Skylar Elander may be a real tough cookie with a short history, but when he fires away in Pat Benatar's 1980 hit, "Hit Me with Your Best Shot," he closes his eyes, grips the microphone and tilts back his head like he was an old pro.

"He's like a little Michael Jackson," said Mike Manning, owner of Sparks Music Center.

The 6-year-old Sparks boy is the lead singer of his band, which is preparing to go up against 11 others on July 12 at the Sparks Music Center's second Battle of the Bands at the Sparks Amphitheater.

On Saturday, Manning was helping the band members for the competition during his School of Rock session, which nurtures children and teens' affinity for metal, hard rock and soft rock music by giving instruction in a band scenario. This particular group will be the only one to have a lead singer, Manning said.

The Battle of the Bands gives young players an opportunity that's hard to find in the area.

"There's no place for these heavy metal type bands to play," he said. "We take them in. They're great and have good work ethics."

At the rehearsal, Manning constantly reviewed the band's playing and broke down the songs piece by piece if any of the members weren't playing as strongly as he knew they could. He advised them and was honest if something was awful or weak, instructing them on everything from being creative with solos to their posture.

"Every fiber of you is supporting the solo," he said during "Hit Me with your Best Shot." "If you're not doing that, you're just sounding like a garage band."

With art and music programs potentially taking a hit with the school district's budget cuts, Manning said his store creates opportunities for students to continue playing.

"It's natural selection," he said. "Kids rise and fall with the tide's ebb and flow. I don't want them to wait 10 or 20 years when they're adults to learn music. If they didn't have a teachable spirit, I wouldn't be here."

As one parent noted at the rehearsal, an interest in playing the guitar or any instrument has grown popular with kids and teens with reality shows like "American Idol."

Ian Ferriott, 12, has been playing the electric guitar and drums for a little less than a year and said he's learned a lot under Manning's direction and from a private teacher. Manning helped him with his solo during rehearsal.

"Mike is a very good instructor," said Cathy Ferriott, Ian's mother. "He's here to listen and have fun."

Cassedy Bauman, Smear the Queer's bass player, is a four-year student of music and enjoys listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Iron Maiden and other progressive metal artists.

"Mike's awesome," he said. "I don't take lessons here but I buy stuff."

Skyler will be the youngest of the Battle of the Bands competitors, which includes teens and adults. His father, Ben Elander, said his son's passion for singing grew after watching Carrie Underwood on "American Idol."

Recently, he took him to a Brooks and Dunn concert, during which Skyler caught the famous country duo's eyes from his seat.

"He was dancing along with their music and Brooks saw him and had a security guard bring an autographed poster to us," Elander said.

At home, Skyler plays on his Piano Wizard, a point-and-click game that teaches piano skills, and he creates his own videos with his father’s webcam to send to his mother in Houston.

"We don't push it," he said. "It's fun ... and he's young."

The Battle of the Bands takes place July 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sparks Amphitheater on Saturday. The winning band gets eight free hours of recording time at Sparks Music Center.