Real-Life 'School of Rock' Performs in NYC Tonight

With the new musical School of Rock currently on Broadway, New York City also has its very own school rock 'n' roll band, made up of students age 9 to 17, which will be performing for free in the city the same week as the musical's opening.

Tonight, December 10th at 7:00pm, Third Street Music School Settlement, the nation's longest-running community music school, will showcase the budding rock stars in its annual Rock Band concert at the school's Anna-Maria Kellen Auditorium, 235 East 11th Street (between 2nd Ave. & 3rd Ave.).

Each year, the East Village institution -- which counts FROZEN composer Robert Lopez and pop star Ingrid Michaelson among its alumni -- offers New York City students an opportunity to hone their chops in a real rock band. The program exemplifies the transformative power of music, using the genre most kids listen to every day to learn not just about music, but also about priceless like skills like collaboration and teamwork.

At next month's concert, seven bands will rock out to classics by artists like the Beatles and Nirvana, pop hits by the likes of Mark Ronson and Pharrell, and their own compositions.

Third Street also brings its Rock Band program directly into several schools throughout New York City, including Tompkins Square Middle School and East Village Community School, where it uses rock music to teach music making, music literacy, and music history to students.

Third Street was founded in 1894 as part of the settlement house movement, offering music instruction and social services to the Lower East Side's immigrant population. Today its main location plus 25 city school partnerships provide music and dance instruction to nearly 5,000 students ranging in age from toddlers to senior citizens, with more than 75 percent benefiting from financial aid and free and low-cost instruction.

Watch a clip of Third Street's student band Pink Pulse performing Metric's "Black Sheep" below!