One school of rock has moved on from conjunctions and onto power chords, and now from Norco to Long Beach.
Carson Street welcomed Rockstars of Tomorrow, a music academy, on March 28 during Fourth Friday in The Village on Carson Street. This location marks Rockstars of Tomorrow’s newest franchisee and second location, with the first being in Norco.
The program utilizes a performance-based model, setting their students’ eyes on a gig instead of a grade. Classes offered include vocals, guitar, bass, piano, drums, and recording and production, all of which incorporate artist development along the way.
Owners Brad and Stephanie Cummings and their crew look to provide enough theory, tips and tricks to guide their students up the stairway to heaven or commute the highway to hell — whatever taste suits them.
“When I took lessons, there was a fluorescent lamp in a small, old room that looked like a used office and you’re trying to read a blues scale out of a book,” Brad Cummings said. “There was a huge disconnect to this and what I was doing in the music business.”
When he’s not working with music students and running the business, Cummings plays in multiple bands, one being a collaboration with Long Beach’s Mike Vitale Trio that plays some Saturdays at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
Inside the ivy-coated walls are multiple themed rooms welcoming anyone “from age 4 to age 104” to unleash, strap-up or pedal-down and have fun. While students of all ages are welcome, Cummings said that they have a passion to teach kids at a young age, and for that reason, much of their marketing material is directed towards kids.
“J AC/DE,” as they refer to themselves, is a band comprised of kids from the Norco Rockstars of Tomorrow, all under the age of 11, according to Cummings. The band of youngsters played at the grand opening of the Long Beach Rockstars of Tomorrow location.
One of the most well-performed kids is David Lee, who started learning guitar with Rockstars of Tomorrow at 6 years old. Two years later, he has multiple shows under his belt.
Rockstars of Tomorrow distinguishes itself by going beyond the instrument to craft its students’ confidence into an overall performance persona.
After all, it was persona that inducted Rob Trujillo to eight-figure stardom as Metallica’s full-time fourth member. Along with talent, it took true showmanship for Fletcher Dragge to continue with Pennywise, one of the most successful, independent punk acts of this generation, or Scott Weiland to rasp out his vocals on internationally successful albums.
These names not only top Billboard charts but are also artists Cummings has worked with or known personally: Pat Simmons, Rita Coolidge, Earl Liberty and Sting. The list goes on.
“I take pride that every instructor these kids come in to meet [are] working pros,” Cummings said. “We’re out doing it and when you’re ready to play, you can come on one of our gigs and play with us.”
Although Rockstars of Tomorrow originally was developed as an alternate means to generate income, Cummings said that along the way he realized sometimes giving a kid an outlet is giving him a getaway.
“I grew up in an area where there were a lot of drugs … had it not been for my music and surfing … who knows where I would be today,” Cummings said. “It changed the trajectory of my life, and if I can do that for some kids here, there’s no better thing.”
The one-on-one crash course in rock ‘n’ roll is offered once a week for $150 a month. This rock ‘n’ roll boot camp covers it all, besides an Axl Rose prevention plan and the sacred rituals of hotel trashing.
While the second business is just starting up, Cummings said that the Rockstars of Tomorrow would love to coordinate a show on the Cal State Long Beach campus in the future.
Rockstars of Tomorrow is located on 5465 Carson St., in the perfect location to play right outside the front door every Fourth Friday in The Village, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Pingback: guru post