What do you get when you combine School of Rock-esque awesomeness with real-world training in instrumentation and showmanship from some of the best in the business? You get Asheville’s very own Rock Academy.
Anne Coombs and The Music Academy Asheville gang are at it again this Thursday, Dec. 6, at The Orange Peel. True to form, this community-minded group of kids and adults is back to rock out in support of a great cause: the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Carolina.
Make-A-Wish grants wishes for children struggling with life-threatening medical issues, offering some joy and hope to young people in these incredibly difficult circumstances. “If we can grant a child’s wish by shifting a challenge into a wonderful experience through community love and music, the hard work is well worth it,” says Caren Rowell, organizer of the Fifth Annual Benefit Concert for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Carolina. “Having Music Academy Asheville participate in our event for the past few years has truly been a blessing. The kids of Make-A-Wish enlighten us with their young souls, and the talent of the Rock Academy kids is unmatched. Children and music have always been my passions.”
Anne Coombs, who founded both The Music Academy and the Rock Academy, is not new to bringing people and music together in support of the Asheville community. In addition to the Rock Academy performing in support of Make-A-Wish for several years running, Anne has also facilitated musical fundraisers for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina and Arts for Life, among other local charities. She is also a cofounder of Give to the Music, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing music to the children of families who would not otherwise be able to afford instruments or lessons.
“I don’t just teach music,” Anne says. “It’s so much more; it goes so much deeper. I want to touch people’s lives and help kids to become good people through music. I want them to learn to love their community and learn what it means to give back with their talent.”
In addition to being dazzled by the Rock Academy, you’ll also find these other hot local acts gracing the stage: Velvet Truckstop, Shane Pruitt Band, The Sharkadelics, Rory Kelly and Triple Threat, and several special guests, including the Rock Academy sultana herself, Anne Coombs.
Doors open at 7 p.m.; tickets are $12 and can be purchase online and at the door.
For more information about the Rock Academy or its renowned parent, The Music Academy Asheville, visit musicacademyasheville.com. To learn more about Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Carolina, or to make a donation, visit www.ncwish.org.