Rockschool
The world’s first graded curriculum for contemporary and popular music, Rockschool, is finally breaking through to North America and we are so excited to announce that Resonate is the official representative for the entire Alberta region!
What is Rockschool?
Rockschool is the world’s first graded exam syllabus for contemporary and popular music. In a nutshell, it’s a program for students who want to learn rock, pop, and contemporary genres. The program includes graded exams and performance certificates in a variety of instruments. Rockschool provides a series of lesson books for each instrument that the student will work through with their private music teacher. The books include songs that are played with back tracks featuring some of the industry’s top session musicians, with recording credits alongside the likes of Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, and many more iconic artists! To make learning even more accessible, each book contains a code that students can use to access their digital downloads including books, tracks, and supporting tests.
Who is it for?
The short answer: Anyone! Rockschool is designed for students who want to expand their music education in the rock, pop, and contemporary music fields. It offers an alternative to the traditional Royal Conservatory of Music graded exams (still a great option for those interested in Classical music fields). At certain grade levels, candidates can even participate in “Band Exams” where they perform together in a controlled environment, assessing their ability to play as an ensemble as well as solo instrumentalists. Your teacher will be able to assess your skill level to determine which grade level you should start at.
Alberta’s First
As the representative for the Alberta region, Resonate is Alberta’s first official Rockschool examination centre (and only the second in all of Canada!) This means that all exams for our region will happen at Resonate, and an examiner will be flown in from the U.K. to perform the examinations here. In addition to this, the lesson books are all available for purchase through Resonate. All Resonate teachers and staff are knowledgable about Rockschool, and are available to answer any questions you may have.
What instruments & genres does Rockschool include?
Rockschool lesson programs are available for a variety of instruments including:
- Piano
- Vocals
- Acoustic Guitar
- Electric Guitar
- Bass
- Drums
- Music production
The programs include music from a variety of genres including:
- Pop
- Rock
- Jazz
- Blues
- Reggae
- Country
- Funk
- Musical Theatre
- Film
Rockschool lesson programs focus on technique, music theory, and performance, and provide opportunities to specialize in specific genres if desired. The lesson books include tracks from musicians like Beyonce, Adele, Ray Charles, and Coldplay, among many others.
Why should I participate?
Rockschool is a flexible program in that it can be the focus of your lessons, using the exams and grade level achievements as goals and milestones, or the lesson books can just be there to help supplement what you’re already learning. Whether you are young musician or an adult looking to improve, everyone can benefit from taking a Rockschool exam. Whether you take the Performance Certificate or the Grade exam, you will be required to perform pieces from a variety of different genres, challenging your abilities to play a wide selection of techniques, rhythms, and dynamic contrasts. Rockschool exams also require musicians to become proficient at: Theory, Ear Training, Improvisation and Technique.
How can I get involved?
Talk to your teacher! All Resonate staff and teachers are educated about Rockschool and are excited to talk to you about it. If you’re not a student yet and want to know more, please visit our contact form, or give us a call, and let us know about any questions you have!
