School of Rock, which was popularized by the 2003 Jack Black film and now bills itself as the largest musical school franchise in the country, has come to Brookline.
The school offers classes in the different genres that inspired rock music: blues, R&B, gospel, country and jazz. It employs a performance-based approach that places students together in rock bands to perform gigs around their cities and towns.
Located on Beacon Street next to Trader Joe’s in Coolidge Corner, School of Rock Brookline opened in January. The building, which was formerly a bank, now houses a collection of recording and practice studios. Microphones, drum sets, electric guitars, keyboards and various other instruments fill the units. The walls are matte black with red trim. The rooms also include small drum sets and bass guitars to remind you who will be jamming in these soundproof rooms.
School of Rock offers individual lessons but is best known for its house bands. They assemble students of similar interests and abilities into groups that perform at local venues. A group of kids interested in ‘90s alternative rock can form a band based on that specific niche.
The decision to expand to Brookline was inspired by its “tight-knit, vibrant and creative community making it the perfect place for School of Rock,” says Stacey Ryan, president of School of Rock. The headquarters of the franchise is located in Canton, Massachusetts. The Brookline location is one of more than 385 locations worldwide.
The company’s ability to expand around the world is highly reliant on its franchisee model. Scott Rowan, who owns a franchise location in West Hartford, is behind the Brookline franchise. Asked why he chose to expand to Brookline, Rowan said, “I love the vibrant, walking community, the welcoming atmosphere, and I also love seeing people outside the window mixed with the hustle and bustle.” Rowan declined to disclose how many students the Brookline franchise has.
Rowan’s introduction to School of Rock came as a surprise. Since 2010, he had been running a tech startup that designed software to prevent distracted driving, but says that turned out to be “a tough sell.” He said he wanted to move into a market where people were excited about the product. In 2020, while he was working from home during the pandemic, he said, one of his children asked him to help in the school chorus.
He has been playing drums for 35 years and was thrilled to grow closer with his daughter through this shared passion for music. He played seven songs with his daughter’s fourth-grade class at their spring concert. Rowan loved the experience. He later met a student at School of Rock and was inspired to learn about the hands-on nature of the program. “The stage is just another classroom,” Rowan said. “For an hour they [the students] are rock stars.” After some research, he moved to Hartford and started franchising.
Rowan has since witnessed the community that School of Rock fosters. He describes the institution as “half music school, half teen center.” He recalls one student who walked into her first lesson with her gaze to the floor, barely saying a word. As the months passed, her confidence grew, he said, and she auditioned for the house band. When she left the trial, a band member remarked, “that girl was cool, I hope she comes back.”
The girl is now an undergraduate at a music school. “She had found her place,” Rowan said.
This story was produced in collaboration with the Reinventing Journalism course at Brandeis University, taught by Professor Neil Swidey, with mentoring for student journalists by Brookline.News editorial adviser Ellen Clegg and editor Sam Mintz. Read more about the collaboration here.