(Image: School of Rock)
The national music school franchise School of Rock is planning to open its second location in Seattle to start 2024 in a space not far from Capitol Hill’s bustling nightlife and live music scene. Are you ready to rock, Montlake?
News of the planned opening comes as a key Capitol Hill music venue where some of those Montlake kids might eventually rock faces permanent closure.
The new “School of Rock Seattle Downtown” will be offering music classes and camps for ages six and up along 24th Ave in Montlake.
“We want to be the music in the community,” says Chad Fondren, co-owner and general manager. “There’s no better way to learn an instrument through the performance-based music education program that we offer. We use rock music and rock instruments as a vehicle, so it’s gonna be a little more fun.”
There have been School of Rock performances on Capitol Hill in the past. Cafe Racer and Neumos have all hosted end-of-season performances. The new spot might mean Capitol Hill will see more of them.
But Cafe Racer may never host another young Seattle band. The 11th Ave venue has been shuttered since being forced to close earlier this month over unpaid rent. Racer’s Jeff Ramsey said he has been scrambling to change the club’s business model and find a more sustainable path forward. So far, the cafe has remained dark.
Chad and Tracy Fondren also run the School of Rock in Issaquah while planning the Montlake location. School of Rock in Issaquah grew to hire 19 instructors and teach around 250 students. They’ll also be bringing a third co-owner and music director with them, Cole Paramore, who was the first instructor hired in Issaquah. Fondren says he and his wife love Issaquah, but are excited to be in Seattle.
“We’re Seattleites, ultimately, and when we heard that there was an opportunity to open a second franchise in the Seattle area we couldn’t pass it up,” Fondren said.
The building plans are currently being finalized, and they’ve applied for expedited permitting services from the City of Seattle. As of right now, they have five total employees, three of which are instructors. By the time they open their doors, Fondren hopes to have around seven instructors.
Fondren says the programs are tailored towards complete beginners, and about half the students starting with School of Rock have no experience. Intermediate and advanced lessons are also available. The most popular course, Rock 101, includes a weekly private lesson and weekly group rehearsal. The School of Rock website says that specific program costs $275-$450 per month and varies by location. At the end of the season, the students play rock shows at Seattle venues. The best part, Fondren says, is that kids get to play with people their own age.
“It’s not a recital in a quiet room with parents that are sitting down,” Fondren said. “It’s going to be a legit venue with fog and lights, it’s the whole nine. It’s a pretty awesome program.”
The opening is part of a small ripple of new schools and studios in the area. CHS reported here on the plans for PopRox Studio to bring “confidence building, judgment free dance classes for kids and adults” to 11th Ave’s Chophouse Row in 2024.
Montlake’s public school campus, meanwhile, is closed for a massive renovation project to expand capacity with a new, 80,500 square foot three-story building that should provide space for up to 500 students. That project could drag out with its permitting approval at the center of an appeal to the city’s hearing examiner.
Out on 24th Ave and E McGraw, the plans for School of Rock should have an easier path in a stretch of the neighborhood starting to grow with new development as the major 520 replacement and lid project nears its final months of construction. Though, even the state-backed 520 project is facing challenges in the neighborhood — complaints from Montlake neighbors have temporarily halted the installation of massive “sign bridges” that are part of the new lid and highway approach.
To get the ball rolling at School of Rock, they’re coordinating a pre-enrollment special their offering “pre-enrollenment” specials, early scheduling preferences, and a raffle.
“I don’t think we’re overstating it to say we’ve changed lives in Issaquah, and that’s what keeps Tracy and I so excited about being really intimately involved with the program,” Fondren said. “Our hope is to bring a sense of community within music education that hasn’t been there,” Fondren said.
School of Rock Seattle Downtown will be located at 2317 24th Ave E. The opening is currently planned for January. Learn more at schoolofrock.com.
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