On November 1, 2024, the School of Rock Huntington Beach will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its opening! Located at Main Street and Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach (across from 5 Points Plaza), we caught up with its owners, Larry Boodman, Jeff Nunes, and Joey Ancona, and asked them to reflect on the last decade of bringing this unique brand of music education to Orange County, what the future holds for the school, and what are they doing to celebrate this ten-year milestone.
OCMC: Thank you for spending time with us today! We’d love to hear how School of Rock Huntington Beach got its start.
SORHB: Well, all three owners have been musicians and businessmen our entire adult lives. From 2005-2011 Larry and Jeff toured the country as members of an indie rock band out of Los Angeles called Fourwayfree. They had always talked about going into business together during their band years and when their group split up in 2012, they began looking for the right opportunity. They both wanted to stay connected to the music industry in some way. Jeff’s previous experience as a music store owner and guitar instructor may have played a part in a Facebook ad for School of Rock catching his eye in early 2014. School of Rock was offering franchise opportunities in Orange County. Jeff forwarded the link to Larry and within 5 minutes the two were on the phone discussing whether this was the opportunity they had been looking for. Larry called his friend, long-time OC musician and former teacher at the Orange County School of the Arts, Joey Ancona, to come onboard, and within 6 months, the School of Rock Huntington Beach was born.
OCMC: It’s incredible hearing about the long lived passion for music that led you here. Can you share the inspiration behind opening this location and the initial vision for the school?
SORHB: Larry and Joey both grew up in Orange County, and Larry being from Huntington
Beach specifically, felt strongly that Huntington Beach was the perfect place for our unique style of music education. Having been musicians in an original band touring the country, part of the inspiration for the school was not only to stay connected to music, but also to inspire the next generation of musicians to hopefully go out and start their own thing.
OCMC: What challenges did you face when you first opened the school?
SORHB: Other than the normal challenges any new business faces (financing, location,
publicity) we opened in a city with some well-established music schools so we knew the
competition could be great. But we believed that our approach was different than what was out there, and we think in the last ten years that has proven to be true and has served us and the community really well.
OCMC: We really love businesses that have been investing in the community for so long. You’ve become a staple in Orange County for sure! Over the last 10 years, what has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned as a business owner in the music education industry?
SORHB: Focus on the quality of our final product, and fostering a positive school culture, are the most important things we do. From the beginning, we’ve focused on providing our students with performance-based music instruction. That means you’re not just sitting in a room for a half hour a week doing exercises and playing the occasional song. Our students put on a rock show at the end of each season and the quality of those shows can be mind-blowing. But school culture may be more important. We’ve created a place where our students can be comfortable, make lifelong friends in many cases, and find their way through what can be challenging years for some kids.
OCMC: You’re really invested in your students in such important developmental years. That’s amazing. What would you say has been your proudest achievement in these past 10 years? Are there any student success stories that stand out?
SORHB: We have many former students who have gone on and started careers in music as
songwriters, teachers, or performing in their own bands, so of course we are so proud of them. Nothing makes us happier than seeing one of our students leave us to start their own group or create their own music. But honestly, and this was unexpected, our most rewarding moments are when a parent pulls us aside and tells us that since joining our school, they have seen such a positive change in their child. Many times a year we’re told “Before coming here my kid would not make eye contact with anyone, they would not talk to anybody, they seemed isolated, and were not doing well. But after being here for a while, they have totally changed. They seem happy, they have friends, they have self-confidence and are generally a different kid.” We’re not saying those things only come from the School of Rock but putting that positivity into the world and affecting students in that way, while it was not something we expected when we opened, has definitely been our most rewarding and proudest achievement. We know most students will not become professional musicians, but the confidence and other skills they learn with us will serve them well in whatever path they follow.
OCMC: Speaking as a mom of teenagers, it truly is incredible when you find your kids thriving in an environment like the one you’ve created. So as you look ahead to the next 10 years, what are your goals for School of Rock Huntington Beach? Do you plan to expand your programs, reach more students, or explore new opportunities?
SORHB: Of course we plan to continue growing the school so we can offer more show options for students. But we also have a program called Little Wing that is for younger students in the 3–5-year-old range. It introduces them to music fundamentals and is an interactive program that includes a parent using rock music. It takes an instructor with special skills to handle that age group, and we are looking for the right ones to launch that program soon.
*You hear that OC mamas? Get ready for a truly fun program for your littles!
OCSC: How do you see music education evolving, and what role do you envision School of Rock Huntington Beach playing in that future? Are there any emerging trends in music
education that you plan to incorporate into your programs?
SORHB: Music education has evolved a lot in the last decade with advancing technologies – both with positive and negative results. You can find thousands of instructional videos on YouTube or Instagram now, so access to information is greater, but for learning an instrument, the end results are limited. Eventually, that student will reach a plateau in their learning. We see music instruction as a team sport. Nothing teaches you more than playing live with other players. We have incorporated evolving technology into our instruction, but nothing can replace the educational value, social value, and, frankly, the pure fun of playing in a band.
OCSC: Ten years in business is an accomplishment for any small business, are you doing
anything to celebrate?
SORHB: We are and not surprisingly we are putting on a rock show to celebrate! Sunday
November 10th, 6:00 pm at the Biergarten at Old World in Huntington Beach we are having our 10 Year Anniversary celebration. This is a FREE event open to the public. Performances will include appearances by our SORHB Houseband, The Frantic Fix (made up of our most accomplished current students) alumni bands, including an all-women rock group called The Anti-Groupies (three former students and two current instructors), our SORHB staff will perform, and even the three owners will be rocking the stage. This event will include a raffle for a drum set, guitar packages, free lessons, and other prizes to raise money for our scholarship fund. And finally, we will honor ten of our former students as we induct them into the first class of the School of Rock Huntington Beach Hall of Fame. We hope people will come join us for a great show and see what we are all about.
Thank you so much to School of Rock Huntington Beach and happy 10th Anniversary! We’re big fans of this school and we hope our OC Mom Collective community will check them out. You can visit this article for more information and visit their website linked below!
