Paul Richard Green (born July 9, 1972) is an American record producer, film producer, director, screenwriter, singer-songwriter, music teacher, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who founded School of Rock (formerly known as The Paul Green School of Rock Music), a performance-based music program for children, teens, and adults. This for-profit educational company operates and sponsors franchises for extracurricular music instructional programs in the United States.
On August 9, 2011, the Woodstock Film Festival announced that Green has moved to the Woodstock, New York area and has joined as the Music Coordinator. He is also working with Woodstock Festival co-founder Michael Lang in founding a music college in the Woodstock area.[1] Green has also launched a weekly rock radio show on Radio Woodstock 100.1 WDST called "The Tool Shed with Paul Green" that airs on Saturday evenings from 7-9pm and streams online at RadioWoodstock.com.
Biography
Green grew up in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia.[2] He was inspired to pick up a guitar at age 4 after looking at albums his guitarist mom owned. He went from being “Paul the nerdy kid to Paul the nerdy kid playing the guitar,[3] His father died when he was 5.[2]
Paul Green began giving traditional individual music lessons in his home in 1996.[4] He invited a group of his students to sit in, or "jam", with his own band with disappointing results. But by the third week, he found that the students who played in a group had advanced much more than the students who received only traditional solo instruction. He modified his teaching method to supplement traditional instruction with group practice, with the goal of playing a show. He compared it to the difference between "...shooting hoops and playing basketball". In 1999, the most advanced students played their first public concert at an art gallery.[2]
He took out a loan for $7000 in 2002[5] and established a permanent location for the first Paul Green School of Rock Music in a dilapidated building at 1320 Race St, Philadelphia that has since been demolished.[6] The location had a number of small rooms for individual instrumental instruction as well as larger performance spaces for full band practices. Spin magazine sent Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha to profile Green and the school for the May 2002 issue.[4] Green chose to name the school after himself to avoid both to confusion with the Herbie Hancock television program and to use his measure of local fame, but always referred the program as "Rock School" and answered the phone using the phrase.[7] Additionally, Green established the domain SchoolofRock.com in 2001,[7] first archived May 24, 2002.[8]
In 2002, a crew from the Viacom television channel VH1 filmed for four days at the Philadelphia location for a proposed reality TV series. After the shoot, the producers stopped returning Green's phone calls.[5] In January 2003 filmmakers Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce attended a concert by the students, and decided to make a documentary about the school five minutes after the concert started.[9] They met with Green the next day and began shooting video one day later, intending to follow an entire school year.[10] Midway through the nine months of shooting what became Rock School, they learned that the Viacom movie studio Paramount would be releasing a fictional film to be called School of Rock featuring Jack Black as Dewey Finn, a would-be rock star teaching children to play rock music. Many critics claimed[11] that Black's characterization was based on Green's man-child persona[12] though screenwriter Mike White claimed that he had "...never heard of Paul Green before".[2] Green considered a lawsuit, but decided against it, reasoning that the School benefited from the film saying "I considered suing, but what are you going to do? It's better, in a karmic sense, to just reap the rewards."[13]
In 2002 Green had more than 100 students, and to maintain an acceptable student to teacher ratio, opened an additional location in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Expansion continued in counties around Philadelphia, then into southern New Jersey and Delaware. Green's dentist, Dr. Joseph Roberts, became chairman of the board of the School and provided funding to expand to San Francisco; New York City; Austin, Texas; Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Salt Lake City; and Sandy, Utah.
Green was bought out in 2009 by investor Sterling Partners and the management team he had brought in,[14] headed by former Clear Channel executive Matt Ross.[15] Ross remained chief executive officer until 2010, managing the company's expansion and private equity acquisition.[16] The name was changed to School of Rock in 2010, and former McDonald's executive Chris Catalano replaced Ross as CEO.
The program consists of year-round, weekly individual lessons as well as full band rehearsals for seasonal shows. Instructors are encouraged to stress the fundamentals of both popular music and music theory in their teaching. There are many teachers per school, all specializing in at least one instrument, often more. Instruction is available in the following areas: electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and vocals. Students are encouraged to play other instruments as well, with instruction from other sources. Students learn songs from popular bands/artists like Led Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, 80's glam metal, punk, and grunge. Those songs are eventually played at themed live shows held throughout the year.
There are occasional workshops featuring accomplished musicians, and the artists will include discussions about their past experiences, songwriting, live performance and fame in general. To be admitted, students generally must be between the ages of 7 and 18. No musical training or experience is necessary to attend the school.
