School of rock

Paul Knight leads young musicians as far as they want to go

It’s hard to think of anyone better connected and less acknowledged in the Tulsa music scene than Paul Knight, the creator of Riverfield Rocks. Knight’s rock band program at Riverfield Country Day School is the largest of its kind in the nation. The Voice caught the end of a recent rehearsal at Riverfield in the lead-up to Llamapalooza 2015, the program’s outdoor show April 25 on the Riverfield campus.

It’s an event you absolutely should not miss. Riverfield Rocks blew our minds when they threw down at Cain’s Ballroom in January. The show drew a crowd of 900, which is particularly awesome because the program runs on ticket and merch sales. 

“It feeds itself because the community wants it,” Knight said. 

Knight treats his students like professional musicians, and Ashtyn Fox—a sophomore on drums, vocals, guitar and keys—said her teacher sets the bar high. 

"He kind of expects us to be mature,” Fox said. “If we do act immature, then he talks to us like we're five, because we're acting like we're five. … It makes you work for it, because he definitely has high expectations for us." 

The program spans fourth through twelfth grades, and across the board, the musicians are a blast to watch. Knight nurtures kids’ free and full expression, and it shows. Some—like standout senior vocalist and guitarist Maxwell Musick—have already grown into their talent more robustly than some adult musicians we know.

"When it's higher notes or harder songs, I feel if I actually dance or move around a lot—it's like throwing my whole body into it—then it's a lot easier,” Musick said. “So like on (Hozier’s) “Jackie and Wilson,” at the beginning of the year it really was not in my range. There was a lot of movement that had to go into getting it up there. ... You just kind of throw it out.”

Long-term investment 

In addition to teaching, Knight is a professional multi-instrumentalist. Last March, he released progressions/colors, a completely improvised trip-hop/post-rock album. He’s also club venue director for Center of the Universe Festival, an entertainment director for Oktoberfest and co-conspirator with top-notch promoters like Brian Horton and VisitTulsa’s Abby Kurin, who directs the Tulsa Film and Music Office. 

Knight’s role in the Tulsa music scene stretches back to his years on the drumline in Booker T. Washington High School’s esteemed Funky Ds. As a student and professional musician at the University of Tulsa, he also taught at Brook Fine Arts Academy, where he started a group rock band class. 

Riverfield Rocks was born when the head of Riverfield’s Upper School, Toby Clark, saw a BFA summer rock band performance that included several Riverfield students. After the show, Clark asked Knight if he was interested in trying this “for real” as a music elective at Riverfield.

The first year, Knight taught one class of 16 students. More than a hundred kids in 13 bands now participate, and it only gets better each year.

To fit 13 bands into a 3-hour show, the kids work together like a well-oiled machine. 

"We change bands faster than most people change songs,” Knight said. “We have to; otherwise our shows would be five hours long.” 

Behind the music

To expose kids to music at the highest levels, Knight nurtures relationships with internationally touring acts and many of Tulsa’s most talented musicians. These connections dissolve the curtain between young musicians and those who have “made it,” and they’re giving the program a name in the music industry. Though his students have interacted with AC/DC, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and Roger Daltrey at the BOK Center, Knight said some of the greatest moments have happened on campus at Riverfield.

Kris Kristofferson has played a private fundraiser for the program (followed by an extended Q&A session), and “American Idol” star David Cook and his band have talked candidly with the students about the music industry. 

The day after alt-rock band The Mowgli’s played Tulsa Roots Rocks the Green in September, they visited the school. (Riverfield Rocks played the same event at Guthrie Green just a few weeks later). The Mowgli’s played a short acoustic lunchtime set for the entire Upper School, followed by a 2-hour jam session in the band room. The kids played, The Mowgli’s played, and then they played their songs together. The Mowgli’s will promote their upcoming album using Riverfield Rocks performances of some of their new songs. 

Knight said these rare opportunities are the natural result of genuine relationships. 

“Be it musicians, club owners, agents, labels, managers, sound companies or local press … establishing connections with them is as simple as reaching out,” he said. “Talk to people, learn about what they do, but not for yourself. Do it for everyone.”

For more from Jay Howell, check out his guide to supporting local music.