Shownotes
We are joined by Russ Brand and Chad Greenwald, the passionate individuals behind this unique music education program that has been making waves in the community. Throughout the episode, they discuss the core values, transformative experiences, and the continuous growth of School of Rock Columbus.
Passion and fun are the driving forces behind School of Rock Columbus. Russ and Chad believe that when work is combined with enjoyment, it greatly benefits the students. They understand that learning music extends beyond mastering instruments and techniques. By fostering an environment where students can have fun and express themselves, School of Rock Columbus also becomes a platform for building friendships and acquiring essential life skills.
What sets School of Rock Columbus apart is their authenticity and genuine care for their students' growth. They prioritize creating a community that reflects their passion, compassion, openness, and the ability to be oneself. They aren't solely focused on making money, but rather on developing children who share their love for music. School of Rock Columbus believes that the more music they generate within the community, the better the community becomes.
The school's approach revolves around the belief that music should be educational and enjoyable. Learning techniques, scales, and theory through songs allows students to not only improve their musical skills but also immerse themselves in the joy of creating music. This holistic approach is evident in the various performance groups they have formed, catering to different age ranges and musical genres.
Both children and adults actively participate in the program, with even an adult band taking center stage at end-of-season shows. The camaraderie and support among participants from different age groups is truly remarkable.
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Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.
Copyright 2024 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson
Transcripts
Passion, and so fun and work can be the same thing. And I think when fun and work are married together, like, in a place like this, that it shows to our end users, our students, that there's more than just is more than just a building where we're learning music, they're getting the peripheral things, friendships. And even in these bands, we we teach the things like, how do you deal with your nerves? Things like that. But the the reason why I think people like this place is because we are who we are. We are who we say we are. We want the best for all these students. We want growth, but we want I know that the more music we put out into a community, the the better that community is for it.
Brett Johnson [:We are Looking Forward Our Way. Hi. This is Brett. Today, Carol and I are on location with our guest, Chad Greenwald and Russ Miller. They are the owners of School of Rock Columbus. It's an exciting opportunity to learn more about this musical program and not only hear about the organization, but actually see and hear it live. Chad and Russ, thanks so much for joining us today.
Chad [:Thanks for having us. Certainly.
Carol Ventresca [:Thanks for letting us come and see your studio. It's Phenomenal and studios, by God. Studios. Yes. It's it's, like, never ending. This is, this is pretty cool. So, you know, the the instruments and Asking questions like, what's that? You know? So that's so we we appreciate it. You know, Brett, we've had some episodes To discuss changes in creative arts programs during the pandemic.
Carol Ventresca [:Today, we're going to find out how regardless of the months bumps of the pit of the pandemic, that music programs are not only surviving, but thriving. However, before we get into the details of School of Rock, Chad and Russ, tell us about you first, and, tell us, you know, your backgrounds and how you became the owner of School of Rock.
Chad [:Alright. So background, I guess we'll do musical background. So I went to Ohio State like, Many of the people that live here in Columbus, and I decided to become a music major after a brief stint of becoming an art history major, which I did enjoy very much. So I graduated with a couple degrees, and I went the route of teaching. I taught at Reynoldsburg High School for 1 year and discovered that it really wasn't what I wanted to do, I and I got into private lessons. I was always performing still. I did private lessons, and I really found a joy in that. And and over the last 20 years, I've amassed a bunch of students and gone through, you know, siblings and entire families, and COVID happened, and I was like, you know, I want to be able to spend time with my kids.
Chad [: hen I believe it was March of: Russ [:I'm right here.
Chad [:In all his glory. And I was like, hey. Do you wanna do this? And he's, I think there's probably a tiered knowing him that he was really excited about it as, of course, he would do it. And that's kinda how we started our journey, and then I believe over the next couple of months, we talked to their franchising team, and, eventually, we went to Chicago in August to check it out. And I was very concerned about the idea of selling out because I'm very much an independent artist when it comes to that. And it really is a loosely based franchise, so we're you were we're able to really do our own thing. As as we said in this room, we have a mural, you know, painted by one of our, you know, our our instructors here. And I decided that, you know, this was the right fit, and I believe we signed on in October of that year.
Chad [:And then over the next, was it 5 months, we actually were able to do all the build out, the demolition, construction, and open on March 4th. With so we within that time, we're able to do all that, and we've been thriving since, and we've found ourselves to be a part of this community here. And I never I love Grandview.
Russ [:That's wonderful. Mhmm. Yeah. I didn't realize the yeah. People drive their golf carts here with their families. It's unbelievable. Yeah. Bikes, it just it's very it's a small town feeling right next to Columbus yeah.
Russ [:You're right.
Carol Ventresca [:It's really an incubator for small businesses. It always has been.
Russ [:Oh, it's is great here
Chad [:It's it's lovely. And we we've we've we've become really good pals with, the parks and rec department. We do all of their community events, and we're just Honestly, so thankful to be a part of this, you know, community. It it really is a community, and I'm not using that as, like, a generic, like, hey. We're all one big community. No. This is This is beautiful. I I think I wanna move here.
Russ [:You know when kids kids are here and the parents will sit in the lobby, there's days that we I truly look forward to because the parents are fun, and I'm at the desk, and we're just taught it's wonderful. So I think they get something out of bringing their kids here too. And
Carol Ventresca [:Russ, tell us about your background too, though.
Russ [:Yeah. My background is very it's very different. I went to, a college I haven't heard of. It's called Nice Try University.
Brett Johnson [:I didn't finish Next next door to school are not?
