to all folks interested in the kalamazoo academy of rock:

Thanks for being interested! Here are the details:

Who: We are a rock band program for young musicians aged 8-18. Our students are enthused about music and willing to put time and effort into developing their skills and experiencing the fun, satisfaction and thrill of playing quality music at a real rock show. The commitments consist of a weekly 45 minute private lesson, primarily focusing on learning the songs that the band is playing at the semester ending show and a weekly 2 hr. band rehearsal. The student must also commit to playing outside of lessons/rehearsals in order to learn their part and contribute positively to their band.

Where: We’re located in the old Gibson guitar factory, where B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Les Paul and many, many other guitar greats have visited as the birthplace of their guitars. The building is now called the Kalamazoo Enterprise Center and is located at 225 Parson St. The cross streets are Edwards and Pitcher.

When: We run three sessions/year. Fall - Winter/Spring - Summer

Private lessons: We are very excited about the quality of teacher we are able to provide!

- On guitar we have Micaela Kingslight and Adam Main. Micaela leads her own band, FlyPaper, and plays her music all over the country. In August 2011, FlyPaper completed a 12 city tour including Denver, LA and Minneapolis.  She’s also an experienced teacher. Adam’s been a well known and respected musician for many years in Kalamazoo. He’s very experienced with the electric and acoustic guitar and has played in several popular area bands. He’s also taught extensively and has written his own guitar method book.

- On drums we have Jesse Williams. Jesse is a graduate in percussion at WMU School of Music and is a very active drummer and teacher around town.

- Keyboards and bass are be taught by me.  I have a bachelor’s degree in music education from WMU, was a high school band director, played keyboards in a progressive rock band in the late 70’s (back in the day!) and have taught piano here in Kalamazoo for 20yrs.

Specific day and time for private lessons are worked out between individual students and the instructor.

Band rehearsals - each student will participate in a two hour band rehearsal each week. Right now we have four bands, rehearsing on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays from 6-8pm.

Equipment - all you’ll need to bring is your guitar, bass or drum sticks. Keyboards, amplifiers, drum kits and microphones are provided.

Cost - for the 10 week fall session: $500. For the 16 week winter/spring session: $740. Summer session is also 10 weeks at $500.  Tuition is payable in monthly installments or lump sum.

The Gigs - Our session ending shows are at The Strutt - a very hip performance space located on the corner of Michigan and Academy Sts. near the college campuses. Some of you might know it as the old Boogie Records building. We have also played for RibFest, Bill Wright’s Rock for Kids and the Boiling Pot festivals for the last two years.  These are held at the Arcadia Festival Site in downtown Kzoo.  We get on the main stage and play with a big pro sound system in front of hundreds of people!    As other opportunities to “play out” arise, we take advantage of them. 

Giving back to the community - Rock music has a proud tradition of social awareness and supporting worthy causes with concerts.  We at KAR think this is an important tradition to pass on.  Our April 2011 performance had all proceeds go to Japanese earthquake/tsunami relief.  With the help of the audience and The Strutt we were able to raise over $600 for the cause.

Recording Sessions - An experience in a pro recording studio is part of learning to be a rock musician.  In Feb. 2011 we went into Broadside Studios here in Kzoo and each band recorded songs that we made into a CD.  We plan to do this again, most likely during our break between Thanksgiving and New Year.

 More info - for examples of K.A.R. performances go to www.youtube.com/kzoorock.

Feel free to call me at (269) 342-7374 or use the “Contact KAR” page of this web site to inquire about sign-up or just to ask questions!

Rock on!

Jeff Mitchell

Director
Kalamazoo Academy of Rock