School of Rock Opens in Farmingdale

The same week as Farmingdale , it gained another one.

The Farmingdale School of Rock, located at 540 Smith St., celebrated its grand opening on Saturday. School of Rock is a music school with dozens of locations across the country that combines weekly private music lessons and group band rehearsals to prepare students to take the stage in front of live audiences in authentic concert settings.

At the opening, new students had the opportunity to get acquainted with the facility, as well as meet the staff and enjoy live performances from guest artists like Billy Rymer, Joe Meyer and "Metal" Mike.

"I’m really stoked to be here," said Joe Meyer, guest musician. "I actually wanted to be a part of this School of Rock for a long time. Some of the students that go here have come to my shows. I think it's a really awesome institution for kids and a great environment."

At Farmingdale’s School of Rock, students will learn how to play bass, drums, guitars and keyboards, as well as vocals.

 “We are a school that moved from the Melville location to Farmingdale. We take kids from seven to seventeen,” said Patrick Castania, the general manager of the Farmingdale School of Rock.

Castania said Farmingdale was a great location because they teamed up with , a leading manufacturer of guitar strings that bases its operations in Farmingdale.

"They have been nothing but spectacular in their support and building awareness around the community," Castania said.

The School of Rock is open to students form across Long Island and is  looking for accomplished local musicians to support them.

"We have so many artists that have supported us, and we only hope to get bigger and better and build the credibility of our program," he said.

“This is a privilege and an honor to contribute to the inspiration of the future rock youth of America,” said guest artist Billy Rymer at the opening.

The school hopes to enroll 300 students. This past summer, students from other School of Rock locations performed at

“That was a great event since it builds our culture,” Castania said.

School of Rock is offering a fall promotion, where every student that enrolls by the end of October will receive a complimentary official School of Rock T-shirt. The school is also partnering with the Ronald McDonald House. For every new student who enrolls by October 31 that mentions the Ronald McDonald charity, the School of Rock will donate $50 to the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island.

“We tried to have an incentive plan, where we would give back to everybody who joined the school, and inquired about the program. The Ronald McDonald House is such a great cause, that it really is a win-win for everybody,” Castania said.

“It’s exciting to see the kids going up on stage and performing,” said Debbie Przybylinski, a parent whose son now attends the Farmingdale School of Rock. “Everbody seems to enjoy it."