School of Rock at Terry Fox Secondary celebrates 15th anniversary
Students organize end of year concert that serves as their final exam
For the past 15 years Terry Fox Secondary in Port Coquitlam has been running a unique music program called Rock School that offers an alternative to traditional school choirs and bands.
It's a course where kids get to form their own bands and play whatever genre of music they like.
"I knew there were kids out there that wanted to play music, but didn't necessarily want to play traditional band music," said Steve Sainas, the teacher who founded Rock School. "They wanted to play music that resonated with them."
There are about 200 kids enrolled in the program that forms nearly 70 bands each year and there is typically a waiting list of students hoping to join.
This week the students in the program are putting on a show called Rock the Fox, which serves as their final exam.
In past years, students have performed tributes to The Ramones, Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd. Sainas says you never know what to expect, whether it be a rubber bat head bitten off and thrown into the audience or a lead singer being brought on stage in a coffin.
"They really try and emulate the acts. It's quite amazing what they come up with," said Sainas. "We do have an Alice Cooper set that's going on stage tomorrow. I hear that there might be even a mock guillotine on stage."
Students say Rock School provides them the opportunity to choose their musical path instead of following a prescribed curriculum.
"I can do whatever I wanted. I could do more contemporary music rather than being in a choir and having songs chosen for me and do things that I felt showcased my voice," said Hannah Norlin, a Grade 11 student and lead singer of Hannah and the Steam Refrigerator.
At one of their final rehearsals, Sainas prepped his students by giving them one last piece of advice.
"You need to believe me when I tell you that once you graduate from here, you may never get an opportunity to be on that kind of stage again. Take a moment and drink it all in. Absorb it. Enjoy it. Take in the moment."
To hear the full mix of Liam Britten's visit to Rock School, listen to the audio labelled Rock the Fox
With files from Liam Britten