Rockschool
Rockschool was a television series aired by the BBC and PBS in 1985. The series explored the history of rock music and gave instruction in popular performance techniques.
Aired in the United States by public television station WNET, Herbie Hancock was brought in to host the series for the American market. Hancock presented various topics in a studio classroom setting, interspersed with short lessons from the "Rockschool Band" and interview segments with well-known musicians.
The series was produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation and distributed in the U.S. by Lorimar Productions in 1987, as six volumes on VHS tape.
Volume listing
Companion books
Two volumes titled Rockschool 1: Guitar, Bass & Drums and Rockschool 2: Electronics, Keyboards & Vocals were published in the U.S. in 1987 by Fireside Books (Simon & Schuster). Volume 1 was previously published in Great Britain by the BBC in 1984. The books were edited by series producer Chris Lent.
Deirdre Cartwright
Deirdre Cartwright (born 26 July 1958) is a British guitarist and composer, and became well known as the guitar presenter of the groundbreaking BBC Television series Rockschool (1983). The second series of Rockschool attracted audiences of two million viewers every week in the UK and was subsequently shown worldwide.
In 1991 she formed her own band - The Deirdre Cartwright Group.
As a solo artist she has played with the American guitarist Tal Farlow, toured with Jamaican composer Marjorie Whylie, played throughout Europe, has seen the weekly jazz club she co-runs, 'Blow The Fuse', become one of the most popular in London, and has been a regular presenter for BBC Radio 3.
Before becoming a presenter and a jazz guitarist, Cartwright was a founding member of an all-female band Painted Lady, which is now Girlschool, from 1975 to 1977 when she left to form another band Tour De Forceand later pursued different professional opportunities in the music business.
Rockschool
After finishing the series she contributed several tunes to the Rockschool grade books that are for sale and go from Debut grade to Grade 8. These are split into three levels: level 1 - Grades 1-3; level 2 - Grades 4-5; and level 3 - Grade 6-8. There are two types of exam, performance and normal. The tunes were co-written with Hussein Boon.
Podcasts:
