Mexico City - Young people aspiring to become rock stars in Mexico City can attend a state school that specializes in that genre, in which they not only learn music but are also taught how to write lyrics.

The school, supported by personalities like author Juan Villoro, was created in May 2006 on a city government initiative, and it offers students a four-year general musical education or specialized courses in electric guitar, bass, drums, expressive voice, piano and harmonica.

It is not just a matter of professionalizing the production of music, but also of granting students - aged 14 and over - tools to generate their own works of art and to reflect social phenomena.

And although studies at the Escuela del Rock a la Palabra still have no official status, a multi-discipline council has been created "to broaden, deepen and improve the objectives that led to the founding of the institution."

Villoro, renowned news anchor Carmen Aristegui, rock critic Oscar Sarquiz and designer Carlos Palleiro are among council members, who note that the important thing is to promote artistic creation rather than products to be subjected to commercialization.

"In order to write better, you have to interpret the world better," said school director Guillermo Briseno.

He stressed that words and poetry are "vital elements" in rock music.

Teaching goes beyond writing a few choruses. Students write songs, short stories, verses and other pieces that they then take to a musical level.

According to Briseno, an expert musician, they also read a lot, from classics to newspapers. Since the school was founded, 85 rock- loving students have gone through it, and "some have discovered their talent as writers."

Many have not finished secondary school and have taught themselves to play instruments, but the main thing is that there is an emotional element to their approach and that it is spiced with an adequate dose of theoretical knowledge, teachers say.

In order to be admitted to the School of Rock, aspiring students have to show their talent and love for music, something that cannot be learnt in a hurry ahead of the auditions that constitute admission tests.

Singer Betsy Pecanins, a member of the school council, noted that there is an urgent need to settle "the future of graduates" in an environment plagued by unemployment and a lack of opportunities.

"We have a 25 per cent drop-out rate," said Briseno. "Most of those who leave do so due to a lack of resources or because they have to work in order to contribute to family finances." (dpa)