Lynnwood’s School of Rock an alternative for music lovers

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 6, 2017

Alex Eisen sits curled up in a chair in the lobby of Lynnwood School of Rock waiting for the start of her bass guitar lesson. In her lap she cradles her electric bass, an instrument that by now feels like part of her own body.

The Jackson High School sophomore, 16, wasn’t interested in learning classical music or jazz at school. She took up rock music at the Bellevue School of Rock two years ago, then transferred to Lynnwood when the franchise opened in February. It’s closer to her folks’ Mill Creek area home.

“My parents are all for this,” Alex said. “I also play guitar and a bit on drums.”

Sunday is a good day for Alex, who follows her private lesson with a lengthy band rehearsal with other School of Rock musicians. She enjoys the interaction and cooperation.

“School of Rock plays a big part in me loving music,” she said. “I still might become a biochemist, but I will always love rock.” Her favorite era is the 1980s, and Joan Jett’s career is one that Alex follows.

School of Rock approaches music education in a different way than one might find in most public schools. The curriculum is performance-based, so kids learn by doing in a rehearsal setting playing songs chosen for the development of basic skills. After they get the basics, it’s easier to follow that with music theory and instrumental technique, said Lynnwood’s school director Zeke Trosper.

“We kind of work in the opposite direction of most teaching,” Trosper said. “We provide the context — showing how much fun it is to play — and then we introduce scales and the theory that shows why a song sounds good.”

Trosper, 40, grew up in a musical family. A professional performer, Trosper has been teaching for School of Rock for nearly nine years. It’s the focus of his career now.

“Rock is high energy and the songs we teach were written by bands when those people were young,” he said. “Our students can identify with the music.”

The rehearsal rooms at Lynnwood School of Rock are painted with murals of such rock stars as Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie. A student lounge is littered with rock magazines. It’s a good place to hang out.

“Pop music and electronica have their fans, but we are talking about kids who want music that is more complex and deep,” Trosper said. “Watching their maturity and their tastes develop is really cool.”

The Lynnwood School of Rock is owned by Jon and Gayle Scherrer, both 53.

A former tech marketing guy, Jon Scherrer grew up in Seattle loving rock music. When the Scherrers’ kids Kyle and Megan were 12 and 14, they announced they wanted to form a rock band. So their parents enrolled them in Seattle School of Rock.

“I watched my kids develop as musicians, but they also learned to work with others and look at the big picture. I knew this was a good approach,” Scherrer said. “At the time I was taking a leadership class at Seattle University, and I remember thinking that the School of Rock approach would work well in a company setting, too.”

That’s when Scherrer decided he had to bring School of Rock to south Snohomish County.

“We allow kids to find their voices and we work to make them good citizens,” he said.

Son Kyle, now 20, is a student at the University of Southern California and a part-time teacher at the Venice Beach School of Rock. His musical focus now, however, is jazz guitar.

Kyle learned to love jazz as a student of band teacher Darin Faul at Mountlake Terrace High School. Faul is considered one of the leading jazz teachers in the region.

“I’m really happy for Jon Scherrer. He was a super great parent when Kyle was a student here,” Faul said. “I was a rock musician when I was growing up. Kids into rock generally don’t have a good way to connect with others. School of Rock helps them do that.”

Lynnwood School of Rock

4200 196th St. SW, Ste. 200, Lynnwood.

Call 425-361-2518. For more information, go to schoolofrock.com/lynnwood.