Here's something you don't see every day. A rural high school in Ellis County, south of Dallas, offers a class on how to be a rock star.
Actually, according to the Waxahachie Daily Light, the music class at Palmer High School isn't as wild as it sounds. It's for serious musicians only; students who want to take it must not only audition, but they must also be enrolled in marching band or choir.
From the Daily Light:
At the beginning of the school year, students choose the style of music they play. They begin a functioning band that allows them to make a transition from having only a garage band sound to being able to perform in music clubs and on stage. The students also learn about business management.
The students’ teacher, Mark Gorman, created the class this year and acts as a manager, teaching the essentials of all sides of the rock band business. With 40 years as a professional musician and 20 years experience teaching, Gorman wanted students to have a more practical education to pursue musical careers.
“To really be educating these kids in a viable way we have to educate them in the culture in which they’re going to be a part,” Gorman said. “I am trying to teach them the things that I wish somebody would have taught me — things I had to learn the hard way.”
Students learn about sound systems, lighting, recording, booking gigs, interviewing, teamwork and playing the music. After passing the class, Gorman said the students would be able to get a job playing and making records.
-Patrick M. Walker
Fans of the Disney juggernaut High School Musical will love this. Fort Worth's Arlington Heights High School gets to be the first school in the country to stage a workshop production of High School Musical 2. You'll remember that Arlington Heights and Western Hills' co-production of the first High School Musical was the subject of a documentary on the Disney Channel that aired in January.
