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This summer, a group of kids will be "sticking it to the man" and "blowing people's minds with high voltage rock" in the unlikeliest of places - Wilmington's Grand Opera House.
In 1998, a man named Paul Green started a small school in his Philadelphia apartment with one simple goal - total rock destruction.
Since then, the school has grown into a national force according to Green's spokesman, Randy Alexander.
Alexander says the movie, "School of Rock," is based on Paul Green's real life.
"Jack Black is definitely the 'Hollywoodization' of Paul Green," Alexander says. "There are lot of similarities."
Katy Jacoby is a School of Rock veteran. She started in February of 2005 and is still attending the school.
"Paul Green is really cool, but he's tough on everybody," Jacoby says. "He really pushes people because he wants them to reach their potential."
Eric Svalgard bought the rights to open a new School of Rock in Wilmington. Svalgard says he first got involved with the school when he saw his daughter play a concert with the group in 2002.
"It was in this dumpy club in Philly," he says. "Here were these 15 and 16-year-old kids playing the Ramones and the Sex Pistols and I couldn't believe it. I went up to Paul and said, 'This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I want to have your babies.' "
Green offered Svalgard a volunteer teacher position. The more he worked at the store, the more he enjoyed it and gradually, he weaned himself from his day job.
The Wilmington School of Rock is scheduled to open in July and will include a 45-minute private lesson and a three-hour band rehearsal each week. There are three 12-week sessions each year, Svalgard says. At the end of each session there is a weekend of shows in a real venue, complete with lights and an active audience.
"It opens an outlet for kids who like to perform for people besides their mothers and their girlfriends," he says.
The school will be open daily from 3:30 to 8p.m. Students are encouraged to come by anytime to hang out and jam together.
Svalgard says the school will provide a place for teenagers who don't fit into normal society.
"Some of these kids are misfits," he says. "It gives these kids something more, especially those who don't play sports."
Jacoby says that she hangs out at the school all the time and has made close friends with other rock students.
"When we're not rehearsing we hang out and we do some crazy things," she says.
Jacoby, who plans persuing a music career, says there is a real sense of camaraderie among the students who are all drawn together by a love of music.
"It's absolutely amazing being surrounded by passionate musicians," she says. "It's a dream come true."
The Grand Opera House, which will house the school, may seem like a surprising place to have a rock school. Svalgard says he's excited to be work with the venue, is also hesitant.
"My only concern is that this is an old school opera house," he says. "While I might be older, I am not old school. I'm going rock the house."
Ken Wessler, executive director of the Grand, says he knows what he's getting into and embracing the School of Rock for what it is.
"You know the School of Rock," Wessler says. "They get in your face and scream at you. That will be good for our students who want a much more intense program."
He says when the Grand's director heard the School of Rock was looking for a place to open in Wilmington, they contacted the school and offered their facility. The Grand already offers music lessons and even teaches a course called Garage Band 101, which is designed to help kids learn to play in rock bands. The School of Rock will bring a new aspect to the Grand's curriculum, Wessler says.
"Our program is based more on individual lessons," he says. "The School of Rock is about teaching kids to play as a band. I have no worries. I wouldn't do this if I was worried."
A lifelong musician, Svalgard graduated from Berklee College of Music. Currently he is on a 29-city tour with Project Object, a Frank Zappa tribute band.
"I've been doing this for two- and-a-half years," he says. "This is fucking heaven."
Zappa's music is extremely difficult to play, but there is a great sense of accomplishment when it's performed correctly, Svalgard says.
"That's where the real joy is, when the room is full to the back and you can play your ass off," he says.
Svalgard says he is excited to open the new school and be a part of helping kids to reach their dreams.
"I love watching kids grow musically and personally," he says. "I'm helping them achieve what they want to achieve."
Not only is he helping kids reach their dreams, Svalgard is living his own dream.
"I don't believe in the big man upstairs with a beard, but I have to say, I'm fucking blessed."
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