Orlando musician Angelo Ballestero is teaching students at the One School of the Arts in Longwood how to rock.

  • Ballestero runs school rock program
  • Ballestero's son Angelo Jr. died of bone cancer years before
  • His other two sons attend One School of the Arts

Ballestero runs the school's "After School Rock School" program. He gives individual students lessons for playing guitar, and also coaches students performing as rock bands.
 
Because he enjoys it so much, Ballestero has a hard time considering it work.

“Ha, ha it’s not work,” he said, adding that seeing the students progress was the best part.
 
“You can’t beat it. I mean when they do something,” he said. “Like I’ll teach them a beat, and they experience, 'Wow, that was me.' I mean the look on their face.”
 
Ballestero's role at One School of the Arts derived in part from personal tragedy. His son, Angelo Jr. died of bone cancer several years ago. He traveled the country with his son seeing doctors and alternative medicine specialists in hopes of finding a cure, but nothing worked.

Angelo Ballestero, Jr. Photo courtesy of Ballestero Family.
 
Ballestero was left a grieving, broke single dad. That’s when One Church pastor Sandy Johnson stepped in.

Johnson provided tuition help so Angelo’s two other sons could attend the church school, and even gave his son Christopher rides to school for several months.
 
“We have four sons and I could only imagine from a mom’s perspective what that would be like to lose a boy and from Chris’s perspective to lose a brother,” said Johnson. “So I just wanted to help, and that was something I could do.”
 
She also hired Ballestero to run the rock school program. It put him in a position where he got to teach what he loves in a place where his sons attend school.

“It really is a miracle. Absolutely. It’s absolutely a miracle,” he said.