PERRYSBURG, Ohio — You may think a mall in suburban Perrysburg would be an unlikely place to learn how to be a rock star but rock and roll enthusiast Ron Rothenbuhler would disagree.
He loved the education his 10-year-old daughter Isabella received at the Ann Arbor “School of Rock” music school so much that he is opening one at Levis Commons.
Isabella is a drumming phenom, playing along seamlessly with recordings of rock god drummers like John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon of the Who.
"Isabella has her own unique style of drumming and it's a lot of heavy base kick, fast snares, and she likes a lot of fills. And she likes to do and to make up her own fills. Keith Moon is one of those drummers that just does crazy fills all the time,” said Ron.
The School of Rock is a worldwide franchise that was started around the turn of the century in Philadelphia by a traditional rock music instructor, Paul Green, who found that kids learned their instruments better when put in a band setting.
There are over 300 School of Rock locations around the country.
You may remember the 2006 Jack Black movie, in which a substitute teacher at a stuffy prep school teaches kids what rock and roll means by using them to start a band but the real school actually pre-dates the movie.
Ron says his Perrysburg franchise, when it opens, will employ about 20, mostly part-time, teachers to teach guitar, drums, bass, piano, and vocals.
The school will also offer programs in songwriting and performing.
He expects the school to have up to 300 students by the end of the first year.
He is hoping to open the business at the end of June. Click here if you want more information on how to apply.
Click here if you want to see Isabella drumming along to Led Zeppelin’s Good Times Bad Times.
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