School of Rock Encinitas

Kids are learning music while they are having so much fun and even at the beginning they start playing a part of a famous song. After the first day of a band practice my son was singing Rock’n Roll all night (Kiss).
Teachers are very nice, kids love them and my son always come out very happy.

My shy daughter started SOR with just guitar lesson with Araby, whom we both love. These went great, but she swore she would never go into Rock 101 and definitely never perform. Well, here we are just about to go into our third performance and she is no longer tentative and has thrived in this environment. Rutger and Daniel have helped her so much and given her so much confidence that she is even singing in the next show. This program is not just about learning musical instruments, it is so much more. It teaches confidence, team work and collaboration and the kids don’t even realize this — they are too busy having fun. And in the background we have Sky — coordinating it all, while the parents buzz around her asking her the same questions endlessly!!! Thank you. As many have mentioned, I only wish I would have had this opportunity when I was younger. What a great school and program, so happy we found it!!!

When my daughter told me she didn’t want any toys for the holidays, just a guitar and lessons, I knew she was serious. She got her guitar and through friend recommendations we hired an instructor to come to our home. After several months of counting 1,2,3 to the song Jingle Bells, she offered the money she had been saving for an American Girl doll to pay me back for the lessons and begged to quit. I promptly fired the instructor and we happily found School of Rock in Encinitas.
During the first lesson, she learned to play 3 songs including Joan Jett’s I Love Rock n Roll. She was ecstatic. We did not hesitate to enroll her. She has progressed from private lessons to the Rock 101 group lessons. Think team sports here. Learning to play with a group, listening for your part, learning your parts so you don’t let the group down. Building friendships. All those important skills plus the continued musical growth. She has now moved up to performance group. The set list is structured to move through the musical genre and the instructor is teaching the kids about the history and importance of the songs. So add music history to the learning as well.
My son is now old enough to attend as well. He recently started the Little Wings class, a music program for kids 4 and up. So far he has learned about rhythm and played with their drum set and bass guitar and last week he came home to tell me he played electric guitar. He described how many times he was supposed to play each colored string and I realized that while he thinks he is just banging around, they have already begun to teach him the put in his little mind the basics of playing instruments. And what song is he learning? No wheels on the bus around here. The Ramones, thank you very much.
Throughout the time my kids have been attending School of Rock Encinitas, the staff have been amazing. The instructors are all talented and engaging. Parents are kept informed but they definitely encourage the kids to be self reliable. The owners are involved and caring. Sky keeps it all together, even while parents like myself pepper her with a million questions.
I wish there had been a music school like this when I was a kid.

Update (March 2016): Still loving everything about SoR! After five shows – including a set at House of Blues! – the rocking never stops. Because of the supportive teaching environment at SoR, our son continues to grow not just musically but in all areas of life. If your son or daughter is at all interested in playing rock music, run – don’t walk – to School of Rock asap!
School of Rock truly rocks. The overall environment created by the teachers and the staff is awesome. We love that our son is learning not only to play his instruments but to play in a band. The experience teaches team building as well as providing opportunities for esteem building. The kids put on great rock shows. We love everything about SoR’s programs. (Like every other parent, I wish SoR was around when I was a kid!)

My daughter has finally found her people. I’m not sure I could say enough good things about this place. The staff, the instructors, the program are all top notch and structured to keep kids interested and growing. My 12 year old has been taking voice lessons for about 9 months and recently added guitar as well. From day one she loved it, and once she started in the performance program, her growth as a musician, team player and whole person soared. She is there 4 days a week now for various rehearsals and lessons and each time I pick her up, I get an incredible discussion with her on music, music history and life in general. They are our best conversations of the week, and I often take the long way home to prolong them. This program has really given her a purpose, allowed her to develop her musical skill and interest and finally meet kids that are ‘just like me’. And as a mom of an almost teenage girl, seeing her happy, engaged and on stage belting out some of MY favorite songs has brought me to tears more than a few times. Jan, Sky, and Tyler are all amazing at interacting with the kids while creating an environment that is happy, safe and totally theirs to explore. I consider this place family.

Two of my sons have been attending School of Rock for nearly 2 years. They absolutely love it! If they could sleep there, they would! Being part of the shows gives the music lessons purpose. The excitement shown by the staff and teachers is incredible and they easily get the kids pumped up to play the music. The kids are all very supportive of each other and they welcome and embrace new students to the school and their bands. The performances are unbelievably exciting for the kids and for the spectators. I never thought my boys would be so passionate about playing music but SOR has set them on fire for it and I am very impressed.

Mike is the best guitar teacher my son has had. Clint, Rutger, Chad, Ryan, and Tyler are all outstanding as well. They each work with the student to engage them and gently challenge and nudge them along to improve and broaden their skills. This makes learning music fun!

I’ve been playing the guitar for about 15 years, but have never learned theory or some of the other fundamentals. I have had 4 different teachers over the years, and none of them were ever able to explain theory or song structure to me in a way that made sense. This was conveyed to Sky, who setup my lessons. Sky said I definitely would want to go with Matt as an instructor.
In one month, I have honestly learned more about understanding the guitar than ever before. Matt has an extremely logical and effective way of explaining music theory, and is fun to learn with.
My experience here has been priceless as far as I’m concerned, and it’s only been a month. I would definitely recommend School of Rock to anyone whose stuck in rut with their playing.

My son has been taking guitar lessons here since they opened last spring and he absolutely loves it. The instructors are awesome and create a sense of responsibility and community among the kids, no matter their age. My son just turned 9 and did a Green Day camp last summer. He was the youngest (by a few years) of the group and yet completely accepted and supported. It was his first introduction to live performance and a huge motivator for him to work hard and get promoted to the performance group. He has an appreciation for all types of rock that is fostered and encouraged by the amazing group of instructors here at School of Rock. This is a great program and I highly recommend it!