Afternoons at the new Mellwood Avenue home of Mom’s Music are accented by loud riffs escaping from practice studios. The songs are recognizable and played surprisingly well, considering that they’re emanating from youngsters. Aftershock, a band of five 13-year-olds, works its way through the White Stripes, Guns N’ Roses and Pink Floyd with relative ease — some in parochial school uniforms and with a girl on the bass. Co-owner Max Maxwell says, laughing, “Some of the better bass players are girls, which is killing the guys. And they wear their basses down low and rock. It’s great.”
The band is one of approximately 60 others enrolled in a recent session of Rock School, which is open to eight- to 18-year-olds. The program is offered in eight-week increments five times per year, and for the past year and a half has grouped the kids according to skill level, which Maxwell claims is the toughest part of the job. A teacher is assigned to each band, which then picks a name and works toward a cohesive sound.
Those with little or no experience are put into a “101” class and learn a few cover songs. Others continue with sessions and learn enough material for one or multiple live sets. At the /files/storyimages/of each session, they put on a public concert; during the summer, performance-level bands play at Fourth Street Live and at other venues around town — invaluable experience for the young musicians. “It’s amazing how many different gigs these guys get,” Maxwell says. “(When) I was 13 or 14 years old, if I played Hard Rock Cafe I would have flipped out.” 
Sonic Youth: Will Arnold, keyboard; Matt Simms, rhythm guitar; Jacob Hollenbach, drums; Noelle Varga, bass; and Sammy Varga (blond), lead guitar.
Parents share the experience, helping with gigs, carrying instruments, rigging lights and, of course, watching the performances. Some parents participate in a similar adult program called Week/files/storyimages/Warriors and appear monthly at a Phoenix Hill show with their sons and daughters from Rock School. No word on whether they’ll be playing Pink Floyd or the White Stripes.
