Why should I be in your band?

Andover College’s Music Academy students have been creating their own bands

The students paired up, quizzed their partners then created a presentation based on their partners’ answers. This presentation had to include information about the person’s hobbies, musical qualities, future musical aspirations and they answered the question of ‘why I should be in your band’. They had to present the information to their class to help them decide who would be in a band together.

They spent time together in their bands coming up with a name, a unique selling point and what genre of music they were interested in playing, etc. This was so that each band has their own identity. Two of the chosen bands were named Childhood Trauma and Cherry valance, specialising in indie punk.

They will now be in this band for the rest of the academic year. During lessons they will practice together and either cover different songs or create originals. This will all lead up to them performing at live gigs at different venues throughout the year. We post about the upcoming gigs on our social media, so keep an eye out and show them some support.

Projects like these give the students invaluable real-life experience and help them progress not only their musical talent but also their team building skills. This is a project that our Music Lecturers run every year as they know it builds character and confidence.

Music Performance Lecturer, Chris, said: ‘For the band project the students get the opportunity to open the show for an actual touring band. We do this every year as we know it gives them the skills they need for university and the music industry. We always get good results from the students as it gives them ownership of their band and the chance to show what they have learnt so far.’

Music Performance Student, Grace, said ‘Taking part in the band project has been a good opportunity for me to showcase my new skills and develop myself as a musician.’

Our Music Department do all they can to make ensure that when the students finish college, they have all the knowledge and experience they need to go on to university or into the Music Industry. Find out more about our music courses here.