Washington County: Overview of the top 16 music camp

Just started and they do a great job in creating a welcoming and fun environment. Enough to allow my daughter to get over her anxiousness and give it a try.

School of Rock Doylestown has been instrumental (no pun & pun intended) in fueling my child’s passion for music. The instructors are kind and patient, and provide so much knowledge and guidance. It is truly a great program that is well organized with awesome staff. Through music lessons and band performances, I see my child and all the kids confidence grow and shine.

School of Rock has been integral in fostering a love of music in both of our sons. Not only do they enjoy and get a lot out of the live shows, they also look forward to their lessons with instructors they adore.

My teenage daughter is very shy and does not open up as easily as most kids. At School of Rock she was able to learn drums and guitar. I am still surprised and amazed my girl is having so much fun with her new instruments. Great place, amazing instructors and awesome music!

My son loves it here. He plays drums and after every practice he talks about it for hours!

What a great school! Professional and send please instructors. A thorough program, ready for any pupil can comprehend.

I like it but they don’t let you watch the class…and it concerns me as a grandmother of a 5 year old ..they say it’s a security issue but can’t explain why we can view on tge TV in the waiting room

Great camaraderie with fellow band mates in adult band and learning how to practice to perform is a lot of fun. The rewards of lots of practice come through at the end of season shows.

My son has been coming to School of Rock (SOR) since May 2021, for 2 yrs. He has had great instructors & directors, & also not so great make-up instructor (that made him cry). The 1st year, he advanced & grew, after that, he started to plateau due to repetition & dullness of the program. His instructor has been great & tried his best to squeeze songs that my kid actually wants to learn, but with band songs that he has to learn it is difficult to learn songs that he is interested in. Aside from this, my issue is with their policies. You have to give them a 24-hour notice if your kid gets sick, or they can’t give you a make-up lesson. However, the school has canceled lessons with a one hour notice. Unfortunately, the school does not open until 2 pm & you’re unable to notify them sooner if your kid wakes up sick that day.
* For reference, we paid $355 a month for a once a week lesson & band. Their policy includes a 24-hour notice if your kid gets sick & a 30-day notice if you want to cancel your membership.
*My kid will miss his instructor the most, but we will look elsewhere for better growth & a more understanding sick policy.

***to the owner***
I did text at 9 am, letting SOR know of my kid being sick. When I called at 4 pm to confirm they had canceled, they told me it had not been canceled yet. I’ve never had an issue in the 2 yrs. Also, it is not just the policies. To be honest, kids want newer fun songs. They keep playing 1980s songs that they’re just not into. Also, in the 2 years, a few kids have enrolled SOR do to our referral, but was bummed that we couldn’t even get one make-up day for being sick. Feel free to call me if you want to discuss this further. Once again, the instructors & directors have always been awesome.

people were cool and it was a good premise of the place, but as a guitar player i was not taught anything valuable and im not sure if it was my instructor or not but it was honestly just a waste of both time and money.

The class is only 30 minutes long, and the kids are on time but they can’t get to class right away and they always wait outside, but the class is over on time！

The problem isn’t that 30 minutes of study isn’t enough, it’s that the class should be 30 minutes long

Sent my son here for 90’s music camp…he had a blast. The staff here ROCK!!!

Parents were invited into today’s Jam Session and was so neat to experience! Loved School of Rock Fishers last spring, shifted to the closer Carmel location for summer/back to school. BOTH locations are FANTASTIC! The teachers, the managers, the families… Such a great place for young artists to grow!

We love the School of Rock. They have given our 3 boys a passion. They make kids really care about learning music, plus it’s fun! This is not a place where the kids dread lessons. Our boys will come home from school playing, play a concert and are still playing at nearly 10 PM. It’s the teachers there. They are amazing and every bit as passionate about what they do. Worth every penny. Our kids have gained confidence, friends, a talent that had given them more friends (at their age it is not easy to ask kids to play but it’s so much easier to ask a group of musically able kids to come jam for a bit), more things to join in school- band, choir etc. Kids who learn music do better academically and have higher test scores (proven over and over) and it keeps them busy with a hobby, teaches them about practicing, not letting your band members (teammates) down. Our kids are more accepting. They now know kids express themselves differently, they aren’t dangerous or bad just because they may have colored their hair, etc. We dropped regular piano, drums. It was BORING. They wanted to ROCK! Play songs they were interested in. So we switched and this works! We have been going to SOR for 2 years. Hands down you will not be disappointed. Amazing.

