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“Rockestra” Will Rock You

“Rockestra” Will Rock You

The familiar melody of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” fills the afterschool hallways of Somers Middle School every Thursday afternoon as students in the Rockestra ensemble practice.

Several students sitting playing instruments guitars

“Rockestra is a creative outlet for students who are passionate about rock and pop music,” said Mr. Gilbert.

The afterschool club is available to all students, whether they’ve played an instrument before or not. There are no auditions, and they meet weekly for 45 minutes from September through June. The only requirements are enthusiasm for music and a desire to work together as a group toward a common goal. 

several students sitting playing violins, facing 3/4 away from camera

“Rockestra is amazing,” said Cooper Hewitt. “It’s different. It’s fun. It’s unique. It’s just a really nice club to go to if you want to play music.”

The ensemble is designed to teach a different musical skill set than an orchestra class. During Rockestra, the emphasis is on learning about groove, chord changes, and improvisation. 

“We get to play pop songs instead of classical,” Jay Saha said. “We used to try to do the songs on our own. Then we went to this because it’s too hard to replicate the songs on our own if you’re just hearing it.”

Rockestra performs at the winter and spring concerts with one to two songs each time. They often play for the community as well throughout the year. Past performances have included songs like "Paint it Black," "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Seven Nation Army," and "Day Tripper."

standing teacher with sitting students ,playing instruments

 

  • District
  • Middle School

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