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MANSFIELD - In the movie "School of Rock," comedian Jack Black played a rock star wannabe and substitute teacher who wanted to turn a classroom full of adolescents into a professional rock band.

At Mockingbird Music's "School of Rock," presided over by guitar teacher B.J. Knights, a quintet of 11- to 13-year-olds recently lived out the same fantasy with slightly more modest ambitions.

Over a six-month period a group of Mansfield area youngsters coupled individual lessons with weekly sessions in which they learned to play together as a band. They capped the experience by recording a studio demo and performing a 15-minute mini-set for a live audience on the music school's stage.

In the bargain, they fulfilled every young musician's fantasy of stepping onto a brightly lit stage and basking in the adulation of fans - and parents.

"It's really a dream to play in a band," said Ben Calder, 11, a Foxboro Regional Charter School student who plays keyboards and sings backup vocals. Max Harchik, the 13-year-old lead singer and bassist, said being in a band is what he's been working for since he started taking private guitar and bass lessons. But he also had to overcome a few obstacles, such as memorizing the words to the songs and having band members sometimes stray from the beat.

"It's really frustrating when everybody's not playing together," said the Qualters Middle School student.

Along the way Calder, Harchik and bandmates Conor Kline, Joey Canna (guitars) and drummer Michael Platt learned a few other lessons, like the need to concentrate, to listen to the other musicians and to get along, said Knights, a self-taught guitarist who was chosen to conduct a pilot version of The School of Rock this year.

"When I was a kid, being in a band was more the exception to the rule," Knights said. "Now it's a more mainstream idea and something a lot more kids are interested in."

The School of Rock, introduced for the first time this year, combines regular private lessons with weekly band practice, said Mockingbird group instruction director Kevin Byrne. The class is geared mostly to beginners, he said.

The desire to become part of a band stems partly from the proliferation of rock music on TV and the Internet, and partly from the spread of popular video games such as "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero," where the focus is making music rather than shooting aliens, Byrne said.

Play-in-a-band programs for young musicians are also being propelled by popular culture such as Disney's new movie "Camp Rock," starring teen hearthrobs the Jonas Brothers.

Other music schools are also feeling an uptick in demand from young musicians. In North Attleboro, White's Music Education Center offers rock band camps in spring and summer, the next offering is July 14-18. Camps are open to guitarists, keyboard players, drummers, bassists and singers.

School owner David White says interest in band camp is growing exponentially as youngsters seek to take the "next step" toward developing as musicians.

"I don't think we've ever had as much interest as we've had this year," said White, adding that multiple rock band camps are being planned over the summer. White said campers are taught the rudiments of music theory along with the art of playing together as a group - a combination that frequently fuels student desire to learn and practice more. "It's a real eye-opener for kids," he said.

For the past several years, the number of rock band camps have been exploding nationwide along with the number of pre-teens and teens who picture themselves as future rock stars. Hundreds of camps have emerged in which students can immerse themselves in rock for as little as $250 for a one-week session.

In Marco Island, Fla., the local YMCA has even gotten into the act with its own "Camp Rock." And in Bakersfield, Calif., a music school has acknowledged the ambitions of girls to become rock stars by putting on a rock camp just for them.

Knights, who serves as guitar tech, roadie and fan club president for the band as well as teacher, says he thinks the first graduating class of the School of Rock is a success. Although band members had to overcome the usual adolescent distractions and occasional disagreements, Knights said the boys pulled together to make the most of the opportunity.

"They've got talent," Knights said, "and they're just great young guys."

RICK FOSTER can be reached at 508-236-0360 or at rfoster@thesunchronicle.com.