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Happy New Year!  2022 is gonna rock at Rock U. and the Rock U. Winter Session for ages 8-18 starts on Monday 3 January.  If you’re already in a band and want to continue with the same band, please remember to send us an email at matt@rock-u.fr and let us know, so we’ll hold your spot!  There’s no need to fill out a new registration form.  On the other hand, if you don’t want to continue, please let us know that, too.  There are waitlists for most bands, and someone may be very happy to have your spot.  If you’re new to Rock U. and ready to join a band for our next show, sign up here  
Check out videos/photos of our December show at La Boule Noire:
*Videos are up on the Rock U. YouTube channel
*Photos on our Facebook page
*See more on the official Rock U. Instagram
*Like, subscribe, and follow to see new photos/videos as they go up
Can’t wait to rock with you in 2022!
Matt and the Rock U. Crew

Thanks for rockin’ with us in 2021!

Check out the Rock U. Crew covering Jingle Bell Rock (with your help) HERE

Everyone else is doing it, so why can’t we?  Rock U. is proud to bring you Episode 1 of Extra Credit: The Rock U. Podcast, premiering today, Thanksgiving, Thursday 25 November.  Just one of the ways we want to say THANKS to all of you for being part of our Rock U. community!

In every episode of Extra Credit, your hosts Seth Hinkley and Matt Black will discuss different aspects of rock music and the Rock U. experience.  In Episode 1, “All Killer, No Filler”, Seth and Matt list their Top 5 albums that don’t have a single song you’ll want to skip, Seth tells us why John Fogerty played his guitar on the witness stand in a court case, and the guys go head to head with a Beatles vs. Stones debate in our One Minute Matchup.  Episode 2 is coming in a few weeks, when we’ll list our favorite and most notable cover songs, explain why Taylor Swift is re-recording her own albums, and throw down on the Les Paul vs. Strat debate.  In future episodes we’ll bring you in-depth discussions of our favorite topics in rock’n’roll, plenty of special guests, and some insider scoops.

So check out Extra Credit: The Rock U. Podcast, available now on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, and SoundCloud.  Our theme music was written and produced by former Rock U. teacher Tom Walters, aka Kitsch Kub.

Extra Credit: The Rock U. Podcast is sponsored and supported by our partners at Big Pebble Records.  Big Pebble Records is your one-stop anglophone resource for music creation in Paris.  Check out Big Pebble’s first EP release, Posture, by former Rock U. rocker Person M!

Rock U. Student Bands in Concert!

Please join us at historic Paris music venue La Boule Noire on 12 December for our 2021 Fall Concert!  As always, admission is free and all are welcome.

*14h-20h, doors open at 13h30
*Eighteen student bands
*Hits by Bon Jovi, Gorillaz, Olivia Rodrigo, The Police, Queen, U2, Shawn Mendes, Foreigner, The Black Keys, Fountains of Wayne, Arctic Monkeys, Talking Heads, Toto, Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana, The Weeknd, The Strokes, and many more!

Passe sanitaire obligatoire, of course!

Join a rock band during the Toussaint break!  If you already play an instrument or sing, or if you’ve always wanted to try drums, bass, guitar, keyboards and more, this program is for you.  You and your band will learn songs throughout the week, try out different music styles and instruments, and make a video of your performance!  All ability levels and all instruments welcome.

  • Two sessions: Oct 25-29 (195€) and Nov 2-5 (160€)
  • Two bands per session: 11h-12h30 (ages 8-11) and 13h-14h30 (ages 12-16)

Sign up here!  For more information, email matt@rock-u.fr.

Hey Rockers, it’s almost rentrée time! Registration for fall bands and lessons opens online on Wednesday 1 September, at 9 AM.  Bands and lessons start rockin’ on Monday 27 September!

I’m ready to rock!  How do I sign up?

Online registration forms will open on our website at www.rock-u.fr at 9 AM Paris time on Wednesday 1 September.

For kids, teen, and adult bands:
  • If you were in a Rock U. band last year, and you want to stay in the same band, nothing could be easier.  Just sign up before Friday 3 September and list your band as your first choice.  But remember, starting 3 September, band assignments will be on a first-come, first-served basis and open to all.  So don’t wait!
  • If you were in Rock U. last year, but you want to change to a new band this year, you’ll still get priority over new students as long as you sign up before 3 September.  We’ll try to put everyone in their preferred band, but first we have to see how many band members are returning to each band and how many returning students want to change bands.
  • If you are new to Rock U., you can still sign up online starting at 9 AM on Wednesday 1 September!  New students will be assigned to bands on a first-come, first-served basis, starting on Friday 3 September after returning students have had an opportunity to reserve their spots.  So if you’re first to sign up on 1 Sept, you’ll be first new student to be assigned to a band starting 3 Sept.
  • Whether you’re new to Rock U. or you want to change bands from last year, please select at least a first and second choice of bands.  You’ll receive your band assignment within a few days, and no fees will be charged until both Rock U. and the student agree to the band assignment.
  • The complete fall band schedule, including additional new bands and modified time slots, can be seen right here.  See the full 2021-2022 Rock U. calendar here.

