school.jpg

“Now raise your goblet of rock. It’s a toast to those who rock!”

Sorry for the delay in updating this post. So hopefully you’ve seen today’s paper and read that a “school of rock” is coming to Bricktown. What’s exciting about this news is we’re talking about the real deal here - the first American school to be affiliated with the London conservatory.

The director - Scott Booker, manager of the Flaming Lips.

Kudos to all the folks at UCO who no doubt worked very hard to make this happen. Not only did they do a deal with Booker, but they also went for nothing but the best when it came to creating instant legitimacy for the school. Kudos as well for seeing the advantage of placing the school in Bricktown instead of at UCO’s Edmond campus.

Everybody should benefit from this deal. The students will enjoy learning in an urban environment rich with performance opportunities and exposure to big name acts who routinely make a stop in Bricktown for dinner or a night out before or after a concert at Ford Center, Cox Convention Center or the Civic Center Music Hall (or, as with Paul McCartney, they’re just driving through, enjoying Route 66).

UCO deservedly will get a lot of positive publicity from the deal - and will likely see its reputation as a music, media and arts hub grow even more than it did with the opening of the very popular UCO Jazz Lab.

Booker once again demonstrates he (and the Flaming Lips) are dedicated to their hometown, even if Coyne has a tendency to drop F-bombs while on stage with the mayor the president of the Greater OKC Chamber (good times, good times).

And then there’s Bricktown. The district has been craving this very sort of addition. You won’t find this school in downtown Denver, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Kansas City, St. Louis - or even Austin.

Let them have the Hard Rock Cafes. The food is mediocre and overpriced and the experience is … franchised. I don’t know yet what sort of atmosphere 150 or so students attending a “school of rock” will have in Bricktown. But I doubt it will be duplicated anywhere else anytime soon.