Chad [:University. Yeah. Yeah.
Russ [:I tried college. I'm I don't have a college brain, but I
Chad [:Not true. Not true.
Russ [:I have a musical brain.
Chad [:Not true. Not true. I'm joking. I'm joking. But golly. So now
Brett Johnson [:you turn up with him because he's the money guy there.
Chad [:Oh, yeah. Absolutely. He's a drummer.
Russ [:Yeah. They're they're, I I was in the corporate world for a while. All the while from 10 years 8, from 10 years old to now, I've always been a drummer. It was always a writing force in my life. It changed my development as a kid. It helped me to get better grades, it gave me something to focus on and just something to build some really value for myself and some confidence and self worth, and I'm I can't not drum. I'm 43, and we're still wearing tank tops on stage and playing every weekend somewhere
Chad [:Honestly, tank tops last night was great.
Russ [:Oh, ski and shorts and Yeah.
Carol Ventresca [:So Yeah. So what's interesting is neither of you really came from a strong business background.
Russ [:I mean, no. I
Chad [:mean, ish. I mean,
Russ [:he's a he's an entrepreneur.
Chad [:Yeah. My family has all always been my my dad's side has always been small businesses. My grandfather, he was a mechanical contractor, has his own business. My dad has his own mechanical contracting business. My grandmother started her own Teak business, my uncle had his own law firm. So it's always been in that entrepreneurial spirit. If you could say it right That word did just give It I gave up on it.
Russ [:It's too hard.
Chad [:And, it's really been a thing that's been super important to me as to be able to do my own thing and be able to be in charge of that, this is technically a corporate job, and this is technically my 1st corporate job I ever had as any I worked at Rite Aid when I was 18. That was the last corporate job I had. So and I was stocking shelves, so not so much corporate. But so business technical business background, no. But Being a musician, you have to be a business person. As a as an independent musician, you have to do everything yourself. You do your taxes. You do your marketing.
Chad [:You do your social media, you do your booking. You do everything. So I've been doing that since I started performing, and actually, right, I'm a booking agent as well. So I booked for several venues and a couple country clubs and all that are in the area and private events. So it's it's really, you know, business is in me, and it has become you've had and you have to be a business person to be a musician to be successful. So, yes, I've in that sense of business, yes, but did I ever work in an accounting firm? No. Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:Right. So how did, the School of Rock organization align with your missions and goals? Because, obviously, you did some some investigations, some homework. You liked what they were doing. So as a as a, you know, large corporation, so how does that match with what you're trying to get accomplished then with your goals and mission and and and mission of the of the of the location here.
Chad [:Well, I will say that educationally, I've always, in my lesson, have used songs to teach different techniques. And that's a huge part of the school rock method is the idea that you learn the different techniques, different scales, different theory, but by learning the song. And I've I've done recitals where I had my students perform in groups, and that's basically what we do here. So it kind of aligned really well, you know, with what I've already done, so and they just take it to a different level with performing out. So As we were talking kinda earlier, our different groups will perform at different venues. So, we're we're we will be performing At the Upper Arlington Liberty Arts Fest with our performance group, we actually are sponsoring stages or stage, excuse me, for the full weekend at the coffee fest at the Ohio Historical Village and we play at, like, you know, the 4th July, Oktoberfest, Saint Patrick's Day, any kind of festival in town will do that. You know? And it's it's really lovely to see kids and adults perform, you know, our adult band, they've done the end of season shows. We performed at Woodlands for our first one, then we're doing it standard live for our second one.
Russ [:September 10th? September 10th. We do have tickets. If you're interested, we'll have tickets at the door also.
Chad [:Yeah. For your listeners, they'll be free if it's posted before September 10th Yeah.
Carol Ventresca [:We'll see if we can make that happen.
Brett Johnson [:Who knows?
Chad [:And and, If
Carol Ventresca [:if nothing else, we'll be we'll have it on our Facebook page.
Russ [:Comes out, it's much appreciated.
Chad [:And then the adult band will also be playing their 1st non end of season show at the coffee festival. And the adult band, you know, it's it's really a lovely group of people.
Russ [:Against the Wind is their name.
Chad [:Yeah. Oh my god.
Russ [:We also
Brett Johnson [:we have some
Russ [:of a band good. A band named Horse Femur. So, you know
Chad [:Take it or leave it. Take it.
Carol Ventresca [:How old are they?
Russ [:The kids
Chad [:13 to 18 for horse femur.
Russ [:Oh, and they brought us a horse femur.
Chad [:A legitimate we have a horse femur. Yeah. Alright. It smells funny. Yeah. I won't smell it.
Carol Ventresca [:Yeah. I so, I had never heard of School of Rock. Okay Brett brought this to to our podcast, tell me how big this is. It's a national organization. Right?
Chad [:It's international.
Russ [:Over 330 schools So I'm bigger
Chad [:than that.
Russ [:It's probably more. Yeah. Okay. Brazil, there's, Japan, Korea, Philippines,
Chad [:South Korea, In somewhere in Europe, I don't know.
Carol Ventresca [:Any idea on number of kids or and or individuals who are participating?
Chad [:Oh, how many But internationally?
Russ [:I think 50,000 is
Chad [:There was actually students still more, actually. I think there was a number that it was, like, 60 or 70,000, Yeah. Internationally.
Carol Ventresca [:Very cool.
