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Collaborate with fellow rockers to write and perform original songs!  Experience how fun and creative songwriting can be in this week-long online summer workshop. No previous songwriting experience necessary.

  • Dates and times: 5-9 July, 16-17h30
  • Fee: 215€
  • Ages 12 and up, maximum of 6 participants
Sign up here!

Jason Waters is a New York City native with over 15 years of international experience in music teaching, performance and songwriting. He has recorded with renowned musicians like Steve Holley (Paul McCartney) and Angela Workman (Ray Charles), and has developed and facilitated music programs for youth, refugees and divided communities in regional conflict zones. Jason knows that music can serve as a powerful means for building empathy and bringing communities together.

Time to create!  Please email matt@rock-u.fr with any questions.  

Summertime Blues?  We’ve got you covered.  Rock your summer with Rock U.!

Two bands per week, with daily practices Monday through Friday from 11h-12h30 (ages 8-11) and 13h-14h30 (ages 12-16).  Bands will learn songs during the week, and then make videos on Friday to share with their friends and family.

Weekly bands 28 June through 30 July.  No bands 12-16 July.

Price per week: 195€

Sign up here!

We can hardly believe it ourselves.  After a year without live shows, Rock U. will finally retake the stage at our favorite outdoor spot, La Javelle!

Please join us at this wonderful riverside music venue on Saturday 19 June for the 2021 edition of Rock U. En Seine!  As always, admission is free and all are welcome.

*14h-18h
*Seventeen student bands!
*Hits by The Ramones, Childish Gambino, The Police, Black Sabbath, Paramore, Van Halen, Dire Straits, Franz Ferdinand, Nothing But Thieves, Arctic Monkeys, Bruno Mars, Queen… and many more!

More info here!

No worries. One week on Zoom?  Please. We got this.  Let’s Rock the Confine again… again!
Here’s what you need to know right now:
*All Rock U. bands will meet on Zoom Tues-Sat next week.  Your (or your rocker’s) band teacher will contact you with Zoom details before the day of the band practice.
*All Rock U. private lessons not already online will move online Tues-Sat next week.
*Rock U. will conform to the new schedule for school holidays, and will close from 11-25 April, instead of 18 April-2 May as previously planned.
*Our planned Spring Break Bands during the school vacation will be cancelled.

*As of now, we expect to reopen for in-person bands and lessons on 26 April.
And here’s what’s good to keep in mind:
*Our Spring Session was already scheduled to be a week longer than our Fall and Winter Sessions, to compensate for the May school holidays.  So as a result, even if we’re on Zoom for one week, we’ll still have a full trimester of in-person practices.
*While we’d much rather be in the studio, our two previous lockdowns didn’t stop the rock.  Last spring’s confinement turned into a period of unprecedented creativity and learning for most of us at Rock U, as you can see in this video.  And during last fall’s lockdown, we improved our instructional techniques on Zoom to the point that our bands were able to walk into the studio after 6 weeks away and record great videos on their very first day back.  Check out all 112 videos and listen to all 21 audio tracks our student bands have created in the past year despite two lockdowns!
*We are very hopeful that the current measures and the continuing vaccination program, along with the recent announcement of reopening of cultural spaces in mid-May, will finally allow us to return to performing live onstage for our outdoor June concert.  If we have to stay on Zoom for a week to be able to play live in June, it’s worth it!
Private lessons: 
We will continue to offer online lessons during this period of closure.  Many of our lessons are already online, and students taking lessons in person will have the option to either move online or suspend their lessons until deconfinement allows, with no penalty.  If you have any questions about lessons, please contact Lesson Coordinator Jason Waters at 07 67 78 88 16 or lessons@rock-u.fr.
If you need to get in touch with your (or your child’s) teacher:
Matt Black: 06 19 69 25 74 matt@rock-u.fr
Jonathan Crocco: 06 50 93 49 94 drumdedidum@gmail.com
Kevin Kretsch: 06 20 70 58 45 kevin@drkevguitar.com
Leander Lyons: 06 73 54 25 78 leandelan@gmail.com
Rory Quinn: 06 59 99 51 63 rqdrums@gmail.com
Jason Waters: 07 67 78 88 16 music.jasonwaters@gmail.com
Here’s what we said last March when the first lockdown arrived:
“We know this isn’t how any of us expected to be spending our time this month.  The irony of this situation is that togetherness and music are two things that could be really helpful to most of us during this period of isolation and uncertainty, and they’re two things we can’t have, at least not the way we’re used to.  Rock U. is built on the joy of sharing music together in the same physical space and in front of an audience, and that’s been taken away from all of us temporarily.  But we’re going to find ways to keep your musical journey moving forward, one little step at a time.”  You know what to do!

