North Kansas City is now home to its own official Paul Green School of Rock Music. Rock U., a rock and roll based music school started in 2005 by Mark Ballard, was recently purchased and renamed by one of the most well known schools of its kind in the nation. Though much of the curriculum and techniques at the school will remain the same, students can look forward to some significant changes, Ballard and Green said.

Our national reach really makes sense for students who want to do this for a living, Green said. There s a lot more opportunity for the Kansas City kids to plug in with our all stars and get some exposure to the musicians that we have on staff. Green s first school was started about 10 years ago in Philadelphia. A self described failed lawyer, Green wanted to pass on his passion for great rock music. With the North Kansas City location at 405 E.

19th Ave., there are now 32 institutions in the nationwide school system. Students ages 7 to 17 get training from professional musicians in all instruments. Band performances are at the center of the curriculum. Regardless of what level you re at already, we ll pop you into a band and you ll be playing on stage at a real venue within about three months, Ballard said. I had originally wanted to be a franchisee of the School of Rock Music, but they weren t prepared to do that, he said.

Ballard, who previously worked for Radio Disney in Kansas City, is now the school s branch manager. The School of Rock Music gained fame after the Jack Black movie School of Rock was released and appeared to be largely inspired by Green s story. A later documentary of the school, Rock School, also had some commercial and critical success and raised the school s profile even more. Thematic showcases performed by the student bands are the centerpiece of the school s curriculum.