A towering stadium that holds up to 60,000 people. Screaming fans. Sweaty hands thrust towards the sky. A massive stage, supporting extensive technology that powers countless instruments and microphones. And on that stage? Nine Westchester teenagers.
This November, nine local teenagers from the School of Rock Briarcliff Manor will perform at the Warped Tour, a music festival in Orlando, Fla. The tour was North America’s longest running tour from 1995 to 2019 before shutting down, although it was revived in 2025. The tour’s influence is undeniable: it has been a launch pad for artists like Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, and Paramore. The dominant genre played is a fusion of punk rock, alternative rock, and metalcore. Now, Westchester teenage band The House Band prepares to take the stage.
“There’s just so many people we’re gonna be playing with, it’s just an honor to be here,” said 15-year-old drummer/keyboardist Tristan Beck.
“All the hard work is paying off,” echoed 16-year-old drummer Dominick Mondelli. “I’m doing it with people I love.”
Before the teenagers could even apply to perform at the Warped Tour, they had to apply to something else: The House Band itself. The School of Rock offers an extensive number of programs, ranging from Rock 101 to performance rehearsals. But the most prestigious program is House Band, a handpicked band of the school’s most talented pupils. Jim Domzalski, the school’s owner, said that he tries to replicate a college-style audition since most students are actively pursuing a spot in a music college.
House Band guitarist Jess Katz said “Audition day is a pretty big deal and people spend a lot of time preparing,” adding, “You’re not supposed to be preparing for too long since it’s supposed to show what you can do in a short amount of time and really showcase every part of your abilities.”
Even if you’ve been selected for House Band before, you have to re-audition every year. The competitive environment pushes each student to show off their strongest musical abilities.
The House Band got the opportunity to apply for the Warped Tour through receiving the “headliner award,” which, as Domzalski explained, is “given to School of Rocks that embody the larger School of Rock mission, which is that we’re a growing, passionate community dedicated to enriching lives through performance-based music education.”
The band recorded videos for submissions, which Jess described as “a process” because they had to spend an exorbitant amount of time getting the right video and then making sure everything sounded satisfactory.
On the tour, the band will play a total of six sets, 45 minutes each, over two days. They’ll be opening for artists like Sleeping With Sirens, Jimmy Eat World, and Sublime. “Seeing all these famous bands is gonna be amazing,” said Tristain. “And the bragging rights.”
“I feel like I’ve grown as a musician a lot in the past few years that I’ve been here and I feel like the growth that I have experienced was really School of Rock led.” said vocalist Madeline McSpedon. “Honestly, I feel like if I hadn’t come here I kind of would have stayed in the same spot as a musician.”
Guitarist Harper Saletan said, “School of Rock is kind of my second home, and the people I meet here, just the people I play music with, is the best thing, and it makes me want to get better and be better and learn to play with everyone better so that I can compete with everyone in a fun way.”
The love the House Band members feel for each other, the school, and music is extremely evident in their practice sessions.
“These kids have worked so hard and we’re so proud of them and I just want to shout out our staff because our staff rocks, they’re amazing,” said Domzalski.
The House Band will take the stage on Nov. 14 and 15, ready to rock with some of the greatest bands in the world.
