Seth Edwards is a music lover, not a fighter.

Although his stocky frame made him a fearful visage in the boxing ring at the well-known Alpharetta Police Athletic League, the 14-year-old preferred more euphonious pursuits.

Joey Ivansco/AJC (ENLARGE)

Seth Edwards, participant in the PAL's music program, plays at his grandmother's house in Alpharetta. Left, music instructor Owen Griffith works with 14-year-old Kyle Sudu of Alpharetta.

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"I want to be a rock star," he told PAL director Jim Little.

Armed with those words, and a mission to give kids more alternatives to regular sports — or starting trouble — Little started PAL's music program two years ago.

"He was playing 'Guitar Hero' on our video game," Little said. "I wanted to get that kid [away from] the video game all the time."

So Little, an Alpharetta cop who normally supervises athletic activities at the PAL, turned his attention to music.

Now, youngsters 9 to 15 can learn to play the guitar and to read and write music.

"I'm trying to find programs for kids that are not in the mainstream," Little said. "Schools are dropping music. We're trying to put music back in the community."

Each week, 25 students meet for a half hour in a small classroom next-door to PAL's boxing gym to tune up their six strings.

There are four beginner classes, where novices like born-to-rock Ethan and William Kersey plunk out simple songs.

In a Tuesday session Ethan, 13, a dead ringer for deceased grunge legend Kurt Cobain, was eager to strum "Yankee Doodle" on his electric Fender guitar.

"I remembered the music," he told instructor Owen Griffith.

Younger brother William, 9, who could pass for a childhood version of Led Zepplin's Robert Plant, was proud to memorize and perform "Au Claire de la Lune" without reading music.

In the advanced class, Griffith, a fourth-grade Kennesaw teacher, leads his students in the acoustic riffs of the Foo Fighters' "Pretender."

"It moves really fast through this next section," he said to three students. "Move the seventh finger down, and bring the eighth and ninth fingers to get the change."

Teaching more contemporary songs, particularly to the advanced class, keeps them interested, Griffith said.

PAL charges $10 per lesson, offers a recital for them to show off what they learned, and gives them acoustic guitars as graduation presents. A summer-long Jam Camp helps build youths' composing skills, and also teaches other rock instruments like drums, bass and keyboards.

But more important are the five tenets — discipline, self-control, commitment, structure and compliance with rules — that students learn in keeping with PAL tradition.

One of the advanced students, Michael Plou, 14, said he keeps a routine for the first time.

"I practice at least 30 minutes every day," Michael said. "Before the class, I didn't do anything consistently, except talk to my friends."

Michael's mother, Dawn Wise, said the musical training has helped her son's schoolwork, as well.

"He's more focused," Wise said.

Seth Edwards says the music helps calm him.

"You could have a bad day at school, come home, and play something really dark to get all that bad [feeling] out," he said.

Seth's mother, Christina Defebaugh, said the program has made a difference.

"He was getting into trouble all the time, being disrespectful to teachers," she said. "He just had a chip on his shoulder.

"Now, if he thinks he's going to blow, he's able to go to play and in about 30 minutes or so, he's cooled off."

Little said Seth is the reason he began giving each student his or her own guitar.

"How could I take that guitar away from him?" Little said.

The music program allows PAL to reach more youth who might otherwise get in trouble for lack of activities, Little said.

"Our budget is less than it costs for police enforcement," he said. "But when you see smiles on these kids faces, it's priceless."

And Seth, who initially enrolled in PAL's boxing league, is happy being out of the ring.

"I got beat up," he said. "Playing guitar totally mellows me out."