CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Rock ‘n roll blasted motorists at the Palm and Fair Oaks intersection last weekend. As the School of Rock celebrated a new campus, young musicians – many attired for Halloween -- staged a show fit to scare ghosts from creaky old Serritella’s Restaurant building.

The school is part of an international franchise that coaches young musicians in music performance. Aged from four to 18, students are tutored toward professionalism. Owners Jason Kline and his wife Cecilia Yi-Kline run similar operations in Roseville and Elk Grove and, with 440 budding artists, their Elk Grove school is rated top performer among US franchises. Roseville has around 200 attendees and the new Carmichael base has enrolled about 100 in six months. Fifteen teachers supply tuition.

 “We’re performance based,” explains Kline. “Kids come for lessons and work on their parts for a weekly group rehearsal. They also learn leadership. We’re creating a more well-rounded musician. Music is a universal language; it gives artists wings so they can fly anywhere.”

Getting the Carmichael campus up to scratch was a year-long journey. The Klines bought the building after its long-time restaurant occupants moved to the Milagro Centre. A new floor plan includes many sound-proof lesson and rehearsal studios. A designer by trade, Jason Kline also repurposed Serritella’s vintage bar as a reception desk. “I hate waste,” he explains. “That bar was part of the building’s history. So why not keep it?

“The place had been vacant for a year. There was so much neglect. Dealing with the homeless was another challenge. Then the pandemic hit. Contractors were hard to find, and material costs went up.”  To cap it all, an out-of-control SUV smashed through his lobby in August. “Fortunately, no one was hurt,” reports Kline. “It’s been a tough road. But we’re grateful we’ve had the support of the community all along. We love being here.”

Learn more about the School of Rock at www.schoolofrock.com