Cheering fans, colored lights and rock music. This was the scene of my Friday night, not at the Cotillion or the Coliseum, but in the basement of Senseney Music. What brought me there was the first ever performance by the students of the Adult Rock Band class.

Walking in, my expectations were immediately exceeded. There was a pretty large crowd and there seemed to be a lot of excitement. I took a seat in the front row and waited for the show to begin.

Before I tell you about the performance, let me tell you about the class. There has been a teen version of the Rock Band class at Senseney that has been successful for about four years now, Jim Hill from Senseney says.

“I wanted to offer the same kind of opportunity to adults that maybe used to play in a band when they were younger but stopped because of career, family and/or children responsibilities,” Hill says. “[I was thinking about] adults that are a little older and maybe have their kids raised, have a little more disposable time and are looking to revisit their days of playing in a rock band.”

The students met for an hour once a week for two months.

“I wasn’t used to playing with other people because I usually practice alone,” student Keith Canatsey says. “This was my first time with a group and it was great.”

The band that performed Friday, Nov. 20 consisted of five students who called themselves “Old School.” As they took the small stage and began to plug in instruments, I started to get really excited for them and anxious to hear what their time in the classroom had produced.

When they launched into the first number, Take it Easy by The Eagles, it was clear they had put in the time to make this a great performance. Canatsey sang lead on the next number, Proud Mary by Credence Clearwater Revival. He says the band got together outside of class to get their sound right.

“Our sound wasn’t meshing so we got together four or five time on our own to practice,” Canatsey says. The final number was Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughn and then the band dismissed the audience, saying, “You can all go home now!”

The next Adult Rock Band session will be Jan. 18-March 5 at Senseney.

“When I heard they were doing it again, I was like, ‘Hell yeah!’” Canatsey says.

Available days for classes are Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 4-5 p.m. Call (316) 262-1487 or email jimhill@senseneymusic.com to enroll. Enrollment is $75 a month per person.

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