Schoolhouse Rock Live visits the Rosendale Theatre
“Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, get your adverbs here!” If that single line sends you down Memory Lane, placing you squarely on a Saturday morning cartoon-watching couch, you’re probably part of the Schoolhouse Rock generation. I’m here to let you know that not only are these songs being performed in the present day, but you can also bring your kids to enjoy these classic favorites, too!
This weekend, Schoolhouse Rock Live takes place at the Rosendale Theatre on Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m., Saturday, November 23 at 3 p.m. and Sunday, November 24 at 7 p.m. The director is Carrie Wykoff, and the performers include Jenifer Constantine, John Cox, Seth Davis, Melinda DiMaio, Mike Gonzales, Callie Hershey, Dylan Johanson, Charlie Kniceley, Kelleigh McKenzie, Jan Melchior, Doug Motel, Molly Parker-Myers, Shabbat, Ross Rice, Amber Rubarth, Sophia Skiles, Marianne Tasick, Carl Welden and Tim Whalen. This event is fun, plus it raises funds toward future renovations of the Rosendale Theatre, such as a makeover for the lobby and bathrooms.
Tickets cost $15 for adults, $10 for children. Tickets are available at https://schoolhouserockrosendale.bpt.me. The Rosendale Theatre is located at 408 Main Street in Rosendale. For more information, call (845) 658-8989 or visit https://rosendaletheatre.org or www.facebook.com/rosendaletheatre.
Ritz Theater hosts “Newburgh’s Got Talent!”
The historic Ritz Theater presents the fifth annual RitzKidz “Newburgh’s Got Talent!” Talent Show this weekend. The performance takes place in the theater lobby on Sunday, November 24 at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $5. The Ritz Theater is located at 107 Broadway in Newburgh. For tickets or more information, call (845) 784-1199 or visit www.ritztheaternewburgh.org.
Paul Green Rock Academy kids perform at the Falcon in Marlboro
Olivia Casa, age 14, says, “The Rock Academy has broadened my music experience and my love for music. It has also made me understand the importance of a good work ethic.” Her brother, Nicholas Casa, age 11, adds, “The Rock Academy has helped me with my grades and has given me something to look forward to after school.” Olivia and Nick are students of the Paul Green Rock Academy, and if you aren’t already familiar with this incredible school, I’m hoping that my conversation with creator and founder Paul Green will entice you to learn more and check out the Show Band’s gig at the Falcon in Marlboro this weekend.
How do you sell rock music as a viable alternative to classical or jazz that’s offered in most schools? The kids want it, but what kinds of hurdles do you face in convincing parents to commit their kids to your school?
Perhaps counterintuitively, it is the parents that are the easier sell with our curriculum. After all, the classic rock that is our curriculum is the very music of our students’ parents’ generation. And I believe we have come to a point in the music’s history where it is seen as a true and important artform. Jazz made a similar transition from “popular artform” to “part of our cultural heritage” in the 1960s, as evidenced by the establishment of Berklee and other jazz programs in colleges and big schools.
If we were teaching “modern popular music” – e.g., Lady Gaga or Miley Cyrus – we would perhaps attract more younger students, but not have nearly the almost-unanimous support that we have from our parents at the school with our curriculum of the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
How would you describe the youth who attend your school?
Though we draw from a wide range of kids, our exemplary student is generally one who hasn’t really found anywhere they belong, from whom their natural creativity and desire to express themselves aren’t able to take root in standard school systems. I like to say that we turn peer pressure upside down here…where in most schools the kids that don’t do or say much tend to be the cool kids, at Rock Academy the kids who really work hard, express themselves and try new things are the leaders and the one’s who are looked up to.
With an international presence, how did you choose Woodstock as your next location? How involved are you in the franchise itself? Are you still connected with it at all?
I sold School of Rock in 2009 and haven’t been involved with the business since early 2010. I ended up in Woodstock because of my other business venture, the Woodstock College of Music, which I’m doing with Michael Lang, among others. While that is ramping up for a September 2015 launch, I had the time and opportunity to start a new kids’ music school, the Paul Green Rock Academy, which has been great, because I missed teaching and have gotten to hire a bunch of really great local musicians.
What are some misconceptions people have about what you’re doing? Do people take you seriously?
The main misconception is that we are only teaching songs, when in fact we are teaching music theory and how to play one’s instruments through songs. Most of the right people take us very seriously, as evidenced by the number of prestigious musicians who have worked with my programs over the years. Speaking of prestigious musicians, Jon Anderson from Yes will be doing two concerts with our students in early April. Exciting!
I asked Steve Casa in New Paltz, Olivia and Nicholas’ Dad, to share some of his impressions of the school. “My daughter entered the Paul Green Rock Academy in March of 2013; since then it has been an incredible ride for our family. The Rock Academy teaches music in a much different way: It’s a way that actually gets kids to want to practice. It’s a performance-based model where kids are cast in a show. Olivia’s first, which was also the Rock Academy’s first, was Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Over ten weeks she had a lesson each week with a working musician – in her case it was two-time Grammy nominee Tracy Bonham – and a three-hour show rehearsal. Like all kids in the Academy, she had to learn her songs, and therefore learned to play the piano and sing in a way that motivated her to practice, and practice hard. The show was a huge success and Olivia’s confidence and skills as a pianist and vocalist soared, which motivated her more to practice and perform more.
“This ‘experiential learning’ model gives kids such great opportunities to grow as musicians and people. Since that first show she has been in a Led Zeppelin show; a tribute to the Who which her 11-year-old brother Nick joined her in; and they are both cast in a tribute to Levon Helm and the Band in mid-December. Olivia is also fortunate enough to be cast in the Rock Academy Show Band, which will be performing its first headlining gig at the Falcon on November 24. The Show Band will be performing with Jon Anderson from Yes in April, at Mountain Jam next summer and who knows where else. It’s been a pleasure to watch both my children become better musicians, but it’s also made them more confident, motivated and grateful human beings. I wish they had one for adults!”
The Show Band’s members range from ages 11 to 18 and they are directed by Paul Green. Their set list includes songs from Led Zeppelin, the Who, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Bruce Springsteen, Yes, Heart, Jane’s Addiction and more. The event takes place at the Falcon on Sunday, November 24, and you can make an evening of it by arriving early for dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by the performance at 7 p.m. The cover charge for music at the Falcon is a pay-what-you-can wooden box by the entrance.
The Falcon is located at 1348 Route 9W in Marlboro. For dinner reservations or more information, call (845) 236-7970 or visit www.liveatthefalcon.com. To learn more about the Paul Green Rock Academy, visit www.rockacademy.com.
Erica Chase-Salerno thanks you for reading Kids’ Almanac. I appreciate you! She and her husband Mike live in New Paltz with their two children: the inspirations behind hudsonvalleyparents.com. She can be reached at kidsalmanac@ulsterpublishing.com.
Join the family! 
