School of rock

By Ajarn Helen Jandamit
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post

University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams and tests that are coming your way. It gives you practise answering questions similar to those you may have at school and also on the University Entrance Examination.

Read the following story from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.

After more than twenty years in the local and international music industry, Chomthawat Yongkittikul tried to recall what he and other budding musicians had wanted when they were young. He realised that it was a music school where you didn’t feel obliged but inspired instead. Chomthawat came up with the idea for Rockademy, a new music school that offers a new approach to music education.

Tucked away inside the trendy A Square shopping area on Sukhumvit 26, the white, modern building is now Chomthawat’s headquarters. Besides its regular courses, Rockademy offers special workshops for aspiring musicians to learn from professionals in the music business.

“Rockademy is about experience more than education, because that’s what music is,” Chomthawat said. “The idea came from what I had been thinking for a long time, combined with many people I met who were saying similar things — that when they studied music in the past, it became such a chore that they gave up.”

Back in the mid-90s, when alternative rock hit the Thai music scene, Chomthawat was among the pioneers as a member of Barbies, one of the most loved indie bands of the era. He later worked with GMM Grammy as a producer. In 2000, he moved to New York and experienced the music business there before returning home in 2007.

“After I returned, I noticed that young people who study music wanted to be the frontman of a band,” he said. “It’s a good thing that people want to be part of the music industry, but I don’t think it is good when everybody wants to be a one-man show. If everybody wants to be a singer, they’ll be nobody to play the guitar, bass or drums for them.”

Chomthawat and former bandmate Apirat Techavara opened Rockademy last year. Most music schools in Thailand offer academic-style classes. But at Rockademy, they believe that the appeal of rock music is the experience of being in a band, according to Apirat.

“In rock music you get to be part of a team,” Apirat said. “It’s really important for kids to learn teamwork."

All the teachers at Rockademy are pros — rockers, mostly — who still work in the business.

“Rockademy wants to become a community for music lovers where people can let loose and enjoy music,” Apirat said.

The school offers one-on-one lessons in vocal training and various instruments. Also offered is a band-coaching course, where students in bands can improve their showmanship and technical skills. There are also songwriting courses and lessons about music technology.

After six months of the school operating, Chomthawat said that the feedback had been positive.

“Parents who send their kids here want their kids to have fun with music, and some of the parents end up enrolling for lessons themselves,” 43-year-old business owner Rapeepat Thanathavornkit said. Rapeepat first came to Rockademy three months ago so that his daughter could have drumming lessons. After a month, he became a student alongside his 13-year-old daughter.

“Learning music from people who are in the business makes it much more interesting than learning from teachers who have only been trained academically,” Rapeepat said.

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Exercises

Section 1

Read the story. Then, answer the following multiple choice questions.

1. Who set up Rockademy?

a. Chomthawat Yongkittikul.
b. Apirat Techavara.
c. Both Chomthawat and Apirat.

2. Which of the following best describes the teachers at Rockademy?

a. They are traditional academics.
b. They are professional musicians who work in the music industry.
c. They are business owners.

3. Where is Rockademy located?

a. Sukhumvit Soi 26.
b. In New York.
c. The story does not say.

4. What does Rockademy encourage students to do?

a. Become lead singers.
b. Work as part of a team.
c. Become music teachers.

5. When did Rockademy open?

a. Three months ago.
b. About six months ago.
c. Several years ago.

Section 2

Read the story again. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.

6. Apirat Techavara used to play in the same band as Chomthawat.

………………….

7. Rockademy has an academic approach to teaching music.

………………….

8. Most of the teachers at Rockademy are professional rockers.

………………….

9. You can study music technology at Rockademy.

………………….

10. Chomthawat started working in the music industry back in the mid-60s.

………………….

Section 3

Read the following sentences. Underline a misspelled word in each sentence and write down the correct spelling in the space provided.

11. Rockademy is less about education than experienze.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

12. He later worked as a produser with GMM Grammy.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

13. They stoped studying music because it became such hard work.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

14. I approve of people wanting to be part of the music industrie.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

15. People liked the music teacheing at Rockademy.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Section 4

Find words in the story that are synonyms of the following words.

16. Fashionable ………………

17. Global ………………

18. Group ………………

19. Vocalist ………………

20. Task ………………

Section 5

Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.

There are many places that offer music lessons, but also many people …..21…... feel pressured while learning music. When we …..22….., we wondered how we could make the students start …..23….. music and inspire them to want to …..24….. more.

21.

a. who
b. when
c. where

22.

a. starts
b. started
c. starting

23.

a. enjoyment
b. enjoy
c. enjoying

24.

a. learns
b. learning
c. learn

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