Stay chill, hang tough, and make music,
Matt and the Rock U. Crew

Join us for this school holiday rock music program!  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, explore different music styles and instruments, and make a video of your performance!  All ability levels and all instruments welcome.

  • Two sessions: Feb 15-19 and Feb 22-26
  • Two bands per session: 11h-12h30 (ages 8-11) and 13h30-15h (ages 12-15)
  • 195€ per week

To sign up for a Rock U. holiday band, click here!  For more information, email matt@rock-u.fr.

We’re back!  And we can’t wait to rock with you in 2021.  Rock U. Winter Session starts today.  Please read below for more information about specific bands and programs.

 

Youth and teen bands

As of today, all Rock U. youth and teen bands will resume practicing at Rock U. at their normal practice times.  All of our procedures for managing coronavirus risk remain in effect as before (please see below for more information). Please note: as long as the 20h curfew remains in place, bands that begin practice at 18h30 will finish at 19h45 instead of 20h.  Any rockers who need to leave earlier than 19h45 to get home by 20h will of course be excused earlier.

Mark your calendars: it’s too soon to know yet, but we’re hopeful that our Winter Concert at La Boule Noire will take place as scheduled on Sunday 21 March!

Adult bands

We are still waiting for the official green light to resume adult band practices, which could come as early as the end of this week, but we hope will arrive by the end of January at the latest.  We’ll start rehearsals again as soon as that happens, and we will send you a revised calendar at that time for the rest of the year.  We’re almost there, everyone, stay chill and stay tuned!

Private lessons

All private lessons resume this week either at Rock U. or on Zoom, with the same procedures and schedules in effect as before the confinement began in October.  If you have any questions about your lesson time, please contact Lesson Coordinator Jason Waters at 07 67 78 88 16 or lessons@rock-u.fr or ask your lesson teacher directly.
Health and safety procedures
Finally, an important reminder: Our procedures to prevent coronavirus transmission work (you can review them here) and remain in effect.  We have not had a single known case of coronavirus transmission at Rock U. since we reopened in May after the first confinement.   We’re so glad you can keep rocking safely with us!
See you in the studio, ready to rock!
Matt and the Rock U. Crew

Thanks for rockin’ with us in 2020!

Check out the Rock U. Crew covering Chuck Berry (with your help) HERE

Our Confinement Concert Series comes to a close with new video premieres this week!  Videos drop starting Monday at 17h Paris time HERE

Seventeen student bands!  Hits by Queen, Muse, Post Malone, Metallica, Imagine Dragons, AC/DC, Michael Jackson, The Cars, Weezer, Arctic Monkeys, Blur, U2, Nirvana, and many more!

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Let’s rock together in 2021!  Rock U. Winter Session starts on Monday 4 January for youth and teen bands.  We’ve had a great time making videos in 2020, but we hope 2021 will allow us to return to the stage to play live shows again.  Either way, our bands will get back to rocking at the Rock U. studio, safely distanced, disinfected, and masked.   We look forward to welcoming our adult bands back as soon as 7 January (confirmation pending).

If you’re already in a band and want to continue with the same band, just send us an email at matt@rock-u.fr, there’s no need to register again.

If you’re new to Rock U. and ready to join a band, sign up here!

Here we go!

Dear Rock U. rockers, parents, friends, fans, and families:

We have finally received confirmation that Rock U. can reopen on Tuesday 15 December for youth bands and private lessons as planned!  Woohoo!  Adult bands, unfortunately, will have to wait until at least 7 January.
First, let me say this again because it’s important: Our health and safety procedures to prevent coronavirus transmission work (you can review them here) and will remain in effect.  We have not had a single known or even suspected case of coronavirus transmission at Rock U. since we reopened in May after the spring confinement.  We’re so glad you can keep rocking safely with us!
Please read below for more information about specific bands and programs.

