We spent a total of 18 months as customers at Rockstars of Tomorrow Riverside and I recently removed all three of my children (ages 11, 8, and 5) from the band program and our multiple lessons because it no longer felt safe due to the policy regarding parents NOT observing song selection (with the band program) and a general lack of physical safety awareness (and negligence) by the management which resulted in my oldest son being injured last October when the stages rolled and separated beneath him. Leaving was a major decision for us, as we really did put down roots here, invested in friendships and were spending around $900 every month between the three kids with lessons and the band programs.
To be clear, we have zero issues with the quality of instruction, the instructors themselves, who we loved, and even the leaders of the band program. They’re all wonderful people and if you’re attending this place simply for instruction, it is fine. However, if you’re looking at having your children participate in the band programs and you have a child 13 or younger OR a special needs child, please keep reading. Had these policies been in place and enforced when we first started and had we known how anti-parent the management is, we would have never put down roots here.
The biggest issue by far is the anti-parent attitude. There is a problematic rule regarding the band programs where students are able to play in rock bands with other students, ages 5-18. The rule is that parents are NOT allowed in the performance room, even for observation, during the song selection day. This rule is exclusive to Rockstars Riverside and NOT the entire Rockstars franchise, as Rockstars Norco (different owners) does not have this rule and are really supportive of parents. Rockstars management claims this is to “preserve the creative process of the kids.” Sounds great, but the reality is that you may find your 8 year old negotiating not directly supervised (two adults are in the room but not watching the interaction) with an 18 year old, which at best is unfair, according to two child development specialists / licensed therapists I consulted with, and at worse, unsafe. This was exactly the situation my young son faced, as predictably, his voice was not heard because he felt too intimidated to express his song preferences. He was not offered an opportunity to listen to one of the songs and he doesn’t have a phone. My son has anxiety that significantly impacts his ability to communicate with strangers and people he’s not comfortable around. The manager was well aware of my concerns with his communication prior to the song selection process because this has been an issue since they started enforcing this rule last fall (they were not enforcing the rule for the first nine months we participated in the program and it had been the norm for parents to observe and facilitate). I asked the management to modify the song-selection process so my son’s input would be considered and they refused.
I also felt the song selected by an older kid in the band had egregiously inappropriate lyrics for my 8 year old to sing due to a mental health issue. Management was callous and hostile to making any accommodations; it was an “ah ha” moment for me to realize how little they cared for the safety of my child. They were cruel, inflexible and unreasonable. Any other business would have responded with compassion. With three young kids, we felt we had no choice but to leave. Plus, I don’t want to support the business of people that are hostile to legitimate parental concerns and can’t support me or have compassion for my need to protect my kids. There are other issues, but there is a character limit for reviews. We’re only one of several long term families that have recently left or feel unhappy.
