Jack Black enthusiastically instructed his students in the movie “School of Rock” to “Raise your goblet of rock. It’s a toast to those who rock!”

Abbas Jaffary shares Black’s enthusiasm as he teaches the first year of the Burr Ridge Park District’s very own school of rock. The last class of the first session wrapped up Thursday, with another four-class session scheduled for next week. The classes last 90 minutes and have about six children ranging in ages from eight to 10.

“There’s very little structure to the class. I’m not a music instructor by any means; I’ve just liked music my whole life and want to pass that on to the kids,” said Jaffary, who lives in Downers Grove now but grew up in Burr Ridge. “I don’t push them in any direction, I just let them play.”

The class, geared toward novices, aims to just give the kids a taste of music and a sense of accomplishment. They rotate between drums, guitars and vocals. An electric piano also is available. On the final day, a simple song is played, with students able to record their performance and take it home on a compact disc.

“My favorite part is playing the instruments. It’s fun, and it sounds good.” said Adrian Herath of Burr Ridge “I played the guitar, drums and piano, but my favorite was the drums because they’re loud.”

Jaffary, who tutors children in math as well, said he picked up on music as a teenager. However, it did not come naturally to him.

“I think I just wanted to do it because it was difficult. I was drawn to it because it was so hard,” he said. “It seemed there were a lot of guys in high school that were only good at guitar, and I couldn’t figure it out. So I practiced.”

All the equipment used, including two guitars, a drum set and a microphone, belong to Jaffary. He amassed the musical collection during several years starting in the 1990s.
The class originated from his experience teaching at KinderCare in Lombard. He took children on a field trip to a recording studio, where the idea was spawned. He said he has received a lot of positive reviews from the young musicians.

“They seem to really enjoy it. Once they find their niche, they’re really happy,” he said. “My favorite part is letting the kids unlock things they wouldn’t normally do. It’s such a part of culture now, it’s really great,” he said.

To join session two of school of rock, Monday to Thursday, July 21 to 24, call the Park District at (630) 920-1969. The fee is $90 per session for Burr Ridge rockers, $95 per session for out-of-district participants.