) played guitar and B) sung lead in a band before the Spring SOR session. Now, he led his band through some classics by the Ramones and the Beatles. To watch these kids get a taste of the real rock experience is a joy to behold. As a local guitar teacher, I had a number of my own students in the SOR program. To see them succeed at something like this is so enjoyable to see as a teacher.

Local guitarist Jon Kaiser (a repeat student of SOR Fall 06), performed an original piece that drew much applause from the crowd. Kaiser also opened his band (Stranger Men)'s set with an acoustic performance of a jack Johnson tune that was warmly received.

By the end of the evening, the faculty band (Epoch) had the crowd in Ames on their feet with spirited renditions of Queen's "We Will Rock You" and also Santana's "Yaleo" in which keyboardist Al Biela and guitarist Ryan Sheeler dueled in a spirited Latin jam.

The Spring 07 session was a rousing success. The stage has been set for a bright future for this new musical program in Iowa.