Chad [:And now, you know, the the programs are all very, very similar, but they're all different. So, you know, what makes us special is what we do here. You know? I have the musical background. Russ is still a drummer. Sorry. I'm sorry,
Russ [:This place is owned by a musician. He loves to trash me, but
Chad [:Russ is a musician. He's a profess I Yeah. For a long time Mhmm. No. No. No. No. This is good this is good for you.
Chad [:Yeah. For a long time so we actually
Russ [:my eye rolls on the audio? Get closer. Alright. Go ahead.
Chad [:So Russ and I, we met at a church that we used to play at together a long time ago.
Russ [:Long time.
Chad [:And he was the drummer there, and I was just, the music student, you know, needing a gig, and I did it. And I met him. You know? We we like each other. And but I would always say you're a professional drummer because he at that point, he was in a band. I wasn't in a band with him at that point, and he would not call himself a professional drummer even though you to be a professional, you just need to get paid. That's literally it, and he was getting paid. He didn't consider himself. It took him, I think, like, 15 years into 10, 15 years into our relationship for him to call himself a professional drummer.
Russ [:I hold that in a regard, anything professional Mhmm. And I feel like maybe in in the last 5 or 6 years, maybe I felt like in my own, I've started to earn that. So maybe I'm more comfortable.
Carol Ventresca [:Well, the one thing you haven't done is give us the name of the band.
Russ [:Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Zack Attack.
Chad [:Zack Attack. We
Carol Ventresca [:Zack Attack attack.
Chad [:Like, it's a we play over the Midwest. We were in Cincinnati last night. We're in Troy tonight, then Dublin, but then next weekend, we'll be in Lexington, Salina, and then Powell, very excited about Dublin tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Russ [:Yeah. Good stuff.
Carol Ventresca [:Yeah. So so on our on our website, when we post this, which may or may not be before September Sure.
Chad [:Which way they will get free tickets a season show Yeah.
Carol Ventresca [:If they do it. But, we will put all, you know, audience, we are going to put all of this information on our show notes
Chad [:Awesome.
Carol Ventresca [:So that people can find you, find your, social media platforms, everything so that they can follow
Russ [:Feel good. Okay.
Carol Ventresca [:Zap Attack.
Russ [:Yeah. So Zap Attack is, The greatest throwback party band ever That's what Yeah. Is our title.
Chad [:This is Zach Attack Party is, I think, the the the app for it is or zackattack.com, z a c k. And all
Russ [:and all the fun that we create on stage, we take our our performance is very seriously and are there for performance and entertainment. They're so I'm getting the same amount of fun that are the people out there watching are Yeah. It's a wonderful honor to be able to do that Good.
Brett Johnson [:As a job. So to be successful here, you both have to have different roles. Can you talk about your roles in the business?
Chad [:We like roles. I sometimes like buns. Buttered roles? Yeah. This is at the same
Russ [:place. Same.
Chad [:Big. Yeah. So we as as we so we've been open for 5 months, and we've, you know, been kinda finding our feet in what we do for our roles here. Yeah. So we also have a general manager, Stuart, who is, you know, it's funny people he's Scottish, but people think he's, like, Australian or from Alabama. It's very weird. Wow. Pretty weird.
Chad [:Wonderful. So he came from
Carol Ventresca [:a stretch.
Chad [:Yeah. It's it's, Well, I we once played a gig where someone said, you guys need to speak American, and they meant that. So it's it's not a stretch. So any anywho, so Stewart came from, School Rock already. He was a general manager at a different one in the area, And so it it definitely helped us. So he serves as a music director and kind of overseer of the staff. I I serve the role of kind of marketing, social media, kinda overseeing a little bit of everything and the money stuff and then and Russ' communications, and he definitely helps with the the music and directing people there as well as, kind of yeah. Just communications.
Chad [:You know? He's able to communicate not just with
Russ [:I like talking to the families.
Chad [:Yeah. And There's
Brett Johnson [:a lot
Russ [:of scheduling communication that happens up front, someone has to be up there to just
Chad [:And staff as well. And Yeah. He also helps with social media. So we're we're finding our our feed in our roles as we go kind of organically, I've always been kinda, unless it, in retentive, so that's why I look at everything all the time, which is why I have more gray hairs, and then the black hairs that I did have are leaving my head. So You're scaring them away. I did. You get out of here. So but it it's it's really it's really a, It's it's interesting to see how things go because I thought I would be back here doing music and because that's, you know, what my my educational background's in.
Chad [:You know? I have literally a degree in musical music education. You know? But it it's it's it's cool to to kinda, see where things go, and it's working. You know? We we're we're being we're successful. You know, the kids love it here. The staff love being here, and, you know, it it's really it's really nice to see this evolve and and you see where it's going.
Brett Johnson [:Have a specific vibe that you wanted to make sure this place had?
Russ [:Yes. Yeah. Us. Us.
Brett Johnson [:Okay. Period. That it? Okay.
Chad [:Mean, we want it yeah. I mean, like, if we're specific, you know, we wanted education to be paramount. We wanted it to be fun, and we didn't want it to feel like a money grab, you know, because, yes, it it does cost money to go here, But we also want to make sure that, you know, the students here, whether they are kids or adults of any age, that they can they they they'll they'll they'll feel like this is you know, Russ and I have passion for music. This is literally what we do outside of this. This is this is all I've ever done as an adult, except for Rite Aid when I was 18, you know, I I wanna make sure that the kids feel that, and it's really wonderful to see. So in one of our performance groups, there's a person in the group that literally is taking pictures, create a text thread, and it dresses the parts and has actually, like, having the kids starting to dress the part, we have a a young girl who literally shaved off half of her hair, you know, on the side
Russ [:Yeah. She's got racing stripes, she's ready to go. And then or, like, she's as tall as her guitar.
