Students take the stage at School of Rock Halloween Spooktacular

Cat’s Cradle surged with rock 'n’ roll energy as School of Rock Chapel Hill students performed Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” under colorful stage lights while attendees jumped around at the school's annual Halloween Spooktacular Mid-Season Preview Show on Sunday. 

Before taking the stage, students in the school’s Performance, Rock 101, 201 and House Band classes practiced their songs for several weeks. They performed songs across multiple genres, including the best of Taylor Swift; The Police; Earth, Wind & Fire and Steely Dan. 

David Joseph, owner of the School of Rock Chapel Hill, said the Halloween Spooktacular is both a party and a concert. Some attendees dressed in costumes, candy was handed out and Halloween decorations, like a ghoul inflatable, surrounded the stage. 

He said the variety of music performed is picked intentionally so students can find something that interests them and that they can learn from. 

“There's a sign-up period where people actually list their preferences, and we try to sort folks into different groups — we don’t want 20 drummers in one show, with no singers or guitar players,” Joseph said. 

The Halloween Spooktacular takes place eight weeks into the school's 16-week-long fall show season.

At the show, attendees were given a preview of the total setlist and themes students will perform at the end-of-season show in December. 

Previous seasons have included songs by pop musicians, but this fall marked the first one that featured songs by Taylor Swift, like “Picture to Burn” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

Anna Cobb, a music teacher and program director at the school, worked on the Taylor Swift performance. Two years ago, the Halloween Spooktacular was the first show she attended as a teacher. 

She said she is always floored by the dedication and effort students put into the show. 

“They’re all so impressive and amazing and comfortable in themselves and their identity,” Cobb said. "This is a very cool space for learning to express yourself and be comfortable. 

The school teaches children as young as 6 years old guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and vocals. Joseph said their main focus is the Performance Program, where students ages 8 to 18 attend a weekly group rehearsal learning to play iconic rock songs with a band of their peers as well as private lessons. 

Eve Juliano’s grandson is a student who sings at the school, and she attends his performances often. 

“I just think my grandson has improved so much, that he really was terrific,” she said. 

Students in the Rock 101 Program are between 8 and 13 years old and have a weekly group rehearsal as well as a private lesson. The program aims to help students develop basic competency in their chosen instruments before they advance to the Performance Program. 

The Rock 201 Program teaches students who have advanced beyond Rock 101, but might not be ready for the Performance Program. 

House Band Program students are 17 and under and perform additional live shows at rock venues throughout the year. 

Brooke Briner, a student of the House Band Program, plays guitar and keyboard. She was among the students who performed songs by The Police, Sting and from Led Zeppelin’s “Presence.” The Halloween Spooktacular is the ninth show she has performed in. 

“I really like connecting with others, and learning the songs and playing with other people is super fun for me,” she said. 

For Joseph, the school is more than just rock 'n’ roll. 

“It’s a place where kids who are into music can find each other, like-minded people, not necessarily from their school that they go to every day,” he said. 

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