I give this a 3 because they are great with the kids, but struggle with the adults. The teachers their are awesome but the management of the adults leaves something to be desired at times. Maybe not so with the kids and parents but with adults, it has been frustrating.

When I started there they let other members go to other bands and made us wait for our new members. We waited for other members and as we grew, they encouraged us to form a band, helped us make a page, and then agreed in a meeting with the band they would move us forward and after one last semester we would move on. Not all members would go on, but some of us. 2 days later, with no discussion, we received an email telling us we are not allowed to be a band, that they will support us, but if we want to stay with SOR we had to do it their way (it was polite but read like they were fine if we no longer were there.) It was shocking as it was 180 degrees from what we all agreed to. I honestly had no issues if we needed to pivot, but it was handled poorly.

Over my time there I received a few emails from the manager stating things in a manner that made many of us feel like we were not as important as other paying customers. One in particular even alluded to us staying away from a group practicing for the All Stars as we were “strangers.” It was insulting. Many of us are parents and some grandparents…

Additionally, we had a show planned and 45 minutes before the first band went on stage they “discovered” we were not playing there as we were double booked. Turns out they never followed up in advance nor checked the venue’s website (which did not have us listed), so we had to tell all the people we invited to the show (over 50 for our band alone) the show was somewhere else. (30 minutes away.) It turned out to be someone’s yard. I appreciate them scrambling, but it was a big mistake. We all made the best of it and had a great show. It was nice, but many of the people we invited did not show as they just could not devote the time.

At the end of the day, I’d say as an adult who wants to gig, stay away. They are used to dealing with children and tend to treat their adult customers the same way. I honestly would encourage them to rethink the adult program and it’s existence as they vacillate a lot and and have issues honoring their commitments. It’s very confusing for the customer. Many of us have left as a result. Hope it gets better.

I do NOT recommend sending your kids here. The instructors here are all talk and do not have real world knowledge of their instruments. If you want to LOOK like a musician without any substance to back it up, go to school of rock. If you want talented instructors who gig around Indianapolis with world class experience, look somewhere else.

Dropped by to sign up for a class but they had closed an hour before the posted time and no sign sayingthey were closing early. Was very disappointed

Supportive and warm environment with great teachers!

Great experience for my son. He loved being part of a band and the opportunity to play on stage more than once. Instructors made it fun and opened him up to new music.

Great instruction, opportunity to play in a band, make lifelong friends playing music together, family like atmosphere. Highly recommend!

My kids have attended School of Rock Farmingdale for well over a year. The staff and manager are always very friendly. I’m a musician myself so I can tell a professional musician from a “weekend warrior.” The musicianship of this staff along with the way they interact with the kids is top notch, you can tell they really enjoy teaching which is something I haven’t experienced at other music schools. I’ve seen great improvement in not only my childrens musical abilities but also their social skills since placing them here. I would totally recommend this place to anyone’s who’s serious about their children learning music the right way.

Our son had been playing drums since the age of 5 at another drum school when he joined SOR at age 7. His playing had gotten better every year, but the SOR added a new level of fun and training for him. He now eats, sleeps and dreams about drums and enjoys every lesson no matter which school he goes to.

My daughter takes singing lessons here. Loves it! Victoria Levy is her terrific teacher.

Wonderful music school for all ages, but mainly kids 8 to 18. Lessons on instruments by seasoned teachers and plenty of opportunities to perform shows featuring the music of classic bands.
Still awesome in June of 2022.
I am now taking drum lessons there. Learning a ton.

There are also week long summer camps.
My daughter just concluded her third summer singing camp with the fantastic Tracy Bonahm (no relation to John?

Took lessons from Joel for 3ish months, and really had a great time. I’m an adult learner with previous music experience from grade school and then learning on my own time. Joel was really easy going and inspiring! I loved his encouragement and willingness to teach me some vocals and acoustic guitar.

The staff are all great, and I’d recommend this place if you want to take some lessons as an adult, or if you want to get lessons for your kids in grade school!

Great instructors. Helpful staff. Fun learning environment.