Chad [:Yeah. She is she is as tall as her guitar. And it's it's just it's it's really it's really great to see the kids kinda just it's it's becoming a commute a micro community maybe. Is that there is this is
Russ [:a Yeah. There's there's a lot of uncertainty in the world. And as a developing child, as an adult, we all are faced with things that I know that music can help pacify or help you deal with. And I think it all starts with confidence. It starts with friendship. It starts with a place you can go to and look forward to, that just sets you up differently for the week. I I like things on the calendar. I can look forward to them.
Russ [:Mhmm. Maybe it changes my efforts during the week or something like that. But this place, I can see them the people coming in and being happy to be here, and and we're happy to see him here. Yeah. The, like, could I
Chad [:I mentioned the community as well. Like, they like, we mentioned community. Yeah. Like like, I mentioned the drum set someone donated to us earlier or people are saying, hey. What can we do to help? And it feels weird because, you know, this is still a business, you know, but they're they view it more than more as than more than a business. Excuse me.
Russ [:Yeah. 1 of our parents, is helping us develop, you know, the stuff out front, just marketing things Mhmm. And I had to ask him to put a commission on it this time. Like, please get you know, charge yourself for this. People And he's happy to help. It's just that's a really that's a, I think it's telling of what we're trying to do here, and we're not
Carol Ventresca [:You you've created a community as opposed to the first and only Piano lessons I had as a kid, which were to learn the scales.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah.
Carol Ventresca [:Couldn't pass that, so that was the end of my music background. But it it. Yeah. So you've you've really created a second home for them.
Russ [:The music approach to of putting the song in front of all of our students works the same for adults as it does with kids. It just it's like that carrot in front of you. So, you know, you're learning the song, but also now I know a g chord, and I can play an e. Mhmm. And it it it's kind of cracking a code of of motivation. It makes it more exciting. It makes learning more exciting because you get I can play through the chorus now. Now I can you know, I can play the bridge.
Russ [:So you're just adding things, and then you have a song, and I can play all these chords too. It's it's, it's not the skies learning in any way, but it just puts what we're going for right out in front, and we get right immersed in the song. So love that.
Carol Ventresca [:Let's let's Dive a little bit more into that because my next question is you you've as you've mentioned, you've got little ones who barely are as tall as their instrument to The old rockers who have come back out, haven't touched their drums for 40 years and and coming back at you, you've got a Specific way that you're teaching your children, talk about how does a student start the program, what are the services that you're providing them, It's individual lessons. It's group lessons. Give us a little more detail on that.
Russ [:Mhmm. There there are we're a performance school first and foremost, so our goal is to have each student have a 1 on 1 rehearsal where they're learning the material that they would then go and rehearse with the band in a guided rehearsal so our one of our teachers will be there kinda mediating rehearsal, but you're learning and then you're applying. And then you're it culminates in a show.
Chad [:And they also have lessons before the rehearsal as well. So it's our our pro our performance program is is basically a lesson, and then the the rehearsal once a week.
Russ [:So some people come back twice. Some people have a lesson right into rehearsal, but we're dialing into the stuff, and then they're applying at that at the rehearsal.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
Russ [:Pretty cool looking.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. So you've got on the website, performance is at the heart of music, and you're speaking to that. So, let let's dig into that a little bit more. I mean, how do you incorporate that into the the music lesson per se? Does it change? I guess I guess my question really is does it change Depending on age and and and and the music skill level Yeah. That walking in. You know? Obviously, you have it from this is the very first day I've ever touched a piano to Yeah. Yeah. I used to.
Brett Johnson [:We just haven't touched it for
Russ [:the different levels of of bands.
Chad [:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you communicate to a child differently than you would communicate with an adult. So yeah. And then Sometimes so let's say we we mentioned the like, a drummer that played when they were younger and hasn't played for 40 or 50 years. You you kinda, like, say, hey. Let's start fresh. You know? Let's pretend like you haven't played because as, you know, at DALL E, you're used to being able to get stuff right away because you know what you're doing, but it it'll be real frustrating really quickly if you're, like, I used to be able to do this.
Chad [:So, like, let's just say, let's start fresh, clean slate. But with the kid, you know, I mean, they never played, so it's a lot easier. But So, I mean, I've taught people never playing an instrument. I think the oldest I ever taught was a 76 year old, never touched an instrument in their entire life, played guitar and performed, you know, it was you know, when I was teaching privately, Bob Carpenter, that's his name. I'll remember his name because I should remember his oldest student I've ever had.
Russ [:Mhmm.
Chad [:It was awesome. I mean, like, especially starting brand new. You know? I mean, never touching an instrument. But yeah. So communicating with adults, you know, you treat them like adults. You know? You don't talk you know, you don't, like, tell them exactly what to do. You say, hey. This is why we do this.
Chad [:You give them reasoning, the rationale behind why you're doing something because most adults like knowing what you're doing and the reasoning for that.
Brett Johnson [:Are adults is more impatient than the kids or No. No? Okay. No. I'm just curious.
Chad [:No. No. The the kids are usually more impatient. Adults are you know? For so it's it's great. I mean, so we have young adults, you know, in their twenties, but I would say the the majority of our adults are anywhere from, like, 40 to 75. I don't ask how old people are. I'll say 75, 76.
Russ [:We have a a lot of parents that will come in and take a lesson while their kid is taking a lesson.
Carol Ventresca [:Oh, very cool.
