Overtime Media Limited will produce the second season of Digicel presents "Orange Sky's School of Rock T&T" 2011 and premiere each new episode online at www.overtimett.com every Saturday night at 8 pm.
Having debuted last year on Synergy TV, this exciting, educational and entertaining 'Summer Camp' and television series moves to CCN TV6 and will begin airing on July 9 with new episodes coming every Sunday night at 8 pm. Approximately fifty young aspiring musicians from around the country have already registered and headmaster, Nigel Rojas is understandably "stoked" about these latest developments.
"School of Rock is such a dream-come-true for me," he said, "I'm amazed at the way it’s grown over the last year and continues to inspire and prepare another generation of talented musicians for the tasks ahead. Working with Overtime and TV6 this year is another step in the right direction and I'm humbled to be a part of the development of these future stars and look forward to working with them over the next ten weeks."
Lead Singer, Gabrielle Raj-Kumar and members of Prime Apocalypse perform at Woodford Cafe, Price Plaza last weekend as School of Rock Headmaster, Nigel Rojas looks on during registrations for the second semester last week.
Commencing yesterday (Saturday, June 18) and continuing every Saturday until August 20, Digicel presents Orange Sky's School of Rock T&T 2011 will feature intensive training in guitar, bass, drums and vocals, while fostering teamwork and healthy social and musical interactions.
"It's really more about teamwork than anything else," Rojas explained, "because that's what being in a rock band is all about: that's what it takes to be a star and to make it in the music industry. You can have the greatest fingers and ears and be the most talented musician or singer, but if you can't work well with other people and understand and play your role as part of a team, then the cold hard fact is that you won't make it very far. This school allows these kids to develop their confidence, while gaining important team-building skills, identifying their leadership qualities and teaching them how to work together to make beautiful music. This is an experience they will value and take with them for the rest of their lives."
Last year's runner up in the season climaxing, "Battle of the Bands" contest, Prime Apocalypse has continued to practice and improve their skills and repertoire. The young band received several encores during their performance at the School of Rock registration held recently at Woodford Cafe, Price Plaza in Chaguanas. Lead singer, 11-year-old, Gabrielle Raj-Kumar was a fireball of energy and stage presence as the band electrified the Woodford Cafe stage with covers of Katy Perry’s "Firework" and the Cranberries' "Zombie".
"We feel so much more confident now as individuals and as a team," she revealed. "School of Rock was the best thing to happen to all of us because it brought us together and taught us how to make beautiful music. We know we have a long way to go still, but we're already feeling like rock stars - which is awesome - and we have to thank Nigel and Anthony and everyone who's a part of the school of rock for giving us this experience."
Members of Prime Apocalypse pose with School of Rock Drum Coach, Nicholai Assam after performing at the official registration ceremony for the second semester of the music-oriented "Summer Camp". From left: Andre Baboolal (12) –Drums , Adrian Mungroo (13) –Guitarist , Assam (with shades), Gabrielle Raj-Kumar (11) –Lead Singer and Samantha Ramsaran (19) –Bassist
Part of the experience at the “School of Rock” this semester is a series of Celebrity QnAs, as well as local rock and music history trivia and weekly giveaways from the dedicated sponsors.
“I really can’t thank the sponsors enough for coming on board and making this dream come true,” said Rojas. “This is a very fertile time in these children’s lives so we want to plant as many positive seeds as possible. Digicel is the backbone of the school and we literally would not exist without their bigger, better support. We also have quality sunglasses courtesy Value Optical, treats from Mario’s Pizza, Kit Kat, Busta, Holiday Snacks and even ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s. We have Rainbow Quality Foods and Cielo Tapas on board to add variety, as well as the blessings of the Trinidad and Tobago Entertainment Company and CCN TV6.
“Paying the bills is also a part of life and a part of being a musician, so these students are not only receiving the benefits of these quality products and leading brands, but they’re also seeing and learning firsthand how they present themselves and how we represent them in turn: this is vital marketing and promotional experience for their future careers.”
Digicel presents “Orange Sky’s School of Rock” will spend three weeks at MovieTowne, Port of Spain before moving to the National Academy for the Performing Arts for the remainder of the semester. A number of popular local artistes and acts have signed up to visit the camp each week to interact with and mentor the students, even as the entire experience is filmed by M One Media and aired on overtimett.com and TV6.
For more information on Orange Sky’s School of Rock, please visit www.schoolofrocktnt.com