Novice players learn to rock on at Apex school

APEX -- A familiar rhythm pulsed through the room as a group of kids banged out The Who's "My Generation."

The singer stuttered through the defiant lyrics as two guitarists, a bass player and a drummer re-created the music.

"Things they do look awful c-c-cold," he sang. "I hope I die before I get old."

It sounds like a classic scene: a group of teenagers taking the first steps to a rock star dream. Then, the bass player halted the music. He told the band to ignore the vocals' offbeat rhythm and "keep that inner metronome."

If that doesn't sound like a youngster launching a garage band, it's because John Kozicki is not just the bass player. He's a teacher and this is Music & Rock School.

Kozicki started the school in 2009 and calls this his master's program. The students separately practice five songs before coming together to play as a band. Kozicki likens the process to a sports team honing individual skills and then applying them in a game.

"It's unlikely that you would join a soccer team, practice every week, but never play a game. Why should music be any different?" he asked.

The school is in an office building on the edge of downtown Apex. Most of the instruction is one-on-one, with instructors working with students on their instruments in a practice room. But the students know they will eventually be contributing to a band, even if only for a few hours.

Getting the beat

The nascent band ran through "My Generation" all the way - complete with an attempt by guitarist Tyler Thigpen, 13, to get his Epiphone to feedback through the amp. Then musicians launched into "Give it Away" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers after listening to the real version. Kozicki asked for their impressions.

"It's really confusing," said Tyler, whose dad drives him from Chapel Hill for this experience.

"John Frusciante is so different from other guitar players," Kozicki explained, referring to the Chili Peppers guitarist.

Kozicki turned to drummer Alex Kan, 13, of Morrisville, seated at a small electronic kit. "(The Chili Peppers') Chad Smith, he's solid, but he's kind of funky, so the drums are pretty fun, huh?" Kozicki asked.

Alex nodded. He said he started playing drums because that was his best skill in the video game "Rock Band."

"I decided, 'Why not practice and really learn how to play?'" said Alex, who added he still likes the video game but prefers the real thing. "It's harder, but it's more fun."

More from their lessons

Kozicki's band, I Hate Mars, had some regional success in the late '90s, and he also filled in briefly as a guitarist with the nationally known band Sponge.

Kozicki said the movie "School of Rock," in which actor Jack Black plays a substitute teacher who turns his stuffy private school class into a rock band, was part of his inspiration for the school.

But mainly, he said, he just wanted his students to get more from their music lessons and let them experience the feeling of playing together as a band.

After the Chili Peppers, the students began to play "Drain You" by Nirvana. Vocals on the earlier songs were handled by 18-year-old instructor Chris Godley, but for this demo Tyler sang and played rhythm guitar.

Godley twisted the mic stand down so Tyler could reach it. The song contains an unorthodox break toward the end where dissonant guitar takes over before the band picks the tune back up.

It was up to Jacob Bream, 11, of Cary, to handle this part, and he seemed uneasy. He started the class late and didn't get a chance to learn all the songs beforehand. Godley, who is Jacob's guitar instructor, helped him place his fingers in the correct position on the black Squier Stratocaster.

"You don't have to play things exactly as they're recorded," Kozicki said. "You're not just guys playing Nirvana; you're guys interacting as a band."

What they get out of it

Jacob's mother, Grace Bream, said he started playing acoustic guitar but persuaded his parents to let him try an electric. He likes it a lot better. She's OK with her son's desire to play rock.

"I think it holds his interest more than if he were playing simple little tunes," she said. "He's more likely to pick up his guitar and play."

Some of Kozicki's students form their own bands outside the school. A former student who now lives in Chicago has released an album.

Kozicki said they are getting a lesson that will last. He looks at what he's doing as providing an outlet for kids that isn't unlike sports.

"It is an activity that you get involved in, and if you like it, you keep doing it," he said. "What I'm trying to do is teach students how to play together, and how much fun it can be."