For private lessons:

  • Rock U. will offer both in-studio and online lessons in 2021-2022.  Please be sure to specify your choice between online and in-studio lessons when you register, if you have a preference.
  • Whether you are a returning or new lesson student, please provide as many choices as possible for your lesson time when you register!  We’ll try to put together a schedule that meets everyone’s needs.
  • You’ll receive an email offering you a specific lesson time slot and teacher within a few days.  No fees will be charged until both Rock U. and the student agree to the lesson assignment.

Congratulations to all the winners the Rock U. 500 contest!  Our grand prize goes to Chris Heim, Vincent Merry, William Baird-Smith, and Edward Ricketts, well done, guys!  And congrats also to runners-up Kajus Walsh, Adam Corbier, Lily Mourad, and Sophie Mourad!  If you missed the Rock U. 500 quiz answers, you can see them here.

You can now listen to the Spotify playlist of ALL the songs Rock U. youth and teen bands have ever performed onstage (or on video during confinement).  Thanks to Henry Berrous for his help in putting it all together!

Listen to the playlist here

See you for the next 500 songs!

The Rock U. 500 Quiz…
is Over!

Dear Rock U. Rockers, Families, Friends, Fans, and Alumni:

Congratulations to all of you who participated in the Rock U. 500 contest!  The answers to this test of Rock U. legend and lore can now be revealed…

See the quiz answers here!

Who has won a 100€ gift card to Musikhaus Thomann, and who has won a Rock U. 500 logo t-shirt?  Come to Rock U. En Seine to find out!  We’ll announce the winners when we play the 500th song!

See you for the next 500 songs!

Rock U. bands have performed 492 different songs onstage, and we will play our 500th song at our upcoming Rock U. En Seine show on Sat 19 June at La Javelle.  So, we’re celebrating!  How well do you know your Rock U. trivia?  Now’s your chance to prove you’re a master of Rock U. lore – and win a 100€ gift card from Thomann!

Take the quiz here

*20 questions (plus bonus questions): the Origin Story, the Tunes, the Crew, and the Rock U. family (that’s you)!

*500 points total – how many can you earn?

*Most of the questions can be answered by anyone, if you search hard enough (hint – search Rock U.’s FacebookInstagramYouTube channel, and website for clues)

*The entry with the highest point total in the Rock U. 500 Quiz will win a 100€ gift card to Musikhaus Thomann, Europe’s best online music store!

*Three runner-up entries will win limited-edition, one-of-a-kind (well, three-of-a-kind) Rock U. 500 logo t-shirts

*Quiz closes at midnight on Thursday 17 June; correct answers published at noon on Friday 18 June

*The winners will be announced – where else? – onstage at Rock U. En Seine, right before we play the 500th song

Join the Rock U. 500 Celebration!

Dear Rock U. Rockers, Families, Friends, Fans, and Alumni:

What a ride!  Not just in the last year, but since Rock U.’s founding in 2013.  When our seventeen student bands take the stage on 19 June for the 2021 Rock U. En Seine festival at La Javelle, one of them will play the 500th song we’ve performed live (or on video during confinement).

Yup, that’s not a typo.  Our bands have already performed 492 different songs onstage, and we will hit 500 at the show.  And that doesn’t even count our summer and school holiday bands or our adult bands.

So, to mark this milestone, we bring you:
The Rock U. 500 celebration!

*Every day from tomorrow until the show, we’ll post on Instagram and Facebook using the #rocku500 hashtag, telling the story of Rock U. through our first 500 songs

*On Tuesday 8 June we’ll post the Rock U. 500 Quiz, open to anyone (except the Rock U. Crew and their families, sorry guys)

*The winning entry in the Rock U. 500 Quiz will win a 100€ gift card to Musikhaus Thomann, Europe’s best online music store!

*Three runner-up entries will win limited edition, one-of-a-kind (well, three-of-a-kind) Rock U. 500 logo t-shirts!

*The winners will be announced – where else? – onstage at Rock U. En Seine, right before we play the 500th song

So, what do you need to do?

*Follow and like Rock U. and the #rocku500 hashtag to see the daily updates

*Watch your email and our social media for the contest link on Tuesday

*Submit your entry!  Most of the questions can be answered by anyone, if you search hard enough

*Share your own #rocku500 memories using the hashtag!