Today we’d like to introduce you to Julian Quezada.
Hi Julian, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Music’s been a core part of my life for what feels like forever. My parents were both avid listeners, and I would dig through their cd collections to find stuff I wanted to listen to in the car, like U2, The English Beat, R.E.M. and Alan Jackson. I spent a lot of my childhood singing along to songs on drives with family, which grew into church choir and school music recitals as I got older.
Things shifted into another gear at 10 years old when a friend of mine introduced me to the Guitar Hero series of video games. After a couple hours with the game, I became absolutely obsessed with all things guitar and rock music. I was hooked! I read every book, watched every show, and listened to everything I could get my hands on. In 6th grade, I even started my first band! We played Message In a Bottle by The Police for the school talent show. As I got older, I played guitar and sang in a few pop punk bands called Riboflavin and On the Upswing through high school and college. We played all over San Diego and Orange County. I still put out stuff occasionally under the name My Own Giant. The energy of being in a band and playing music with your friends is so enthralling. It’s the best feeling in the world and I’m stoked that I get to help people enjoy that same experience too. I feel like once you start, you’re hooked for life.
I found out about School of Rock in 2020 through a friend of mine who was working at the Scripps Ranch location. Since I started as a Studio Coordinator, it’s been a perfect fit for me. SoR’s mission of enriching lives through music education is close to my heart. There’s nothing better than seeing somebody fall in love with playing music and take their first steps on stage or in the rehearsal r0om. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to see the Del Mar location grow from a hole in the wall to a thriving community of musicians of all ages. Now as General Manager, I’m the first point of contact for newcomers looking to discover a new lifelong passion.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My location, School of Rock Del Mar, opened in September of 2020 – peak covid era. Launching a music school is a challenge already, which only gets more complicated in the midst of a pandemic. We had to learn how to run band programs and 1 on 1 lessons in an environment with social distancing and remote learning. It’s made our growth slow and steady, but it’s given us the chance to really refine how we operate and make sure students are getting the best experience possible no matter the circumstances.
There’s definitely been moments of growth for me personally too. I’ve had to learn how to approach situations from multiple angles at once. Parents, students, and instructors all look at a situation completely differently and have unique perspectives and needs. It’s important for me to create an environment where anyone who steps in the door, no matter their role, feels valued, seen, and safe. Doing that face-to-face legwork can be intimidating, but it’s incredibly satisfying when it all comes together.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
School of Rock is a performance based music school that helps students of all ages take the next step in their musical journey. We do that by pairing one-on-one instrument lessons with a weekly band practice, where aspiring rock stars get real world experience playing with other musicians in a band setting. We consistently see kids practice more regularly, make friends, grow in confidence, and grow as musicians by giving them a consistent environment to put what they’re learning in the lesson room into practice.
Speaking of lessons, we build our approach around a method that we call “song first”. Our students learn fundamental technique and theory by practicing and performing popular classic rock songs from our curriculum. Instead of learning theory on its own, students use rock’s greatest hits to learn those core skills. In our experience, learning and playing popular material is super motivating for beginning students. With just a lesson or two, they’re already building the skills to play some of their favorite songs.
We currently offer 5 core programs at School of Rock Del Mar:
Performance Program (11-18): Students join a band for a 4 month show season, focused on a specific theme, genre, group, artist. It’s a 2 hour weekly rehearsal along with a 30 minute weekly private lesson. Best of all, the group culminates in a real rock gig we put on at a local venue! It’s the ultimate rock star experience. See you at the show!
Rock 101 (7-11): This one’s for our beginners! Each week, students work on a few of rock music’s best songs in a beginner friendly 1 hour group rehearsal and 30 minute private lesson. It’s the perfect first step for young musicians looking to start their journey and begin developing their musical skills. These kids perform every 2 months too, so friends and family get to regularly see their progress!
Rookies (6-7): For students who are still deciding what they want to pursue musically, this class gives kids a chance to jam out on a variety of instruments (guitar, drums, keyboard, bass, and vocals) with one of our teachers. It’s a weekly 1 hour class where they can try multiple instruments without the pressure of weekly homework.
Little Wing (3-5): For our little ones, this class gets preschool age students a place to actually make music instead of just listening to it. Kids learn about basic music concepts through games, exercises, and instrument time in a 45 minute class. It’s a fun and lively “my first music class” environment, and is great for getting younger students excited about music.
Adult Band (18+): We couldn’t forget mom and dad! Adult band is a weekly band rehearsal on select evenings, where adult students get to learn and practice a setlist of songs under the direction of a band director. The best part, they have an end of season gig at a local venue to perform a curated setlist for friends and family. It’s perfect for adults with musical experience looking for somewhere to perform or to keep honing their craft. Come join the band!
What does success mean to you?
Success for us is seeing students grow as musicians and as people through the power of music and performance. The best part of this job is seeing kids start as timid beginners with no experience, and watching them grow into full blown rockstars. Everybody’s road to that point is different, but they each have a moment where they “get it”; where all of a sudden, music is something that they can make instead of just something they listen to. You get to see students find a new way express themselves in ways that they never thought possible. You get to see shy kids grow incredible confidence and command a stage. That musical and personal growth is why we do what we do.
Pricing:
- Rock 101 (ages 7-11) – $319/month
- Performance Program (ages 10-18) – $369/month
- Adult Band (18+) – $259month
- Rookies (ages 6-7) – $199/month
- Little Wing (ages 3-5) – $179/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.schoolofrock.com/locations/delmar
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schoolofrockdelmar/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-quezada/
Image Credits
Luke Sparrow
Fernando Velazquez