Youth and teen bands

1) Our bands have been getting ready for this chance every week on Zoom since the beginning of confinement!  (Check out Saturday Rock 202 band Drop Duh Mic working on Zoom this morning with Rory and William – hat day today!)
2) Except for Monday bands, all Rock U. youth and teen bands will meet at Rock U. at their normal practice times next week, 15-19 December.
3) The bands will record video performances of at least some of the songs they would have played in our Fall Concert (originally scheduled for tomorrow), and we’ll release the videos on YouTube as part of our Rock the Confine Concert Series. So check our YouTube channelFacebook page, and Instagram account for new videos coming soon! Monday bands will meet on Zoom one more time, and record their videos in January.
4) Please note: to accommodate the 20h curfew, bands that begin practice at 18h30 will finish at 19h45 instead of 20h.  Any rockers who need to leave earlier than 19h45 to get home by 20h will of course be excused earlier.

We will close after 19 December for the holiday break, and reopen for our Winter Session as scheduled on 4 Jan with all bands in the studio!  We’re optimistic that our Winter Concert at La Boule Noire will take place on Sunday 21 March.

Adult bands

Unfortunately, our adult bands will have to wait a longer to come back (see video above).  With the earliest possible return date now confirmed as 7 January, we will revise the calendar to extend both semesters and postpone the first concert, to give the bands time to prepare.  We will send you the amended calendar very soon, please stay tuned!

Private lessons

Private lessons will resume as before on 15 December as well, with the same procedures in effect as before the confinement.  Many private lessons have continued on Zoom and were scheduled to end already, so many of you may not have a lesson scheduled next week in any case.  If you would like to have a lesson next week even if you have finished your Fall Session of lessons, please let your teacher know directly, or contact Lesson Coordinator Jason Waters at 07 67 78 88 16 or lessons@rock-u.fr.
So we’ll see many of you next week!  As always…
Stay chill, hang tough, and make music!
Matt and the Rock U. Crew
We really miss you!  We were disappointed that this week’s announcements didn’t bring us permission to reopen next week.  But it’s a bad news-good news situation, and there’s some of both.  It’s good to focus on the positive, so here it is: Rock U. will reopen on a (mostly) normal schedule starting on Tuesday 15 December!

And there’s another important piece of good news you might not have realized.  Since the first deconfinement in May, Rock U. has been operating a full slate of bands and lessons under our new health and safety procedures for distancing and disinfection (which you can see here), except for our annual closure in August and early September.  During that time, we have not had a single case of known coronavirus transmission or infection at Rock U.  We have had only one student test positive after a Rock U. session, but it was not known whether the student became infected before or after attending the session, and none of the other students or teachers in the band tested positive or developed symptoms.  Our procedures work, and will continue in force once we reopen, to keep you rocking safely!

Please read below for more information about our specific bands and programs.

Youth and teen bands
OK, first the bad news: the Rock U. Fall Concert scheduled for 13 December is now officially cancelled.  La Boule Noire, like every music venue in Paris, can’t open until 20 January at the soonest.

So now let’s do the good news:
1) Our bands have been working really well on Zoom since returning from Toussaint break, and will continue doing great work for just a few more weeks.
2) We will extend the Fall Session by an extra week so our bands get one last practice session together in the studio.  Our last day will be Saturday 19 December instead of 12 December.
3) Bands will use this in-studio practice session to record video performances of their songs, which we will be very proud to release as the next (and hopefully final) installment of our Rock the Confine Concert Series!
4) We expect to operate normally in the Winter Session from 4 Jan – 20 March, and are optimistic that the concert at La Boule Noire, scheduled for 21 March, will take place.

So keep your eyes peeled on our YouTube channelFacebook page, and Instagram account for a bunch of new releases from Rock U. bands in December!

Adult bands
Our adult bands will also resume normal operations starting on 15 December.  However, since we’ve lost 6 weeks of the semester, we will be amending the calendar to include make-up sessions for these missed weeks and to move the concert later in the winter.  The adult band instructors and I will send you more information about the amended calendar very soon, please stay tuned!

Private lessons
Private lessons will resume as before on 15 December as well.  If you would prefer to change your in-studio lesson to an online lesson for now, that’s easily done.  And some instructors may be available for make up lessons online during the holiday break.  For more information or any questions about lessons, please contact Lesson Coordinator Jason Waters at 07 67 78 88 16 or lessons@rock-u.fr.
So we’ll see you very soon!  As always, check out our free rock and roll content on our YouTube channelFacebook page, and Instagram account.  Look for new One Minute Master Classes, music trivia and theory, artist appreciation, and recommendations on online resources for rockers.  Like and subscribe to be notified as each new post goes up.  And in the meantime…
Stay chill, hang tough, and make music!
Matt and the Rock U. Crew