Zounds Sounds School of Music hosts grand opening of new outlet in Plano

by Teresa Gubbins

PLANO — Nearly 300 well-wishers and almost as many teen kids congregated in East Plano on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the grand opening of the second branch of Zounds Sounds Music School and Studios.

Zounds is the well-regarded "school of rock" featuring veteran local musicians teaching guitar, bass, piano, drums, and voice to teens and pre-teens. The original branch was opened in east Dallas in 2005 by Marc Solomon and his wife Mary Armstrong, who expanded to Plano because, in a way, they had no choice.

"We're as full as we can be in Dallas, we didn't have any more space, so we went up north," Solomon said.

The spin-off is just a few blocks north of old downtown Plano, in a low-key office-park complex with neighbors such as an art school and a delivery business. The 2000-square-foot space has eight practice rooms, an equipped kitchen, and a lounge. With rooms built off other rooms, it has a cozy rabbit-warren vibe. Posters of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the like seem almost absent-mindedly tacked to the wall, like a college dorm-room.

Sunday's grand opening included a buffet of burgers, vegetable trays, chips, guacamole, and dips. In the back room, a revolving lineup of teen bands played three-song sets, some original songs but more often covers of classic rock tunes, with "My Generation" being the pick.

The majority of attendees were students, family members, and acquaintances of the school's staff, such as Mary Simons of White Rock Lake and Amy Smith of Lancaster, both friends of Solomon and Armstrong. Student Matthew Musso, 10, who's been taking guitar lessons every Thursday for more than a year, performed with his band, Wicked Lizard.

"Before he did this, he was the shyest kid," recalled his mother, Kathleen. "It's fantastic when you can find yourself through something like this."

But the opening also drew newbies such as Beata and Daniel McKee, from Anna, both local-music fans, who brought their five-year-old daughter Magda.

The teaching staff includes a who's who of area musicians, from Paul Slavens to Chris Holt to Benjamin Burt. Most still play at local clubs and juggle their teaching gigs with other jobs; some teach only one day a week, just for the opportunity to interact with the kids.

Burt, who began teaching at Zounds in October 2008 and teaches drums six days a week, said he'd be adding one day in Plano to his weekly schedule, as well.

"Working with the kids, it's heartwarming," he said. "This is a job where you have a smile on your face every day you go to work."