2008 Woodie Awards
Rock School finds 'Grand' residence in Wilmington
Ian Palkovitz
Issue date: 4/25/06 Section: Mosaic
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In 1998, a man named Paul Green started a small school in his Philadelphia apartment with one simple goal - total rock destruction.
Since then, the school has grown into a national force according to Green's spokesman, Randy Alexander.
Alexander says the movie, "School of Rock," is based on Paul Green's real life.
"Jack Black is definitely the 'Hollywoodization' of Paul Green," Alexander says. "There are lot of similarities."
Katy Jacoby is a School of Rock veteran. She started in February of 2005 and is still attending the school.
"Paul Green is really cool, but he's tough on everybody," Jacoby says. "He really pushes people because he wants them to reach their potential."
Eric Svalgard bought the rights to open a new School of Rock in Wilmington. Svalgard says he first got involved with the school when he saw his daughter play a concert with the group in 2002.
"It was in this dumpy club in Philly," he says. "Here were these 15 and 16-year-old kids playing the Ramones and the Sex Pistols and I couldn't believe it. I went up to Paul and said, 'This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I want to have your babies.' "
Green offered Svalgard a volunteer teacher position. The more he worked at the store, the more he enjoyed it and gradually, he weaned himself from his day job.
The Wilmington School of Rock is scheduled to open in July and will include a 45-minute private lesson and a three-hour band rehearsal each week. There are three 12-week sessions each year, Svalgard says. At the end of each session there is a weekend of shows in a real venue, complete with lights and an active audience.
"It opens an outlet for kids who like to perform for people besides their mothers and their girlfriends," he says.
The school will be open daily from 3:30 to 8p.m. Students are encouraged to come by anytime to hang out and jam together.
Svalgard says the school will provide a place for teenagers who don't fit into normal society.
"Some of these kids are misfits," he says. "It gives these kids something more, especially those who don't play sports."
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