McKinney School of Rock to hold grand opening bash

The McKinney School of Rock is officially ready to jam.

With its student band now in full force, the latest DFW branch of the national phenomenon will hold a grand opening bash Saturday, March 24 on the school's front doorstep.

McKinney SOR students, most of whom have been with the school since it opened for business in December, will show off their rock-inspired instruction while spectators tour rehearsal rooms, meet teachers and even rock out a little themselves.

"It's so exciting to me, personally, to see the growth that our students make both on stage and off," said Terry Longhway, co-owner of the five DFW branches and chief music officer. "And I couldn't be happier to bring a school to this great community."

School of Rock, a performance-based rock music school for students of all ages, first caught its Dallas-area rhythm in 2008, about 10 years after Philadelphia guitarist Paul Green founded the program. Green's school inspired the 2003 movie, "School of Rock," which featured Jack Black as a fill-in music teacher who leans his bored students toward rock and roll.

More than 70 Schools of Rock have sprouted all over the nation, including ones in Dallas, Frisco and Southlake. The McKinney school now has almost 40 students, all high school-age and younger.

Brice Loftin, who previously went to the Frisco School of Rock, joined the newer school in December because it was closer to his Paris home. Now 12, Loftin -- and his parents -- grew weary of his music-store teacher who kept Loftin on background riffs instead of letting him show off his quickly improving sound.

"He said I was too good for him to be teaching me anymore and that it was time for me to write my own stuff," Loftin said of his first teacher. "So, he sent me away, and then we came here."

And, like the more than 6,000 other SOR students around the country, "here" was just what he needed. He played in a "Heavy 70s" show with the Frisco school, strumming and singing to Eric Clapton and AC/DC songs.

"It was kind of nerve wracking," Loftin said of his first SOR concert. "But it's pretty awesome after it's done."

A seasoned rock star compared with many of his McKinney SOR peers, Loftin will play guitar or bass guitar on several songs in next weekend's concert. Also making a stage appearance will be The Frisco Dean's List and Honor Roll, the Frisco SOR's most accomplished rockers.

Carson Coldiron, McKinney SOR music director, will guide the show's style in hopes that it reflects students' and teachers' hard work from the past few months. Like most other SOR teachers, Coldiron comes from a rock band background; he's spent the last seven years playing in several bands.

He started as a substitute at the Southlake SOR at his band mate's behest, and later became assistant music director at Frisco SOR. His McKinney position stems from his sold-out belief in the rock program.

"I wish there was a School of Rock when I was younger," Coldiron said. "The school provides an amazing motivator to creating a fun learning experience. Being involved with other students of all levels really creates a culture that bonds students together to achieve a common goal of having fun and playing music."

McKinney SOR teacher Paul Vaden has taught at the school since it opened. Vaden, who's been with his own band Ghoultown for about 10 years, teaches guitar, bass guitar and drums.

"The challenging kids challenge me, which makes me a better musician, in general, and a better teacher," Vaden said. "You don't know how much you don't know about something until you have to teach it."

Prizes, including a Playstation 3, will be raffled off at the grand opening event, which will also raise donations for the Boys and Girls Club of Collin County.

But the bash's focus will center on the McKinney School of Rock students. They're ready to rock out.

"We've got lots of kids who want to show what we can do," Vaden said. "We're finally going to strut our stuff a little bit."

McKinney School of Rock is located at 1600 W. Louisiana St. east of U.S. Highway 75 in McKinney. Live music and school tours will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 24.

For more information, visit mckinney.schoolofrock.com.

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