I’ve been going to School of Rock for the past few months and have had a wonderful experience! I’ve played the keyboard but wanted to get better without having to watch hours of YouTube and my instructor Dave has definitely helped me doing that! Gayle is especially helpful as well! Would def recommend!

My son switched to school of Rock from guitar center. Happier with his teacher and has flourished with the positive environment. The performance
groups have been great for building confidence.

My kids love music but were tired of the traditional music school. They love the atmosphere, teachers, and music at SOR! Also, I no longer have to threaten them to practice. They get home from school and immediately run to the music room to play!

Love the whole idea of School Of Rock, and love this school!!!

I’ve been a School of Rock mom for 5 years and have gotten so much joy from watching my children learn and play music. They have so much fun and all the while they are building amazing life skills and making friends.

Booked/scheduled intro lessons for both of my daughters and both were cancelled and rescheduled (for dates and times that accommodated themselves not my daughters) so they could accommodate existing clients. I will take my business elsewhere…

Been there for 6+ years

Dan was great with my daughter but management is another issue. Tried to move to 1-hour lessons because 30 minutes was not enough (10 minutes wasted overall each time because of sitting down, opening the lesson book, etc.) and got push back each time. When I asked to cancel (because I didn’t feel like my daughter was getting enough time weekly) I was informed of some “30 day cancellation” policy, which I never was told about in the first place. Went for a year but I don’t recommend it.

Was really good instructor was patient and no pressure at all will go back.

This place is great! My daughter took an intro lesson to see what she thought. Being a teen she was nervous at first and hesitant to go. Came out of the building happy and excited. She loves her instructor and what’s she is learning. She would go every day if possible. They are professional, warm, fun, and friendly. My child loves this place!
They have a cool program where you can do lessons on your instrument or voice. And then, if you choose to you can join a band also which meets there weekly. You get to decide what level you sign up for. It’s been a huge hit with my kiddo! Wish I had signed my older child up years ago.
They offer a really great program and we are so happy a friend turned us on to it!
No one asked for this review- we are just that happy about it.

Just started and i already love it!

So I took my son for a trial run with a group of kids at this school last week on a Monday at the Madison Rd location, which he was so excited about, so he went in with (i forget her name..jenny?) and he was just excited about all the instruments, it was only him and another boy. I guess my son was too much for her because she said that he was not really focused on just one instrument and kind of all over the place and recommend Music Therapy because she is a music therapist and that an hour was too much for him, ( I was kind of shock and a little hurt that I didn’t even ask her any other questions, but said ok and left) but she didn’t recommend her services for a personal session or anything, so my husband called the next day and asked about the lady (the music therapist) that did the trial run with Aaron if she can call him back and recommend her services or if she has a referral. its been a little over a week and she has not returned his call. I also did tell them in the beginning he has a vision impairment) I just wish someone would of reached out and recommended something because my son loves music and he is not a bad kid.

Awesome!

Full disclosure: I have never taken a class here, nor have I ever interacted with an instructor. But I happened upon a public concert being given by the students of School of Rock West LA, and I was blown away by the talent and stage presence of middle school kids. Clearly, this place has developed a rigorous training program and is capable of producing impressive musicians.

School of Rock WLA is amazing! The teachers are so dynamic and the program is wonderful for all ages and abilities. My daughter loves it!

Great staff great location great music

Kelly who “runs” the school is absolutely awful. She is unprofessional, combative, lacks follow-up skills, lacks customer service skills, and is incredibly rude and unable to resolve conflict. I would never send my child to a place that is run by a person like Kelly. That said, I pulled my child out of the summer camp.

Best thing I ever did was sign my daughter up at School of Rock East Brunswick! It has been a great experience where she has learned so much and everyone there is like family! They put on amazing shows and my daughter loves it!