Green's non-compete agreement with School of Rock expired in 2013, and he announced plans to open a Paul Green Rock Academy in Woodstock, NY to serve ages 8 to 18, as well as a Woodstock Music Lab in Ulster County with Woodstock Music Festival promoter Michael Lang.[17] In February 2018, Green opened a Paul Green Rock Academy in Norwalk, CT.[3]
The film: Rock School
Rock School is a documentary about Paul Green and The Paul Green School of Rock Music. The documentary exhibits the school through the eyes of its founder, Paul Green. A New York Magazine film critic[who?] said, "Paul Green is letting his students in on a secret of life that goes beyond school, even stuff that looks easy is hard to do well." The film displays him showing off his wide variety of teaching tactics and also how the school affects the lives of the students that attend. Paul Green is seen several times jumping up and down, screaming at kids, and kicking students, all to teach them. As Ken Tucker, the National Public Radio rock critic, phrased it in his review, "I'd hand out DVDs of Rock School to everyone in the country with a teaching degree and dare them to match this level of commitment."[18]
The Annual Paul Green School of Rock Festival
In June 2007, Paul unveiled his first School of Rock festival. The two-day event at the Jersey Shore in Asbury Park, New Jersey, attracted almost 10,000 people and served as the quintessential example of the School's initial hopes: music education for young musicians through live performances. The festival featured 400 kids from various branches of The Paul Green School of Rock Music from across the nation on stages side by side with headlining acts such as Ween, Bad Brains, the Benevento/Russo Duo and New Jersey's own, the Bouncing Souls. Special events included a lecture from Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys fame and a shred contest sponsored by PRS Guitars.
The 2008 festival was held over the course of three days from June 27 to 29 in Philadelphia. The entire festival included themed shows from Schools as far west as California as well as the now-independent bands of former students. The All-Stars performed before the headlining acts on each day. The first day was held at the Electric Factory with performances by Andrew W.K. and the Butthole Surfers. The Festival Pier at Penn's Landing hosted the final two days with the Hold Steady and Devo on Saturday and Goldfinger, Less Than Jake and the Dropkick Murphys on Sunday. There was also a Shred Contest sponsored by Gibson Guitars, won by a Princeton SOR student named Russell Chell.
Paul Green's All-Stars
After a few years of running his school Paul decided to create the "All-Stars Program". All-Stars are a group of the best students from the entirety of the program, all across the country, handpicked from schools in the program through auditions. They go on tour to play such venues as BB Kings in Times Square, The Knitting Factory in LA and NYC, The Roxy and Crash Mansion in LA, Stubbs in Austin, Hard Rock Cafes, House of Blues, and many of the biggest festivals in the country such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, along with many others.
"I hate the word talent. Talent seems to take away the achievements of human beings and giving it some sort of nebulous genetics. I know a lot of successful people and they all just tend to work a little harder than everyone else."[3]
"I like my drums hit hard and loud, all the time."
Musical Collaborations With Paul Green School of Rock
Paul Green and/or the Paul Green School of Rock have collaborated with the following artists:
Stewart Copeland – The Police (1 show and played on Rock School soundtrack)
Vernon Reid – Living Color, Solo, Many Studio Credits (5x)
Related Research Articles
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter and musician who founded the rock band the Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and scored a U.S. No. 1 hit in 1976 with "Welcome Back."
Paul Vaughn Butterfield was an American blues harmonica player, singer and bandleader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his native Chicago, where he met Muddy Waters and other blues greats, who provided encouragement and opportunities for him to join in jam sessions. He soon began performing with fellow blues enthusiasts Nick Gravenites and Elvin Bishop.
Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. It was promoted as "2 More Days of Peace and Music". The poster used to promote the first concert was revised to feature two catbirds perched on the neck of an electric guitar, instead of the original one catbird on an acoustic guitar.
Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to his guitar tones which, rather than relying on standard instrumental tones, often resemble sound effects or noises made by animals and machines.
Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second drummer from 1983 to 1985, 1986 to 1989, and 2009. The band has also employed a variety of bass players, most notably Jeff Pinkus.
School of Rock is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. Black plays struggling rock guitarist Dewey Finn, who is fired from his band and subsequently poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. After witnessing the musical talent of the students, Dewey forms a band of fourth-graders to attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands and use his winnings to pay his rent.
Electriclarryland is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Butthole Surfers, released on May 6, 1996, by Capitol Records. This album brought Butthole Surfers their first Top 40 hit with "Pepper". The album was certified gold by the RIAA on August 20, 1996. The title of this album is a parody of Jimi Hendrix's third studio album entitled Electric Ladyland. This is the second time the band has used a parody title for one of their releases. The first was Hairway to Steven, which references the song "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. The album's original title was going to be Oklahoma!, but fearing lawsuits, Capitol forced the band to change the name.
Napoleon Murphy Brock is an American singer, saxophonist and flute player who is best known for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, including the albums Apostrophe ('), Roxy & Elsewhere, One Size Fits All, and Bongo Fury. He contributed notable vocal performances to the Zappa songs "Village of the Sun," "Cheepnis," and "Florentine Pogen."
Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt is a Portuguese-American guitarist. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. Bettencourt has recorded a solo album and has founded rock bands including Mourning Widows, DramaGods, and Satellite Party.
Locust Abortion Technician is the third full-length studio album by American rock band Butthole Surfers, released in March 1987. The album was originally released on both vinyl and CD on Touch and Go, and was remastered on CD on the band's label, Latino Buggerveil, in 1999.
Gibson Jerome Haynes is an American musician, radio personality, painter, author and the lead singer of the band Butthole Surfers.
