Rocking out: Students Nathan and Lachie jam with their music teachers Rhys Lett (on drums) and Dave Hartney (with ukulele). Picture: Rob Carew
YOU don't hear it so often these days: that head-banging, ear-bursting, thrash guitar playing that can make parents shudder when the power chords ring out from the lounge room.
Nowadays musical novices are more likely to be strumming on an acoustic guitar or ukulele and listening to blues and roots music.
The shifting genres are reflected in the music classes young people are choosing to attend.
At Boronia's Eastern Suburbs School of Music, enrolments have increased almost 30 per cent in the past two years and it's the teen queens and blues dudes inspiring this generation.
Rhys Lett took ownership of the music school two years ago after working there as a teacher for the previous 10 years.
When he took over, he saw a high demand for ukulele and banjo classes and has been consistently busy since they were introduced.
"Jack Johnson and Mumford and Sons are really what started this 'folk revival' and whole acoustic thing.
People want to play their music and play the banjo and ukulele," Lett said.
The music school is affiliated with KC's Rock Shop in Boronia, and Lett remembers when the ukulele was just a humble toy instrument costing only $20.
Ukuleles now occupy an entire wall at the shop and can cost up to $1000.
Part of the ukulele's appeal was its size.
"I never thought it would be so popular," he said. "It's a nice and handy, portable instrument that can be taken anywhere."
But 'extreme metal' wasn't dead just yet and many musos were happy to double dip in both genres, Lett said.
VCE guitar student Lachie is one of those former metalheads. Despite being a Mumford and Sons fan these days, he still tunes in to music by bands such as Parkway Drive and The Amity Affliction.
"What's popular is two polar opposites — gentle folk music and then screaming metal," Lett said.
Young girls are inspired to pick up the guitar after seeing teen idols like Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry play.
Thirteen-year-old Lara Karak, who learns guitar with Lett, says one of her favourite tunes to play is Taylor Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.
Another change in the music industry that Lett has seen is budding musicians learning the basics from YouTube. But he does not see it as a negative.
"I don't think anything like that is bad — YouTube, Idol, The X-Factor — if it gets just one kid interested."
Lara said she had learnt to play several Justin Bieber songs after finding tutorials people had uploaded online.
The one constant in the music world, Lett declares, is every age group's love for the band Queen.
After all, isn't rock'n'roll one bohemian rhapsody after another.