AUSTINTOWN, Ohio – In just three years, the Rock Band class at Fitch High School has gone from 20 students to 75.
There are a few good reasons for the course’s popularity – other than rock music is more fun than algebra.
For starters, the students learn a musical format that they’re not only interested in but can continue to pursue after they graduate.
They also pick up some performance skills along the way.
Most importantly, their teacher knows what he’s talking about.
The class is led by John Anthony, who is a guitarist and co-founder of The Vindys, the area’s top rock band.
Anthony took over the class when he was hired by Austintown schools three years ago and teaches it for five 45-minute periods each day.
“I get to teach what I think of as the fun music classes,” Anthony said. He also occasionally teaches other classes, such as Music Tech and History of Rock.
Anthony was enticed to take the position by the administration’s desire to grow the Rock Band program. He had been teaching music at McDonald schools before coming to Austintown.
Most of his students just want to rock.
“About 75% of them are not currently involved in any other musical thing at school,” including marching band, Anthony said. Those that are involved in other music programs mainly are in choir.
Anthony has divided his students into six bands. “Some are a little larger than the traditional rock setup,” he admits. “A band might have two bass players and multiple guitar players and vocalists.” But the interpersonal dynamic is the same as any rock band.
The opportunity to perform in public is a side benefit for the students.
Their next gig will be April 12, when the entire class will take part in Record Store Day at The Record Connection in Pinetree Plaza, off U.S. Route 422 in McKinley Heights. The annual event attracts hundreds of music lovers.
The Fitch rock bands will start playing at 2:30 p.m.
“All six bands will play an abbreviated set that will be a combination of songs that we’ve been doing since the beginning of the school year,” Anthony said.
The Fitch bands have a repertoire of 40 to 50 songs. The staples include “Separate Ways” by Journey, “These Boots Are Made for Walking” by Nancy Sinatra, “Dance Dance” by Fallout Boy, “Buddy Holly” by Weezer and “Love Song” by The Cure.
Most of the songs are picked by the students, Anthony said.
The Record Store Day show will be a prelude to an even bigger show the following Wednesday, April 16, at Westside Bowl. It will be the class’s second gig at the rock venue on Youngstown’s west side. The first one, in December, drew close to 500 people.
Motivating Students
Salvatore Maiorana, head principal at Fitch High School, said the Rock Band class has exceeded expectations and has been a powerful motivator of students.
“We’re always looking for what kids are interested in, and then we say let’s do it,” Maiorana said. “They love this class. Some of them have had a complete change of attitude because of it. They’re not skipping [because] they find a lot of value in it, and they connect with [Anthony]. It’s been awesome.”
Fitch High has long seen the need for a pop music class to reach students who are musically inclined but not interested in band or choir.
The Rock Band class was actually in place for a few years before Anthony’s arrival. It was originally taught by William Klein, who is already the school’s choir and band director.
“It went well, but now we have the right guy for the job,” Maiorana said. “You can’t beat John Anthony. It blew up, more than we expected. It was the perfect storm.”
He sees the program expanding even more in the future by adding recording technology and other music forms to the curriculum.
Anthony recently introduced an online recording app to the class. “Bringing that in lifts up the class,” Maiorana said. “It opens a back door into the music business.”
Up next could be a class in the hip-hop genre. “There is a huge push for it from the kids – making beats,” Maiorana said. “I can see that happening next. It will reach all of our kids.”
Maiorana sees the Rock Band class continuing its growth, and predicts more local high schools will add the curriculum within the next 20 years.
“We have so many kids who want to do it now,” he said. “I told [Anthony] we might have to clone him.”
Student Reaction
Students taking the Rock Band class understand the rare opportunity they are getting.
“Having Rock Band as a class has made school so much more enjoyable for me and so many others,” said Sydney Osborne, a senior who plays bass guitar and sings. “It’s such a unique class, and I have learned so much from it. My dad told me he wished he had this class available to him [when he was] in high school.”
Coraline Inglis, a freshman who also plays bass guitar and sings, said she considers the class to be one of the best experiences of her life thus far. She plans to take it each of her final three years of high school, and cites her teacher as a major reason.
“Mr. Anthony is a real-life rock star as well as an amazing teacher,” she said. “He has the experience and talent to cater to our needs … and it is so fun to hear about how his own rock stories relate to the way he applies his knowledge to his students.”
Vincent Ury, a senior and a guitar player, plans to pursue a career in music and said the Rock Band class is preparing him for it. He will attend The Ohio State University after graduating, where he will major in jazz performance – a decision he credits to the class and his teacher.
“The experience of being in an ensemble has been great in preparing me for the competition and demanding nature of music performance,” he said. “Being able to play music I actually enjoy inspired me to continue doing that in the future.”
Ury said Anthony helped him prepare for his college auditions. “He made sure I knew my stuff,” Ury said.
Rock Rèsumè
As a member of The Vindys, Anthony has played in all types of venues. Last year, the band toured the U.S. as the opening act for Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. They’ll begin another tour with Benatar this spring.
His experience and rock credibility can’t help but rub off on the students, but Anthony keeps his teaching responsibilities foremost in mind.
“I try to not be the person talking about my rèsumè,” he said. “I try to keep those two worlds separate, unless I can use a story or anecdote to get my point across.”
The students know that their teacher is practicing what he preaches on weekends, even if it doesn’t come up in class.
Anthony’s school schedule will be temporarily interrupted by the upcoming Benatar tour, which begins April 18. The Vindys will be on the road in the western and southern states for the first three weeks. By mid-May, the band will be able to spend more time at home when the tour moves to Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan.
“It’s nice that the [Fitch] administration, the superintendent and principal, have been nothing but supportive,” Anthony said. “They see [me] as the kind of staff that they want to attract – teachers that also go out and do the work on a high level.”
The Rock Band class is bringing students into music that otherwise wouldn’t get involved.
Anthony said some students are great guitarists or keyboard players but see no reason to join the marching band, concert band or choir. Others who do take part in the traditional school bands never pick up their instrument after graduating because there is no longer a band for them to join.
“We give them the tools to continue on their own” after graduating, Anthony said.
Some of his students have been taking their own initiative. Last summer, three rock bands composed of his students booked a show at Westside Bowl, Anthony said. “It was an opportunity for them to utilize what they learned in class,” he said.
Anthony’s involvement in rock instruction goes beyond his classes at Fitch High.
He continues to create curriculum for the TeachRock program created by Stevie Van Zandt, who is best known as the guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.
He got to meet Van Zandt during the rock superstar’s recent visit to Youngstown State University where he gave an address as part of the Centofanti Symposium.
“I was able to say hello and let him put a face to the name,” Anthony said. “We talked about The Vindys going on tour with Pat Benatar, and he thought that was even more cool.”
TeachRock is currently reworking some of its curriculum and has contracted Anthony to create a new lesson.
Fitch isn’t the only Valley high school with rock band classes. Boardman High’s program is well established and has built a name for itself with its annual Project Mayhem concerts. This year’s concert took place March 28.
Canfield High School also has a Rock Band class.
While it’s just catching on in the Mahoning Valley, it’s nothing new in some parts of the country.
“They’ve been doing it for 20 years on the West Coast,” Anthony said. “They’re ahead of the game.”
Still, the speed at which the class has grown at Fitch High surprises him.
“Twenty years ago, I never thought I’d see Rock Band as being part of the curriculum at a high school,” he said.
Pictured at top: Daniel Shade, Cora Inglis and Mikaela Gentry, students in the Rock Band class at Fitch High School, perform at Westside Bowl in Youngstown last year. (Photo by Stephanie Sheronovich)