My son has been taking drum lessons for 3 years and my daughter has been taking keyboard for 2 years with School of Rock in East Brunswick. They also participate in weekly rehearsals. Denise, Joe and all of the instructors are amazing! They are welcoming to both kids and parents alike; they tailor lessons to the kids’ experience level, and the rehearsals really help the kids come together with others to enjoy what they are learning and support their growth. As a parent, I’ve really enjoyed seeing my kids grow in not only their musical ability, but also in their self-confidence! The pandemic certainly is taking a toll on the kids’ ability to be with their friends; however, SOR’s focus on the safety of their students is very clearly a priority foe them. The efforts they took and continue to take to ensure distancing, masks, and cleanliness to protect all their students as much as possible is evident every time my kids walk into the building. They even go over and above to for the safety of the students during the outdoor concerts, where students (as well as families attending) are still spread out and are required to wear masks despite being outdoors. I appreciate SOR’s efforts to provide a way for kids to safely continue to connect with peers and grow their musical talent!

Great program, Fantastic teachers. The owner is very nice and accommodating. My son has been going to this school to learn how to play drums and guitar for years. Very highly recommended.

Great place to get young kids exposed to music and instruments.

The owner Denise is very rude and unprofessional! I was running late for my son’ s rescheduled lesson. I arrived about 20 minutes late due to an accident on route 18 to a locked school. When I spoke to Denise, she said the teacher had to go to work. When I told her my son’s lessons were 45 minutes, he still had time in his lesson. He still had 25 minutes left. She told me for the first time, it’s policy that they wait 15 minutes. Although the teacher was willing to reschedule the lesson, she refused to allow it. She would not en reshedule the 25 minutes that the teacher was not there. She stole 25 minutes from my son.

Needless to say, I gave 1 months notice and cancelled and now my son goes to the School of Rock in Clark. He is loving it. In addition to private lessons he is taking Rock 101. When I asked the manager at the Clark location if it is School of Rock procedure to wait only 15 minutes, she said she never heard of that. She told me if someone doesnt show, they call to follow up and see if you are on your way. I believe this is common courtesy, especially since, we are early 99 percent of the time. I guess all Denise cares about is getting your money! She did me a favor though because the Clark location is actually closer to my house.

Take heed when dealing with her.

Bad management. My grandson went to the camp here. Very expensive and not very professional…..his brand new guitar broke on the first day at camp….the counselor didn’t see what happened…well where was he?? There are only 6 kids in the class and a small room. How could he not know what happened? The web site says that they will provide instruments….all they could provide him with was an electric guitar….which he did not like ….not what he wanted so they convinced him to play the keyboard. We had to convince him that he had to try to go back the next day….he was very upset but this place is too expensive to just give up. They advertise all kinds of “great” teaching methods and that your child will learn how to play a song. Well for over $400 he learned 3 notes on the keyboard. They had a show at the end of the week…what joke…the drummer and the two guitar player obviously had been going to this place for lessons for quite a while. They should really have better management. Another point came up that my grandson said it was too loud…I sent him with my phone headphones and asked when I dropped him off if they had headphones he could use since mine were not really the correct ones….I was told they have them but they are on a first come first served basis…well when I went to the show no other child had headphones so where were they ones that they had. The room is so tiny and they had tremendous speakers….way too loud for this purpose…I know sound like and old lady but this place is not what it’s advertised to be. At least for the camps. Maybe their lessons are better but if I were you I wouldn’t waste my money here. And now we have to buy another guitar!

The most unprofessional owner who defames other local business’ and will argue with parents. If I could give it 0 stars I would. The instructors are fabolous and great with kids. I’m not sure how this place is in business still based on management alone.

My son has been going to SOR in Orangeburg for about 1 year. He LOVES it. The lesson set up is great: He gets 45 mins weekly for 1:1 private lesson, then he gets a group practice (mini band) for 90 mins weekly. Don (CEO) does a great job on keeping us informed of changes during Covid, and they are very flexible in accommodating our schedule.

As a professional classical musician, I can attest to the success of the School of Rock teaching method. The lessons are fun and engaging, and hook students with familiar rock and popular tunes used in lessons right from the very beginning. With a friendly and well trained staff School of Rock, well, rocks!

The teachers have been great, they’re super organized, love the little community they have built. My daughter has been learning how to sing but her overall confidence has improved as well. Highly recommend.

I like how the instructors connect with the students. I also like how the students are encouraged to try different things and putting them out of their comfort zone.

Overall an outstanding show. The only suggestion I have for next time is to have a set-list for parents, that includes which kids are playing which songs, so we know when our kids will be on stage. That way we can make room for other parents when our kids are not performing. Otherwise a really great afternoon! Thank you.