If You Study Hard, You Just Might Rock

In the Rolling Stones’ classic “Street Fighting Man,” Mick Jagger and Keith Richards posed the question, “What can a poor boy do/Except to sing for a rock ‘n’ roll band?” Back in 1968, such a choice might have equaled rebellion. Today, it’s merely another item on the resume.

Members of the Who, who famously sang “Hope I die before I get old,” probably never imagined that their music would be taught by people twice their age. When B.B. King recorded his blues classics, he probably envisioned them on the charts, not the lesson plan. Yet both artists’ works form the curricula of the Kids Rock Free program at the Fender Museum of Music and the Arts, where the music of school dropouts becomes ... well, the music of schoolkids.

If a rock ‘n’ roll school sounds strange, instructor Virginia Zak suggests it’s just a result of changing times. Recalling the music industry when she entered it decades ago as a session pianist for MCA Records, she says, “People had more of an opportunity to just fall into it. I don’t think it’s quite the same anymore, but by the same token, we’re profiting by those people’s experiences with these certificate programs. And their knowledge--we’re trying to pass that on. Maybe make it easier for someone.”

Zak works now as the keyboard teacher at Southern California’s fastest-growing arts school--an institution where Bach and Muddy Waters sit together comfortably on the shelf. Since its opening in 1998, the Fender Museum has offered lessons in guitar, piano and more for kids, ages 7 to 17, who not only want to rock but also want to learn the tricks of the trade. Apart from its guitar and piano lessons, the museum is also assembling a technical program for aspiring producers. As more classrooms open up, rock ‘n’ roll may be joined by dance, theater and world music.

To be sure, pop history has been full of brilliant amateurs. Elvis Presley honed his style by listening to local bluesmen; the Beatles, whom one critic in 1963 labeled the greatest composers since Beethoven, couldn’t even read music. “When I started in the ‘60s, there were no schools,” recalls Bob Norberg, a mastering engineer at Capitol Records. “You would just learn by doing it.”

When Fender Corp., along with the city of Corona, sponsored the opening of the Fender, it filled a void in local education. “There were only three music teachers for 18,000 students in the Corona-Norco Unified School District, in our immediate service area,” says Paulyne Becerra, the museum’s director of development. “So once we started the program, it became more evident that there was a huge need for it.”

In its first summer, the Fender started small, with guitar, piano and drum lessons for 209 students. Two years later, construction began on a larger site while the classrooms shifted to a private house owned by the city. Last month, the museum unveiled its new home: a 33,000-square foot facility with classic guitars and memorabilia on the ground level and classes and studios upstairs.

Today, more than 400 kids from around the region take classes at the museum every week. For some, it’s the only music training they can easily afford, with most of the cost picked up by the museum. Classes are set up in eight-week sessions, with the first two sessions free. Kids can take as many classes during a session as they like. After that, the cost is $50 for each additional session. (The museum funds the remaining $142 per child/per session cost through grants.)

On a hot August afternoon, instructor Lee Zimmer leads the first guitar class of the summer. Eight boys, from elementary to high school age, begin the session by tuning up and practicing scale patterns. “Do you guys know the blues?” Zimmer asks, and they all join in a run-through of King’s “The Thrill Is Gone,” each taking turns playing the lead.

“I want to keep it fun, but I want to also keep it educational,” Zimmer explains after class. “The more you know, the more you understand, and the more you can use--it gives you more tools.”

Fender Museum of Music and the Arts, 365 N. Main St., Corona, CA, 92880. Hours: Wed.-Sun., 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thu., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. $3 for adults, $2 for seniors & students, free for kids 12 and under. For info: (909) 735-2440.