Playing in a Rock Band

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Parent Q&A

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  • 15 yo wants to be in a band

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    Feb 8, 2023

    Hello!

    My HS freshman (he/him) wants to be part of a band, but doesn't know how to connect with other like-minded musicians. He plays guitar, and we don't have room to practice at our cozy apartment. He likes shoe gaze and post punk music. 

    He is not interested in BandCamp and the like. Does anyone have any leads on how to connect a painfully shy, but musically passionate kid with a group of simliar kids? 

    Any advice is welcomed! Thank you! 

    Feb 8, 2023

    Surely hanging around Emeryville Guitar Center bulletin board or similar??

    Feb 10, 2023

    IMHO, what finally worked was weekly "school of rock" style classes. Our daughter was similarly shy and eventually did well with Bandworks. The trick is to keep on signing up and trying out different configurations of kids. It didn't work out immediately. The first two seasons, she didn't click with the kids either due to personality or level of musicianship. Now she's in a trio of kids who are having a great time and playing great music. https://bandworks.com/ Call them up and have a chat!

    Feb 13, 2023

    Another option is that sometimes private music teachers "match up" students into a band. 

    Feb 13, 2023

    My kids are in a more folky/acoustic genre, but what worked well for them was finding interesting mentors/teachers who were in a position to put them together with other kids they would gel with musically. The teachers sometimes work kind of like mini-agents. They also met kids at music summer camps and formed bands there, often orchestrated by same teachers. They made some lifelong friends at these camps, which can be very intense. A lot of the really focused music kids we met this way were homeschooled and would have been hard (impossible?) to connect with otherwise.

    Feb 13, 2023

  • Looking for teen rock band program around Berkeley

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    Oct 7, 2019

    My 13 year old son has been playing the guitar since he was 6 years old. He was the lead guitar and signer in a rock band organized by his music school back home in Toronto, but we have not been able to find a similar program nearby on the East Bay. He is very adaptable as music style is concerned. Does anyone know of such a program? He would be prepared to meet up with other teens to play music informally, just for fun!  

    Oct 7, 2019

    Try ' 3 o'clock Rock ' with Billy Ribak - fantastic program that helped my son establish his band Flimflam (on spotify). Billy is a great guy as are his teachers especially Amaurey.

    Oct 14, 2019

    Hello, You can try Bandworks or 3 O'clock rock. They are both in Oakland and do exactly that. Also, my 12 yr old is a drummer and we have space to jam. Please reach out if you are interested. Also, at least with Bandworks, you can request to be with kids you know. The new session starts soon. We can have our kids meet and jam and if a good fit maybe do the program together.

    You can email me,Lisa, at hearlittlelis [at] yahoo.com 

    Oct 14, 2019

    I'm sure you'll get lots of responses, but if he's at all open to giving bluegrass or folk a try, there are some really great kid bluegrass musicians in the Bay Area and they need guitar players! They play gigs at farmer's markets, restaurants, festivals, etc., and even get paid. They also love to jam. If you send me a message directly (skhadder [at] gmail.com), I'll be happy to talk to you about the bands and the scene in general. Here is a video of one of my daughter's bands, just to give him an idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbtjS8mdXPg. She's 12, but there are a number of great local kid musicians between the ages of 10 and 18. Good luck!

    Oct 14, 2019

    Im sure this has already been mentioned, but BANDWORKS may be exactly what you are looking for: http://bandworks.com/ 

    Oct 15, 2019

  • Looking for teenager’s music band

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    Apr 4, 2018

    My 13 years old son would like to play in an after school music band. Can anybody recommend an amateur teenage band in east bay, wanlnut creek or Trivalley Area? Thanks!

    Apr 4, 2018

    Hi:

    We are in Berkeley and my 16 yo guitarist son is looking for the same thing.  an already established band would be best.  are you in Berkeley?

    [*moderator note: BPN posters who don't hide their username can be contacted off-thread, which is a great way to continue a more private conversation.)

    Apr 9, 2018

    Bandworks, in the East Bay, is a great place for a teen to join a band. All levels. 

    Apr 11, 2018