In 2003, actor Jack Black starred in a movie where he taught at the “School of Rock.”
In 2026, Jeremy Young is directing a massive rock show starring about 220 junior high students at a school in the middle of a corn field just outside of Hunter, North Dakota.
Young says he’s been choir director for eleven years, and this will be the Northern Cass School District’s second annual Rock Concert. He says the show will feature 14 songs with a live band from a variety of genres…
"They're singing 'Surrender' by Foreigner, they're singing 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing,' Aerosmith. 'Since You've Been Gone,' Kelly Clarkson. 'The Load Out/Stay' by Jackson Browne. 'Shut Up and Dance' by Walk off the Earth. 'Wide Open Spaces,' Dixie Chicks."
Northern Cass is a small co-op school, comprised of students from Hunter, Argusville, Harwood, Grandin, Reiles Acres and other communities – and it graduates about 50 students every year.
Young says the school’s music program has grown to nearly 350 students from 5th to 12th grade, which is an unheard of level of participation. He says practice takes place during school hours, so students involved in other activities don’t have to miss out.
"I think making it fun is the part that's made the success out here happen; if it's fun and they can be with their friends, they want to be part of it. And we've had lots of kids come out of the program and go on to study music, or go on and be in theater in college, and go on to be choir teachers, band teachers. And it's cool because there's also kids that come out of the program that, that'll be the last time they'll ever be on that stage! That's not their thing, but they got to experience it with all their friends. All sorts of kids are in choir and band and drama here, because it's a program that was designed for. I think everyone should have access to that, and it's a fun thing to experience for any kid."
There are two performances this evening at the Northern Cass School, at 6pm and 8pm. Young says he’s serving the performers pizza between the performances.
