People – OK, boomers – like to say that “rock is dead,” but one look at the 80,000-strong students enrolled in a School of Rock program, and it’s very obvious that statement is complete nonsense. Rock is very much alive and kicking, and if this new crop of talented youngsters is anything to go by, it’s in very safe hands indeed.
For those not in the know, School of Rock is a Philadelphia-born, now-international music education platform with an impressive 650 locations across the world. Now, it does more than teach young musicians how to play guitar, bass, drums, or sing. It helps them “master skills, unleash creativity, and develop the tools they need to thrive in life.”
Earlier this month, the firm kicked off its “All Stars Tour,” a nationwide run of 34 shows across 32 cities showcasing the organization’s most elite young musicians.
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Everyone was crying on the last day, and we were all hugging
Less than 1% of students earn a spot in an All Star band, making it the highest achievement in the School of Rock community. 162 students from 99 locations, including the United States, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Canada, and Australia, make up the 2026 class.
The group was divided into six teams and spent 10 days touring the country, playing iconic venues including Trees in Dallas, Sony Hall in New York, and 3Ten at ACL Live in Austin.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the All Stars Tour, and certainly the most heartwarming, is not in the new musical skills the participants gain, but the massive sense of community it brings. We caught up with three of the standout stars of the current tour to get their perspective on what School Of Rock means to them.
“I remember watching the documentary when it first came out, and people were saying, ‘Yeah, on day one, we’re strangers, by day 10, we’re a family,’” recalls 15-year-old guitarist Logan Clyde.
“I always thought that wasn’t really that true. I thought it would just be some type of School of Rock marketing thing. I didn’t expect that connection to be so wholesome with everyone, but truly everyone was so welcoming to me on day one. It made it just so easy and stress-free for me as a first-timer.
“Everyone was crying on the last day, and we were all hugging and reminiscing on something that was just a 10-day-long thing – it was incredible.”
That sentiment is echoed by bassist Chloe Aaronson, 17: “School of Rock has given me that community and that comfort to be okay with stepping outside of my comfort zone.
“Embracing the mistakes that I make on stage or embracing my nerves and using that as fuel to push my performance to a higher level. It makes the band sound better, and it makes it a more enjoyable experience for people watching.”
For 17-year-old Alex Doner, who has been with the program since he was only seven, the school has been a constant in his life. “It’s kind of what I grew up with,” says Doner. “It’s about community. These guys are your friends; they’re cool people. We all share the same interest in music.”
Now, when School Of Rock says these are the most elite players from across their schools, they really do mean it. Indeed, the tour saw the musicians tackle everything from rock standards to some considerably more challenging tracks, too.
“I think for us, Hallowed Be Thy Name by Iron Maiden was the hardest to get right,” says Clyde. “Musically, it’s not the most challenging, but it’s still got parts to it that you definitely need to focus on. But what made it harder was that we choreographed the entire song; we wanted to embody what Iron Maiden does in their live shows.”
Music is in Clyde’s blood. His grandfather played bass for a teenage Van Morrison in The Monarchs. Clyde is following in his grandfather’s footsteps, having not only reached AllStar status in only a few short years, but he has performed the national anthem solo for 26,000 fans at a professional soccer match.
“Preparation is always key,” he says, noting how performing as a house band outside the stadium helped him release his nervous energy before the big moment of going out solo.
I never really thought of music as an option, but it has given me so much joy and so much happiness
Chloe Aaronson says it was a surprising Mars Volta prog classic, L’Via L’Viaquez, that gave her the most trouble on this tour, but it was still enjoyable. “Going on stage and just being able to play that, it was so fun!”
Aaronson is a California-based bassist. Known as ‘Chlo Dart’ – a nod to her favorite player, Vulfpeck bassist Joe Dart – Chloe’s journey has been one of building confidence, and she’s now contemplating making music full-time, although it may have to take a backseat if she plans to study biomedical engineering.
“I don’t know if I’m going to do it as a career,” says Aaronson. “I never really thought of music as an option, but it has given me so much joy and so much happiness that I think that if I don’t do music later, it would not help me.”
From performing at a bustling NAMM show to walking the red carpet at the She Rocks concert, she has achieved a lot already, but admits that the dream is still to perform with Vulfpeck someday, “I don’t want to kick Joe Dart out,” she jokes. “But it’d be pretty cool if I could go up there with him. I want to do New Beastly, and we trade off solos.”
Getting those Nuno tapping licks was not easy
For Alex Doner, it was Avenged Sevenfold’s mega hit, Beast and the Harlot, that proved to be the biggest challenge for the young guitarist, although it could be argued that he has tackled much trickier things in his career so far.
Doner, based in Seattle, is a lifer. He took up the instrument at just four years old, driven by “toddler curiosity” after watching his father play. By the time he was seven, he was enrolled. Today, he’s a veteran student who helps the newcomers.
Doner tells us that he was given the Extreme track Get The Funk Out, with only a day’s notice to learn Nuno Bettencourt’s notorious solo.
“Getting those Nuno tapping licks [down in a day] was not easy, but it definitely helped me. Tapping was not one of the things that I was good at in comparison to others,” explains Doner. “So it was a great learning experience, just learning it on the fly and getting the hang of tapping.”
We all know the importance of onstage time in shaping musicians, but for these particular students, School of Rock is more than just a program, or a gig. It’s a launchpad for confidence, creativity, and lifelong friendships – a real world community.
There is, of course, a lot of marketing and ‘selling the dream’ around music programs, but Clyde, for one, reckons the proof is in the progress.
“For anyone looking to be a musician, get better at their instrument, or join a band, School Of Rock is genuinely the perfect place to do it,” he says. “I just love the fact that you can grow as a musician, as a technical player, and see your progress while also making so many friends, like lifelong friends, and genuine connections.”
