Mississauga, ON – February 2, 2024

by Lejla Pepeljak

The members of House Band from School of Rock (Streetsville). Photo credit: School of Rock (Streetsville).

Mississauga has a growing reputation for its music and arts scene, in fact, in 2023, it was given the Music City of the Year Award. For Mississauga’s ‘School of Rock’ Streetsville campus learning that one of their student bands, in fact their in house band, was selected to go to the “Rock in Rio” international festival felt like an award. 

Rock in Rio began in Brazil and now happens around Europe and the USA. The 2024 festival will be held in Lisbon, Portugal where House Band will have the exciting (albeit nerve-racking) opportunity to perform in front of thousands!

“The House Band students were over the moon when they heard their audition video (Everlong by Foo Fighters) was accepted and they qualified to perform in Rock in Rio Lisbon. […] We are all so proud and beyond excited for our students as this is quite the dream and a huge personal accomplishment for all of them.”

-Paula Carvalho, Owner of School of Rock

This local band, according to their GOFundMe, was formed only mere months before earning a spot at the festival. This goes to show that not only can talent be found anywhere, but that if you do not try, you will never know what you can achieve. House Band consists of 8 members, aged 13-18; Dean (guitar), Emma (drums), Emma (keys), Lauryn (bass), Natalia (guitar and vocals), Nico (vocals and guitar), Phoenix (drums), and Sebastian (vocals and guitar).

As the kids prepare for their trip and finish their school year at the institution, they must also raise enough funds to get them to Lisbon this summer. They have set up a GoFundMe to support their journey. Providing a wonderful opportunity to support and put Mississauga locals on the map!

Serving as the house band for the School of Rock , they perform locally whenever possible, including on Tuesday Open Mic Nights hosted by Matt Zaddy at the Cuchulainn’s Pub in downtown Streetsville. Their YouTube channel hosts some performances and you can sense the dedication of this young group as they attack 90’s classics with passion.

“We believe it is the band experience that enhances learning, builds confidence and teaches so many life skills. Our instructors are in bands themselves and not only do they encourage and teach our students, they bring so much valuable band experience to each rehearsal.”

-Paula Carvalho, Owner of School of Rock

The ‘School of Rock’ located in Streetsville is a place for students inspired by rock music to study individually and in bands throughout the year. This is where house band came together, as part of their Performance Program duties and eventually secured a spot for “Rock in Rio”. The house band only applied in order to practice their auditioning skills but they received so much more.

If you can, support the band HERE.

Check out their videos below: