Some teenage guitarists are learning rock music from the ground up this week in Rockland County.

And what better way to become one with the guitar than to build a guitar - from scratch.

During the fourth day of this week's Guitar Camp at Rob's School of Music in Suffern High School junior Sophia Franco told News 12 that starting a rock band helped her evolve.

"It helped me be more confident," she said, "and be the person I want to become."

To truly get to know the guitar, she is attending this camp, where a group of aspiring rock stars built an electric guitar.

"I really like to technological bits," Franco said, "and how the instrument that I play actually does work on a different level."

The group delicately drilled and fastened the volume and tone controls, the output jack and the neck to the guitar's soft wooden body. They soldered the wires for the controls to the right terminals.

Then they installed a set of Fender bullet strings.

High school freshman Sophia Monahan is an up-and-comer who is putting together a new act.

"My friends and I are starting one (a band)," she said, "because we're all sort of beginners." As they improve and become more picky about their sound, they might think back to Thursday's lesson about how important it is to be precise in building — or just maintaining — a guitar. With some talent, some passion and a familiarity with their guitars, the instrument could take them places.

"I just thought of the guitar not really this deeply," Monahan said, "and I feel like I understand how it works better."

Their mentor, music school operator Rob Spampinato, and his mentor, Ryan Ball, want the students to know that to be true rock stars, they must know their guitars inside out, know how to string their guitars, and use tools.

"They're learning how to use the screwdrivers. They got the drill," Spampinato said. "[They're learning] like how to hold them. They had no clue to begin with, so it's cool to watch the experience of learning everything." The group put together the guitar in less than two hours.

The next step was to tune and adjust the guitar ahead of Friday's camp session, when they will work on their solos.

Some of the students' solo work will be featured on News 12 after Friday's session. This week's students said they are mainly inspired by 1990s rock bands, including Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, Radiohead and AC/DC.