The School of Rock; From England to Oklahoma

By Christian Price, News9.com INsite Team

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It came across the pond from Guildford, England. It's the Academy of Contemporary Music, otherwise known as the School of Rock, and classes are starting this fall in its new location, Bricktown.

Scott Booker is the CEO of the new school, which is an extension of the University of Central Oklahoma. He has also been a part of the music world as a manager of groups including Oklahoma's Flaming Lips. After a visit to the school in England, he made it his mission to get the music school involved with UCO in Oklahoma.

"I just thought, ‘What a great school. We should try to get them to do something here'," Booker said. "To make a very long story short, President Webb at the University of Central Oklahoma went to England, saw their school and came back and was like, ‘We have to do something with these people'."

Booker's reasoning for having the school established in Oklahoma is very simple.

"I felt like there was no reason in the world why they couldn't come to Oklahoma," Booker said. "It's the digital age. You can talk on a cell phone or get an e-mail. It doesn't matter whether you're in L.A. or New York or Chicago or Oklahoma."

The school has already received more than 7,000 inquires. According to Booker, the current economic situation is making school more affordable.

"The dollar is very inexpensive right now," Booker said. "There are students that are going to want to come here just because it's cheap to go to Oklahoma and live and work and play."

The school's curriculum will consist of multiple genres and different production fields.

"The program will consist of guitar, bass, drums, vocals and keyboards," Booker said. "That's the music side of it. Then there is a production path where you can learn music production, which are the guys who are behind the knobs recording the records. There is also sound design, which is anytime you see music attached to anything visual, so advertising or scoring movies."

The Academy of Contemporary Music is a school that is not for beginners. Students are required to have some level of skill in whichever path they choose to follow.

Learn more about The Academy of Contemporary Music and how to apply.