Rock and roll conservatory

The Rock and Roll Conservatory is a musician mentorship program, based in Auburn, Washington, USA.

Philosophy
The program is based on a mentorship model. Instruction is artist-centric, delivered with a standard instrument learning approach along with the implication to create something original from the knowledge acquired. The philosophy of the program reflects the general rock music philosophy of breaking musical boundaries, experimentation within each instrument, and the creation of something artistically and socially relevant. The mentorship model applied at The Rock and Roll Conservatory is influenced by the work of Shinichi Suzuki as well as various mentorship programs such as Big Brothers Big Sister of America, with a musical slant.

Education
The school's instrumental focus reflects it's rock music roots. Students are offered mentorship in guitar (electric and acoustic), bass guitar (electric), drumkit, or vocals. The program also offers a Band Mentorship, in which students who wish to learn to play collectively can learn learn their instruments while learning to create with other musicians in a standard rock band setting.

Each student is taught by mentors who have notable experience in the rock or pop music industry.

Mentors use commonly known rock music passages and riffs to inspire students to learn more about their particular instrument. An example of this would be learning John Bonham's famous drum intro to Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks in order to teach a drum student the advantage of a simple musical approach. Another example would be teaching a guitar student Angus Young's introduction to AC/DC's Back in Black in order to help understand the bluesy sound of a minor pentatonic scale.

Recording
An aspect of the standard curriculum each student follows is the creation of an original piece of work with the intention of recording it in the facility's recording studio. Mentors help the students through each phase of the process including songwriting and arranging, developing parts for the song, and eventually recording the song. The music produced at The Rock and Roll Conservatory ranges from poor, demo quality to independent radio quality.

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