Russ [:It's really fun. They're both walking with their guitars. Super cute. It's oh, god.
Carol Ventresca [:But then the notion too is they go home and they can practice together just like they're working with their peers in their groups now.
Russ [:11 dad he said, my daughter was showing me some stuff and telling me I was doing it all wrong. So he then he started lessons here because she kinda got into his ear about, you know, you can do this too, the other gentry stuff.
Chad [:I was gonna say that. Yeah.
Russ [:They're they're great.
Chad [:Yeah. So it
Carol Ventresca [:Very, very cool.
Chad [:I was gonna say we have an adult band, you know, made out of, well, a 24 year old and 60 year old,
Russ [:you know, so in age. Yeah. And I wanted to mention too with the programming. Mhmm. We always we do lessons only. There might be some adults that just wanna come and learn their instrument and might be threatened by performance. We understand that. The more you're around the performance, the more you soften up to it.
Russ [:But that's not a requirement here if it's just for continued learning or a new tool you're looking to put in your belt, we do that too. But we are for always a performance school, but we're not gonna tell someone no if they don't wanna be in a band. We have plenty of people that come and have a lesson weekly. Renee comes.
Chad [:We're not trying to scrape. Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Well, You know, playing is is very intimate
Chad [:if you
Brett Johnson [:think about it. I mean, it it's that you're setting yourself up for, mistakes, and people looking at you doing something wrong, but it can also be the opposite that it's that you have this group of people That are so supportive of you, and when you do it, they're there for you.
Russ [:Yeah. This this is mistake city in here, and I've Yeah.
Chad [:Yeah.
Russ [:I've had a few encounters where, some of my younger students struggle with the amount of mistakes they're making and they're expecting to get it right right away and just setting up an expectation that yeah. Let me hear 20 mistakes out of you. This is the room we're gonna do it in. Yeah. And then next week, you're gonna have some you're gonna have less mistakes, and this is our pathway. Mhmm. So just patience and learning, but given reward, hey. You got this.
Russ [:You you know, working out a section really feels good on a song.
Carol Ventresca [:You know, most kids are used to, I can they pick up their phone and they learn to
Russ [:Right away.
Carol Ventresca [:Do something right away. They don't think anything of it, and it should be immediate.
Chad [:Yeah.
Carol Ventresca [:Say is a good learning lesson for them.
Russ [:Slows us down a little bit.
Brett Johnson [:It puts
Russ [:us back into the reality that I think humans are made to be in, not an instantaneous reality. Something with some effort behind it, that really has more payoff and sticks around longer.
Chad [:Yeah. 2 things that are important with making mistakes. If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying hard enough.
Carol Ventresca [:Right.
Chad [:And number 2, people always say the old the old idiom is that practice makes perfect. No. There's a new idiom. Practice makes progress. Mhmm.
Russ [:And
Chad [:that's really huge to understand because perfection is never a thing that you could always do better. Right.
Russ [:Yeah. For sure.
Carol Ventresca [:For yeah. So so let's take the the notion of the performance the next step. You've got this group. They've been practicing. You're Those opportunities to provide them with audiences, that gets a little complicated, I would think. Tell us how you implement that part of the program. How are the performances created? How are they scheduled? Are they open to the public? Are there differences in the performances based on the younger kids and the older students?
Russ [:Sure. Yeah. Go go ahead. How do we we set up our gigs with he's like we said earlier, Chad's a booking agent, so we have a lot of friendly communication with Yeah. Clubs already, so we'll set up a place. But in terms of the material that the bands are playing, it's Is it what
Chad [:were you gonna say? Lead back.
Russ [:It was Great. It it's appropriate to their level. So we have a an introductory band called Rock 101, where the hype of the guitar and the kids are very similar. Mhmm. And then performance program and then adult program. So the songs that are chosen are gonna be in that lane of ability. And some songs will pick to challenge them a little bit. But there's, the adult band has, they get some input on what songs they'd like to play.
Russ [:So right now, they're in the process of submitting songs that we have a a bank of songs at School of Rock that we can play and play out.
Chad [:We have licenses and sync licensing licensing as well. So copyrights, we're good. Yeah. Yeah. We're legal.
Russ [:So they get a little bit of involvement in, hey. What do I wanna play? What would sound fun? Would sound good with the ability in the band, so they get to be a little creative on that front too.
Chad [:And, eventually, once the adults have enough material, we're actually gonna just give them their own gig, their own performance. Not so, like, the end of season show we that I mentioned earlier on September 10th, which might or might not be posted on time, that we will have not just the Rock 1 0 1 kids and the performance group is 13 to 18 year olds, but we'll also have our adult band as well there. Even though there's kids there, it works works really well, they're very supportive of the kids just like the kids are supportive of the adults. The the adult band has been really steady, And it's been really wonderful to see them you know, they made T shirts for the band, you know, that kinda stuff. And they're they're the material's getting up. So in all honesty, they could probably play a show on their own in the near future, and I would love to help them out with that. So, like, you know, I'm also the booking agent for the Columbus Crew, so I I do their music there. And so I've had School of Rock, perform there as well in the past, and, you know, we are very much with the skill sets that we all have.
Chad [:We're very much set up for success here. You know? And I very much like the the adults in the group are wonderful. It it's it's really great to see them. So we mentioned that drummer, you know, Ted, you know, he's very, very, very verbose on how much he loves the school. And he's, like, he's also the number 1 doubter of himself, but he'll just, like, you know, say how not good he is. But he's is incredible from where he came from, you know, and it's it's awesome. The band is we have, there's a a husband and wife that come here, and they make it a date night. So they have their lessons, and they go get them then they go get Chipotle afterwards, and then they hang out, and they do the performance at the end or the rehearsal at the end of the night.
