For those about to rock
School of Rock to open third location near Wolfchase Galleria
A new School of Rock location will open near Wolfchase Galleria late this summer, getting adults and children as young as 3 years old ready to rock out on stage.
The new music school will be in the Shoppes at Wolfchase at 8385 U.S. 64, sharing a shopping center with Soul Fish Cafe and Buffalo Wild Wings. It is the third location in the Memphis area. The others are at 400 Perkins Extended and 9309 Poplar Ave.
School of Rock opened its first location in Philadelphia in 1998 and now has more than 250 locations worldwide. All three franchises are owned by Memphis musician Marc Gurley.
“We’re about to begin building out our brand new location and third school in the Memphis area!” the company wrote on Facebook alongside a photo of
the new sign that went up on the building July 1 and a video of the construction progress. “School of Rock Wolfchase... will pull students from Lakeland, Arlington, Bartlett, Cordova, Eads, and beyond!!!”
Classes are expected to begin in late August with a grand opening celebration planned for Sept. 7, Gurley said.
Gurley knows the world of performing. About 20 years ago, he was lead singer of his own alternative rock band Dust For Life. In the late 1990s, his band had the chance to turn their music into a full time career but with some members imaging a different future that didn’t include being on tour for long stretches, the band broke up, he said.
“Not all of us wanted to take that route at that time,” Gurley said.
After the band split, Gurley’s former bass player started teaching lessons and asked him for help running the business side. In researching the best way to run the business, Gurley heard about School of Rock in the early 2000s.
“I had a lot of the same ideas that School of Rock incorporates,” he said, adding that when he first learned about the franchise it wasn’t the right time to open his own shop. “I put it in my back pocket.”
About a decade later, he opened his first location on Perkins Extended in January 2013. The Germantown location was opened about six months earlier by another person but Gurley bought that location last year.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to work with Marc and the entire School of Rock team in their continued expansion into the Memphis area,” said Shawn Massey of The Shopping Center Group, which handled the real estate deal. “These are the type of retailers that are expanding in the new evolution of retail.”
School of Rock teaches experienced musicians and those who have never played. The program works with schools to teach children as young as 3 years old. Classes in the School of Rock facilities are taught to aspiring musicians as young as 5.
The goal of the school is to get students performing on stage as soon as possible.
The most advanced singers and songwriters can join a program called Center Stage that gives them access to record labels. Past students have played at music festivals including Bonnaroo.
Desiree Stennett covers economic development and business at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at desiree.stennett @commercialappeal.com or 901-5292738.