Architecture

Rock School Barbey

Bordeaux

Rock School Barbey is a scène de musiques actuelles (SMAC) labeled by the French Ministry of Culture and located in Bordeaux at 18 cours Barbey. Managed by the association Parallèles Attitudes Diffusion since 1988, it was first housed in the Théâtre Barbey, built in 1963, before renovation works led to its reopening in 1997 under the name Rock School Barbey. The venue includes a concert hall, a club, a recording studio, and eight rooms used for rehearsals and music lessons.

Its program features around 120 concerts per year and covers all musical styles, with choices oriented toward French and foreign artists, the local scene, and both emerging acts and established headliners. The Barbey Indie Club presents smaller-capacity concerts and focuses on alternative artists from the international independent pop and rock scene. Rock School Barbey also operates the Rock School, an educational system based on practical instrument use and group integration rather than musical notation. It further supports artists through rehearsal, recording, and residency facilities, as well as the Rock School Pro device for identifying and supporting local professional groups.

Map showing the location of Rock School Barbey in Bordeaux
Location of Rock School Barbey in Bordeaux

Nearby Objects

Rock School Barbey and Intro

Intro is a scene de musiques actuelles (SMAC) labeled by the French Ministry of Culture and located in Bordeaux at 18 cours Barbey. It has been managed by the association Paralleles Attitudes Diffusion since 1988. The project was first expressed inside the Theatre Barbey, built in 1963, until renovation works began. When the Theatre Barbey reopened in 1997, it became Intro. The venue is equipped with a concert hall, a club, a recording studio, and eight rooms for rehearsals and music lessons. Through numerous programs, Intro develops a cultural and artistic project with a social vocation. It also promotes accessibility and the discovery of amplified contemporary music, and it is presented as a birthplace for the diffusion and discovery of this alternative culture in Bordeaux.

Programming and Musical Direction

At Rock School Barbey, programming manages an average of 120 concerts each year and covers all musical styles. Its artistic choices are based on discovering French and foreign artists, while also giving significant importance to the local scene. The venue also takes part in promoting new revelations and headliners, including artists recognized nationally and internationally. To support this approach, programming created the Barbey Indie Club, a format for club concerts with reduced capacity. These concerts are used to discover alternative artists from the international independent pop and rock scene.

Alternative Music Education

La Rock School Barbey manages a music school called the Rock School and has developed an alternative approach to music education through Paralleles Attitudes Diffusion. Unlike traditional music learning, enrollment does not require knowledge of musical writing. Its pedagogical model is based on immediate handling of the instrument and collective group integration. The school is led by a pedagogical director and about fifteen teachers, who are primarily musicians and artists. Since 2009, La Rock School Barbey has also created the Rock School network, which now includes 19 structures in Aquitaine, Poitou Charentes, Midi-Pyrenees, Spain, Quebec, China, and Russia. All member structures are connected by a shared charter promoting alternative learning models.

Artistic Support at Rock School Barbey

Rock School Barbey includes an artistic support program that provides artists with tools and resources through several related activities. A device called Rock School Pro is used to identify and support local professional groups. The program offers rehearsal sessions, recording sessions, and residencies at Rock School Barbey. It also supports projects at national and international levels through the Rock School network and its partners. In addition, concerts are programmed at Rock School Barbey and at other musical venues.

Cultural Outreach and Education

Rock School Barbey also extends its activity through cultural outreach programs outside its walls. Its actions culturelles invests in different competitions to help promote future discoveries. In 1999, it created Musiques et Quartiers for young artists from priority neighborhoods, with the aim of supporting cultural and artistic projects. The program offers supervised rehearsals, computer-assisted music workshops, singing lessons, and recording opportunities. A similar initiative, Cote Rock, is deployed in Floirac on Bordeaux's right bank with the same objectives. The venue also uses musical diffusion as a tool for public awareness. Through the show Yes Ouie Can, it promotes citizenship and raises awareness of auditory risks, while also addressing drug and alcohol consumption, sexually transmitted diseases, and sustainable development.