14-06-2025
Now open: Roc Star Academy South in Geneseo
GENESEO, N.Y. (WROC) — Now open in Geneseo: Roc Star Academy South. The new academy is at 11 Franklin Street, right by SUNY Geneseo.
Rochester native and member of the band Daughtry, Elvio Fernandes, founded the music academy about 15 years ago as a summer camp.
Roc Star Academy South will work just like the Rochester location: school-age kids can enroll, learn from some of the best local musicians in one-on-one settings, form their own band, and get real experience playing out at clubs and festivals.
Fernandes said there is no cap on the number of students they will be admitting to Roc Star Academy South, and teased a possible partnership with the neighboring SUNY Geneseo.
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Fernandes says he got his musical start in Geneseo, and here, he can show a whole new generation of musicians the ropes, like Bianca Lewey.
'I got to join a band… Nothing has changed my life more,' she said. 'I've had the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of people, without Roc Star Academy, I would have never ever gotten the chance… I would have never gotten to explore songwriting, and explore the genres I sing, and open my horizons to so much new stuff.'
'Just seeing the look on that kid's face who came in as a shy kid and leaves with this much more confidence, that's the addiction,' Fernandes said. 'I want every kid who doesn't feel like they're cool… I want to show you how cool you are.'
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