ELECTRIC guitars echoed around St George’s Hall as a long-haired university professor taught students at his self-styled “school of rock”.

Unlike the film – where a wannabe rock star pretends to be a teacher – a real professor, Dave Burton from John Moores University, took to the stage to teach the physics of sound.

Base player with the band Whitehorse, Prof Burton strutted across the stage taking time out between songs to explain radio waves and sound vibrations.

Prof Burton, director of LJMU’s General Engineering Research Institute, said: “Everyone knows that rock ‘n’ roll is big time fun and is universally popular.

“But how many people appreciate what musicians do is actually harnessing some fantastic science and technology?

“Students might not realise when they pull out their i-Pod how much science is playing a part.

“Anyone who appreciates music or plays an instrument already understands frequency, pitch and amplifiers, they just might not realise it.”

Whitehorse performed their hits with full sound and lighting rig to the audience of more than 150 teenagers aged 14 to 17.

Specially designed software showed the sound waves and sound spectrum to the young audience so they could visually see the music created by the band on projection screens.