SCS School of Rock Under New Ownership

Had Tim Faucher not bought the in St. Clair Shores, it's likely the after-school music academy would have closed at the end of September, he said.

That would've meant that its eight musical instructors, each one a professional musician, would no longer be teaching there. And some 50-plus students – mostly children and teens, but also adults -- wouldn’t be belting out song lyrics, or jamming out guitar riffs and drum beats, within.

“I bought this school because it was going to close. The show (on Sept. 25) would have been the very last,” said Faucher, who took over on July 12. “I’m going to keep it going. … To me, this is probably one of the best programs I’ve ever seen for kids.”

When the St. Clair Shores school opened three years ago, Faucher enrolled his oldest son. A year-and-a-half ago, his younger son, age 9, joined.

The business – which is part of chain of 71 schools nationwide – serves not only as a music academy, but also as a place to incubate budding rock bands, and provide them space to practice.

With new ownership came changes. Faucher replaced furniture, cracked ceiling tiles and well-worn instruments. He also redecorated the school’s central corridor.

The private classrooms, however, have been left largely the same. Each is styled after a different rock genre, from early Chuck Berry-era rock ‘n’ roll to Motown to metal and grunge rock.

By day, Faucher is a consultant with Jawood Business Solutions. The school, however, is a passion.

“I consider every kid in this school, all the way up to (the oldest member) at 72, my kids,” he said. 

Just three days after officially taking over the business, Faucher surprised the school’s “house band” of regularly-performing members – an honor for which the students audition – by taking them to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

A month of once-a-week, 30- or 45-minute sessions costs $115 or $150, respectively. Becoming a full-time member of the performance program, which includes an additional three-hours-a-week of band rehearsal, costs $250 per month.

Tim said the prices, which are set by the franchise, are justified because members learn the instruments at an accelerated pace, set by the motivation to perform well during regularly-scheduled rock shows. Past concerts have centered around the music of Nirvana, KISS and Pink Floyd, for example. An upcoming show will feature music from the "girls of rock," like Pat Benatar, Joan Jett and others.

“It’s a membership, just like a gym,” he said. “If you’re a member of the School of Rock, if our doors are open, you can come here any time you want.”

And members are taught to pick up new instruments, or try singing.

“It’s a performance-based academy, so it’s all about the shows, performing live,” said music director Joe Leone. The first summer camp group went from beginners – some who had never touched instruments – to performing eight songs at a local yacht club, in only two weeks, Leone said.

Had the School of Rock shut down, Carin Warner, of St. Clair Shores, said her daughter, Elaina, would have been devastated. For them, the membership made sense considering the amount of time Elaina spends there, she said.

“That’s her home away from home. She feels so comfortable there,” Warner said.

Warner’s husband, Chris, plays for the school’s adult band. Their son, Vaughn, will be learning drums there starting this month.

For more information about the School of Rock, call (586) 588-7779 or go to www.schoolofrock.com.