Teens Rock Out Aboard Battleship New Jersey
By Mike Dougherty
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - More than 200 School of Rock students are showing their stuff on stage this weekend aboard the Battleship New Jersey.
The two-day showcase gives the students an opportunity to play for their friends, family and peers with professional sound and lighting. This was set up by Lou Faiola, who owns the Cherry Hill School of Rock.
"It is a culmination of eleven different schools of rock from up and down the East Coast," he says.
Fifteen-year-old Sara James is part rocker, part activist. She's raised more than $10,000 selling water ice to help pay for gear and lessons for kids who want to jam but don't have the money.
"I always believed in letting people do what they love, and some people just can't because of family funds," she says. "And it's not their fault."
The former One Direction fan never expected to fall in love with rock-n-roll, and never expected to relish the feeling of being on stage:
"My parents really forced me into it, and as soon as I got up there behind the mic, I was like 'ok this is where I belong'."
Her dad, Larry, is full of pride when he sees his little girl on stage:
"Well, I gotta tell you...I love it. I love it."
Jamila and her family drove up from Maryland to be part of the show. She says taking the stage is a rush:
"My grandma had always been trying to push me to do singing lessons. I was kind of nervous about it at first, and then once everyone tells me I was doing well, I decided to take singing lessons and see how far I could go with this."
Proceeds will benefit the ship as well as the Sara James foundation, which helps pay for music lessons for kids who can't afford them.