Chad [:And it it's it's very cool. These these they're making it, like, instead of a lesson, they're making it an active just an activity. An event.
Russ [:Comes to Yeah. And it's Mhmm.
Brett Johnson [:So I I wanna I wanna go there too because
Chad [:go there.
Brett Johnson [:Because I think The the benefits of music and music programs, we know that for young kids.
Chad [:We
Brett Johnson [:you know? And we hear more about it when schools stop their, you know, their their their music program and all of a sudden, it's it's a loss. So let's talk about those benefits of an older adult that you're seeing and also from research and such, why is it so I could see a 60 or 7 year old going, I definitely got another, you know, a few more years to play. Why am I doing it now? No. I mean so they have a few more years. So what? I mean, let's talk about the benefits that you're seeing Of of an older adult, not necessarily versus a younger person, but just where you are right now.
Russ [:Yeah. There are a few things that popped to mind. General cognitive maintenance as we age, music has proven to repair some of those things and just stave off some things that we hope not to happen in our as we age, friendships was another thing. Was the older we get, maybe the less we're social, the less we're out. We know
Carol Ventresca [:The fewer friends of ours who are still
Russ [:Are still with us. Still
Carol Ventresca [:with us.
Brett Johnson [:Yes. Yeah.
Russ [:There's, that's a huge one. So that breathes life into someone's life as they're learning their music. And you know? There's true friends there now in the adult program. They're buddies. They hang around later. Yeah. You know? They don't have to stay here, and they they'll stick around and
Chad [:Yeah. We want them to leave so we can go home, but they they You're
Carol Ventresca [:not gonna tell them about this podcast Oh,
Chad [:I will. They know they were joking, but They're wonderful. They they're so great. Like, they go out. They're they go out. You know? It's it's So having that like Russ was saying, having that social, you know, social making a social event, it it gives them something to look forward to every week. You know? And then, also, during the week, it gives them something to do. Let's say they're you know? And they they are retired.
Chad [:You know? There's not much to do other than, like, golf and, I don't know. Watch Maury or something. I don't know. And so, like, the idea is, like, I have to practice, so I I I make sure that I do what I need to do for the rehearsal.
Russ [:Accountability to others in a group form maybe causes you to rehearse more in the
Chad [:Yeah. Practice. Yeah.
Carol Ventresca [:You had also mentioned Early on in the podcast that at the end of each term, you have a show. Yeah. Is that okay. So How does that compare to, the other programs that that you do with the groups? Is that or is that the same?
Chad [:Same. That's the one September which we're offering free tickets.
Carol Ventresca [:Okay. Okay. So so, basically, it's like it's like the term of a class. They finish that that lesson, and this is their
Brett Johnson [:That's their
Carol Ventresca [:culmination of their what they've been full.
Russ [:So, like, 7 songs set. Fans will get a half hour set.
Chad [:45 to that, probably. So it's more of, it's like a recital, basically. It's the idea of a recital, but as a And, like, in a bar, in a venue, you know, and we have a light show, have the haze, you know, we have a sound guy doing, like, sound guy things and yeah. So it's a real a real deal thing. You know? We like, our 1st end of season show that we did was at Woodlands, and it was packed. The entire place was packed. And that was just the 1st one we did. It's really it's really cool.
Russ [:That was really what
Carol Ventresca [:Wonderful.
Russ [:To see everyone
Carol Ventresca [:And we will family. We will definitely post the information.
Chad [:Just Yeah. On September 10th, you mean?
Carol Ventresca [:Yeah. September 10th.
Chad [:You care.
Russ [:I could tell he's a promoter.
Chad [:Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. It's it's no. We it's and we're starting our new season on the next day after September 10th, and, you know The 11th. Is that right?
Russ [:That would
Chad [:it's one day before it's one day before 12th, the Monday after Sunday, September 10th. That's right.
Carol Ventresca [:Got it.
Chad [:And, okay.
Carol Ventresca [:And then when when is the next one after that?
Chad [:Because after September, the 10 plus 1? Yes. January. January 22nd, I think. So it's it's it's literally seasonal. You know? It's different seasons for different seasons. So we about 3 or 4 months, you know, for the most part.
Russ [:I was
Brett Johnson [:just gonna ask how long those are. 3 or 4 months. I don't know.
Chad [:So what's was, like so for most groups, So Rock one zero one performance groups, the the the students in there, those are kids. They're from ages 8 to 18, and those groups that we have, they'll move around, and we're we're creating new groups as well as we grow as as a business. And the place of performance will have different themes. So this we have 2 performance groups coming up in the new season. We have arena rock, which is like queen and stuff like that, and then we have, like, Pop punk and Emo, which is, like, Blink 182 and, like, more, like, you know, that kind of stuff. And then but the adult band is different, which I love, because it's like a real band. It's ongoing. The members stay the same.
Chad [:They're growing. They're actually we're actually adding 2 2 guitarists, I believe, in the new season that one was originally in the group, but he I think he injured himself, so he wasn't able to play, and he's coming back. And then a parent of 1 of the performance group kids is actually joining. He is a he's great. He's super great. He's super tattooed, And he looks the part already. You know? I'm I'm I'm pasty and have 0 tattoos. I'll and I've been on rock my entire life.
Russ [:You'd fix one of those things.
Chad [:Which one?
Russ [:Hold. You get a prison tattoo. There is
Chad [:Prison tattoo? Cheap. They're really easy. Yeah. I have pens. I have we have so many pens here. We could do it. The adult band Yeah. The adult band is a continuous group, and they're growing their set list, and they're not changing.
Chad [:We might add a 2nd adult group because it's becoming a very popular thing and since your listeners will be hearing this, they'll be like, oh my gosh. I wanna do School of Rock, and they'll be coming here. Then we'll add a 3rd adult group. You're never you're never too old to learn how to play an instrument. Yeah. And that's for real. The first time you come here is actually a free trial. Oh, I'm a good idea.
Chad [:You can try it without spending any money and, you know, like, if you like it, you like it. And if you don't, you don't.
Russ [:And you wanna make sure we're the appropriate amount of crazy for the you know? Right. We're not 2. We're not not enough, we're just right there in the pocket.
Carol Ventresca [:Chad, you had mentioned that Yes. There are some programs that the state of Ohio provides kids.
Chad [:Actually, yeah. This is this is The tuition dollars. This is Russ's thing, actually. Russ Russ has spearheaded this. The ACE program. Mhmm.
Russ [:So for qualifying families, students are entitled to $1,000 to use for continuing education. We're we became a provider in that network. So we're new to it. We're in it now, but that reason, I hate to see when a parent can't afford it and their kid really needs it or Mhmm. This gives them some time here to really create some, you know, quality in that kid's life musically
Chad [:Right.
Russ [:I think yeah. We're working through it. There's a we have a good amount of
Chad [:We have we have a good amount. And it you don't it doesn't also need to be, like you don't need to be broke to use it. It's it's really
Russ [:I think it the it's a $75,000 family income threshold.
Chad [:Yeah. It's
Russ [:And then annually, for however long this program is, it's it's funded federally. Has they keep releasing $1,000 every July for them to it's pretty cool.
Chad [:It's it's great. It's wonderful. We've seen a lot of kids that would never have the opportunity, and it's it's for us, you know, one of the things that Russ and I were really excited about, Not not just with the ACE program, but we've never been in a place where we could actually help, you know, help different, like, schools or people because we've never had such a big platform so, for instance, like, we've done assemblies at schools where they would never probably get anything of the quality. We we worked with, Beatty Park Elementary in Columbus, which was really, really, really just a ton of fun, and you could tell that it brought a lot of joy to their faces, and this is something that is near and dear to both Russell and I's heart.
Russ [:And that was one thing that didn't solicit any new students from us. It was Yeah. We wanted to go out and It wasn't a moneymaker. To share that, and it it was. It was fun.
Chad [:It was fun. Yeah. And then same thing with the ace base program, and we're very thankful to be able to do something like that you know? And, eventually, when we're in the place, we will the place, we will have, scholarships available. Not quite yet. We're not there, but when we do, we will because we love when so, like, let's say there's a kid in the program, and they just love with all their heart. They're practicing, but it's just something that a parent can't afford, we'll make it work because having that kind of, kid in our program is everything we want. And, you know, not everyone, you know, is able to afford lessons. I mean, music is not cheap in general, and, you know, we do a a good job at keeping it down price wise, but we wanna make sure that everyone has the ability to be here.
Carol Ventresca [:And and listeners, we'll put a link To the ACE program on our website with the show notes for this k. This program so that if somebody is interested, They'll be able to find out more about the program and then can contact you.
Chad [:Okay. Thank you. Okay.
Brett Johnson [:And to be a really good entrepreneur or a business owner, you've gotta have future plans. So what what's the future hold 5 years, 10 years from now
Chad [:Can't tell you. Okay. It's top secret. No. So we we question. Shouldn't. No. We we well, there's there's a couple things that I really don't wanna mention for real that are entrepreneurial.
Brett Johnson [:Much as you can. Yeah. I get it.
Chad [:Yeah. Yeah. We'd like to expand.
Brett Johnson [:Can You
Chad [:know, this has been a really fun process, and, you know, having the ability to do that would be wonderful. You know? I know that, you know, we'd it not just in location, but the size of this space. You know? We know that our next door neighbor is probably not gonna be there, after their lease runs out, I can say that. Right?
Brett Johnson [:Mhmm.
Chad [:Alright. So our lease run out. So if we get to the point where we can afford it, we'll just knock a wall through our wall, and then we'll just expand. I mean, so we're doing, as I showed you in the beginning, we have those the little kids' rooms, that's Little Wing and Rookies, which is from ages 3 to 7, that's really popular. We just opened up our 2nd room, and we are currently in talks with, a federal agency that, is looking to use our program as well so we're gonna be busing a bunch of a lot of children here.
Russ [:Cool. Yeah. Bring them here.
Brett Johnson [:Yeah. Yes.
Chad [:Once again, that's
Russ [:cool. That's a great thought
Chad [:Once again, can't mention specifics.
Russ [:But No.
Brett Johnson [:That's great. Yeah. Okay. No. And and because that speaks volumes with what you just said. No. That's great.
Carol Ventresca [:Well and when those all fall into place, you can come back and visit us, and we can have another fun fest
Russ [:Yeah. Yeah.
Carol Ventresca [:Podcast. I
Chad [:would oh, yeah, Jude. Yeah.
Carol Ventresca [:Well, the the the one thing we always ask our guests is any words of wisdom, last words of wisdom that, we didn't get a chance to talk about today that you were hoping we would discuss or just
Chad [:You started.
Carol Ventresca [:You know, talk about why people are coming here What and why they should be coming here.
Russ [:Because, the passion so fun and work can be the same thing. And I think when fun and work are married together, like, in a place like this, that it shows to our end users, our students, that there's more than just this is more than just a building where we're learning music. They're getting the peripheral things, friendships and even in these bands, we we teach the things like, how do you deal with your nerves? Things like that. But the the reason why I think people like this place is because we are who we are. We are who we should say we are. Mhmm. We want the best for all these students. We want growth, but we want I know that the more music we put out into a community, the the better that community is for it.
Russ [:And I think there's never enough of that, and there's always time for us to to gain confidence from anything we can and music is something that is such a a deliverer of confidence that I'm passionate to share that. It's given me I had impostor syndrome for a long time, and I think that's what we were loosely talking about with Chad was I'm not a professional musician.
Chad [:It wasn't loosely.
Russ [:It was true. I I'm a self taught drummer. I've I've learned a lot from some of my heroes and things, but that's accessible in any form. And so that I just growth. Growth and the ability to come here and not be judged not be judged at all. There's every different type of person is in this school, and every I hope that every one of those people feels like this is a place to call their own too. Mhmm. So that's my why.
Russ [:Okay. What's your why?
Chad [:That was really great.
Russ [:Alright.
Chad [:Yeah.
Russ [:Other than I'm the sappy one.
Chad [:I was I was gonna be sad.
Russ [:Happy. There is there is you took my sap. He he is my greatest friend in the world, and there is there's passion in what we do, and that shows. And I don't know where I'm going with this, but the fun It's nice. Has to be part of what we were doing and there had to be a a a something we could see happen in people Mhmm. Great. Watching people grow up a little bit musically is can grab a little more confidence. I'm grabbing confidence.
Russ [:I'm trying to every week. Yeah. There's there's never enough of that.
Chad [:I was gonna say so, I mean, that was really good still. That was good. Really nice. So I've been doing, you know, music lessons for about 20 years now, And, you know, I've I've usually had about 40, 45 students of my own at a time, and seeing it with so many more students is it's really like an actual school. It's it's really wonderful to see people grow and develop and, you know, grow confidence, like,
Russ [:imagine like a father when you see it, for you, especially with how much you've taught.
Chad [:When you
Russ [:see all these kids here and adults and, there's a cool family here. Yeah. Or something.
Chad [:Yeah. Something like that.
Russ [:Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you.
Chad [:You did. It's alright. So, so
Russ [:I was the interviewer for a minute.
Chad [:Yeah. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Thank Thank you for making me lose my train.
Russ [:Yeah.
Chad [:This is really great. So, yeah, it it's great to see it in such a large, you know, large set of people. And As Russ kinda loosely mentioned, the idea that people can be who they are here. You know? We have people of all different, you know, different cultures, different ages, different orientations, just Everything. Different relate it's wonderful. It's it's so cool, and Everyone is treated as an equal. Music is, you know well, I forgot. I'm pretty sure this isn't the the right quote.
Chad [:Music is the great equalizer. That's not it at all.
Russ [:It popped into my head.
Chad [:It's not right, though. But let's pretend like it is here. I know. Mhmm. But it's it's it's obviously its own language, and, you know, people are speaking to each other, they're having fun. They're dancing in their lessons. They're singing. We have you know, it's just like these little kids just run around making so much noise in the in the the front rooms, and it's it's so wonderful because this is, you know, 2 years in the making for us and I, you know, to get to this point where we're at, and we've both had more gray hairs than we used to.
Russ [:And gathering.
Chad [:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They are gathering.
Russ [:They're planning something up there.
Chad [:They're loosening. No. He's not gonna lose his hair ever. That's just I
Russ [:think I'm gaining your hair.
Chad [:You probably are. Yeah. But, it's it's what the whole wisdom is this. Music is wonderful. It's is we are able to create a lovely community here, and everyone, you know, for them, you know, seems happy here, and it's a great place to be. And like, we said in the beginning of this that Russ and I want this place to be like we are. You know? Like, feel the passion, the compassion, the openness, the the ability to be yourself, the the want to do better, the want to work hard at what you love is we could see it In the building itself, in the staff, in the in the in the kids, and, gosh, and we're, you know, branching out to the community, and it's it's really it's everything we wanted. You know? We wanted to be able to, you know, have a business that we could make money at, but we wanted to be able to develop children.
Chad [:We wanted to be able to help adults reclaim their abilities that they used to have or start a new one. We we wanted to be able to donate our time and when what we have to the community, and that's what we're doing. And, actually, Spur a thought moment. Just gonna do it. I'm doing it.
Russ [:What do you got?
Chad [:Alright. Spokesperson. Right?
Russ [:K.
Chad [:So check it out. So I don't know. Let's say the 1st person who comments on this podcast gets a free immersion pack on your thing. Oh. That's a
Russ [:so that is 4 45 minute lessons for comes for free
Chad [:Yeah. So the 1st person, you just need to tell us. Okay. Yeah. Tag tag us at school rock Columbus. Yeah. So, nice. No.
Chad [:But, anyways, yeah. We're we're just basically Russ and I, and I could speak from this, we're just thankful to be where we're at right now.
Brett Johnson [:It sounds like it.
Russ [:That's good. Yeah.
Brett Johnson [:Well, well, thanks to our experts, Chad Greenwald and Russ Miller from School of Rock Columbus for joining us today. Listeners, thank you for joining us. Check our show notes for contact information and the resources we've discussed today. You can find this information at looking forward our way.com. We are looking forward to hearing your feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes.
