Log in

Entertainment

West Valley's first School of Rock rolls into Litchfield Park

Posted 4/20/23

Back in the day, when business owner Michael Toerpe grew up, kids had to buy a magazine to learn a few guitar cords. 

Classic magazines like Guitar World featured rockstars on the cover, but …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor
Entertainment

West Valley's first School of Rock rolls into Litchfield Park

Posted

Back in the day, when business owner Michael Toerpe grew up, kids had to buy a magazine to learn a few guitar cords. 

Classic magazines like Guitar World featured rockstars on the cover, but the magazine’s gold was the tablature, which showed students where to place their fingers on guitar strings to create music instead of note reading. 

“We didn't have YouTube either back in the day either,” Toerpe said.

Now kids have something more remarkable than a magazine with an idol on the cover. Now the kids have rock practice.

“The stereotypical kid who comes in looking at the floor, can't give you eye contact, doesn't talk to anybody,” he said. “Parents have to force him to do something and then three months later, they're onstage rocking. It happens all the time!”

Disaffected by traditional sports or afterschool activities, more students are turning to the School of Rock to find comradery and learn the value of hard work. Toerpe said his Litchfield Park/Goodyear School of Rock has a grand opening event in May, but he already has strong open numbers.

“After our third week, we were already up to 75 students,” he said. “You're supposed to have 33 by the end of month one, and we have almost 80 by the end of month one.”

Toerpe’s School of Rock is the only one in the West Valley and will be in demand.

“When I first started doing this, people were driving their kids to Scottsdale from Buckeye,” he said. “And now they stop driving all the way there and come to us. People will drive for this product.

Younger students, or rookies, get to play everything: bass, drums, keys, vocals, every week. Toerpe said students get to concentrate on one instrument when they get older, but if they’re inclined to find a better fit, they’ll accommodate that student. 

“We want you there because you want to be there, let's help you find your niche,” he said.

Toerpe previously ran a thriving entertainment and music business in Chicago. Before that, he dropped out of college as a music major to travel in a band for five years. He said it was a life-defining experience and didn’t regret it.

“I ended up leaving my junior year because school was kind of getting in the way of me being able to travel with bands, go out and get paying gigs, which is what my goal was anyways, so I ended up leaving and never looked back,” he said. 

Now Toerpe hopes to use his experience to help students find that life-defining experience. 

For information, parents can visit the school at 5110 North Dysart Road in Litchfield Park, visit the website or call Toerpe at 602-834-ROCK.