Back in the winter of 2016, Nick Stillwell and David Court opened their real-life School of Rock – Supajam in Swanley, Kent. The establishment was aimed towards young people who are struggling to break into the industry and are not in education or working for a living.
Some of the sixteen to eighteen-year-old students are having problems with drug use, and alcoholism and Supajam are believed to be their last shot. Mr. Stillwell pointed out that they cannot and will not tolerate drugs or violence on the premises, and it’s of the utmost importance that those kids get back to formal education. The founders also stated that they are not going to give up on their students.
Brand new School of Rock
Being the success it is, Nick and David are launching a new school in the center of Canterbury this autumn. The dream, of course, is for even more expansion in the future. And while pupils in Swanley are getting vocal and performance training, the ones in Canterbury will have their radio station. The main focus in the Canterbury school will be marketing and production. Most of the students incline music, but ultimately, it does not matter if they have previous experience or not.
The financing for both schools mainly comes from the Department for Education and the local authority. There is also the Black Deer country music festival, which funds three scholarships.
The budget at the beginning of the year is ten thousand pounds (GBP 10 000). The students participate in deciding how and in what they want to join and get involved.
This year about eighty-seven percent (87%) of the kids are continuing to university or further education, and ninety-seven percent (97%) are graduating from the school itself.
The founders have said that they cannot wait to get on with their next project and help not only middle-class children but also young people who would never think of applying.