Gary Miller, better known by his stage name Dr. Know, is an American musician, who rose to prominence as the guitarist for the Washington D.C. hardcore punk band Bad Brains, who were critically acclaimed for their innovative musical style and are regarded as one of the greatest and most influential punk rock bands of all time. Critic Rick Anderson praises Miller's "ability to meld the raw directness of hardcore punk with an almost supernatural virtuosity without sacrificing the power of either approach".
Rock School is a 2005 documentary film about The Paul Green School of Rock Music.
Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis is the second studio EP by American punk band Butthole Surfers, released in October 1985. All songs were written and produced by Butthole Surfers.
School of Rock is a music education program. This for-profit educational company operates and franchises after-school music instruction schools in the United States, Chile, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, South Africa, Mexico, Australia, Paraguay, Taiwan, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and the Philippines. School of Rock currently has 307 open locations in fourteen countries serving more than 55,000 students.
Rembrandt Pussyhorse is the second full-length studio album by American experimental rock band Butthole Surfers, released in April 1986. All songs were written and produced by Butthole Surfers, except "American Woman"—which was written by Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, and Garry Peterson of The Guess Who—and "Perry", which borrows the theme music to the Perry Mason TV show starring Raymond Burr.
Butthole Surfers is the debut studio EP by American rock band Butthole Surfers, released in July 1983. It is also known as Brown Reason to Live and Pee Pee the Sailor. All songs were written and produced by Butthole Surfers.
Ed Hall was a noise rock band formed in Austin, Texas, United States in 1985. The band played a mix of post-hardcore and psychedelic rock and was described by Trouser Press as "Austin's resident heirs to the Butthole Surfers' weird-rock crown". Ed Hall was a trio not containing any member of that name; Gary Chester handled guitar duties, with Larry Strub on bass. Drumming on the band's first two albums was handled by Kevin Whitley, who was replaced by Lyman Hardy until the group dissolved.
Warren Klein is an American musician and songwriter, best known for being a founding member and lead guitarist of The Factory with Lowell George, as a member of Fraternity of Man, and for being a guitarist in The Stooges with Iggy Pop in the spring of 1973.
Robert "Bobby" Martin is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Martin sings and plays keyboards, horn, saxophones and other instruments. He is mainly known for collaborating in the 1980s with the musician Frank Zappa, although he is also a prominent session musician, composer of music for cinema, theater, television and advertising, musical director and music teacher. He also directs music production company Think Method Production with Stephen Boyd. He recognizes as musical influences Ray Charles, Stravinsky, Coltrane, Rachmaninoff, Mose Allison, Cannonball Adderley, David "Fathead" Newman, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa and Etta James.
References
↑ "Paul Green Joins Woodstock Film Festival as Music Coordinator". IndieWire. August 9, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2011. Green recently moved to Woodstock and is currently working with Michael Lang, co-creator of the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Festival, on the early phases of building a world renown music college right here in Woodstock.
1 2 Lha, James (2002). "Schoolhouse Rock". Spin (May): 93–97. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
1 2 Davis, Johnny (February 22, 2004). "The real school of rock". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 27, 2008. For the first School Of Rock show, Paul's students performed Pink Floyd's The Wall. From start to finish. Recently, they've been tackling the works of Frank Zappa, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Jimi Hendrix.
↑ Stefchak, Cara (April 23, 2012). "Music Issue: Learning how to rock". The Temple News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2012. Philadelphia was home to the first School of Rock established by musician Paul Green in 2000 at 1320 Race St., which has since been condemned and demolished with the expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
↑ Vice, Jeff (June 24, 2005). "Green relieved documentary shows real 'School of Rock'". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2012– via HighBeam Research. 'The School of Rock' was spawned by a development deal with music TV network VH-1, which initially pitched Green on a reality television show. But when that deal soured, the producers sold the concept to Paramount Pictures, leaving him out in the cold. (According to some reports, Green was not paid for either the scrapped TV program or the movie.)
↑ "Rock School review". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 12, 2012. Though you won't find it acknowledged anywhere, Rock School's main subject Paul Green no doubt figured into White's research for his feature film script.
↑ Douglas, Edward. "Movie Reviews: Rock School". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved April 7, 2012. ...the real Paul Green is even funnier and more entertaining than Jack Black's fictionalized version of him in School of Rock.
↑ Davis, Johnny (February 22, 2004). "The real school of rock". The Observer. 'I considered suing,' says Paul Green, 'but what are you going to do? It's better, in a karmic sense, to just reap the rewards.
↑ Dezember, Ryan (April 19, 2012). "Behind the Music: School of Rock Scores $5 Million Infusion". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2012. Sterling acquired the School of Rock in 2009 for an undisclosed amount, and most recently pumped $3.5million into the business.
↑ "History of the School of Rock". School of Rock DC. Retrieved August 2, 2012. At the end of 2005, the School of Rock hired radio industry veteran Matt Ross to solidify the management team and fine-tune the strategic plan for the future.
↑ "School of Rock founder plans music academy for Woodstock". Poughkeepsie Journal. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013. Paul Green, a Woodstock resident, plans to open a school "very similar to the original School of Rock in Philadelphia," which he launched in 1997. Green ultimately opened 52 School of Rock locations across the nation and sold the company. His non-compete clause recently expired.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
