Roxford University bands take the stage tonight

Published 10:14 am Thursday, December 15, 2016

Some of Oxford’s youth will get to live out their rockstar dreams on stage at the Lyric tonight.

Roxford University, a music school founded by Carter and Lydia Myers, will be having a concert for its students who have been practicing weekly all semester in bands and in vocal groups.

The school, inspired by the School of Rock franchises nationwide, teaches children instruments with a full-scale performance at a real venue by semester’s end.  The bands cover popular songs as well as compose some of their own.

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Roxford Director Tad Wilkes says that he enjoys watching the students have their eyes opened in regards to music.

“It’s really inspiring to watch the light go on in them when they realize what it feels and sounds like to play music with a group,” Wilkes said in an email.

At the program’s start, students are given a list of songs to work on for the final show. Their instruments are determined based on their preferences and skill level.

Seven groups will be taking the Lyric stage this evening. They range from full-blown rock bands to more vocal-heavy groups with minimal instrumentation for back-up.

Wilkes says watching the students become more confident with their performance skills is an important part of the program to him.

“The chance to share the thrill of making music with kids is very rewarding,” Wilkes said. “Watching them evolve over the course of a semester and go on the big stage and do it in front of a big audience is a big deal to me.”

The Roxford University performance will begin at 6 p.m. and tickets are $10.