Teens Wanna Rock!

Armed with guitars and drumsticks, teenagers from the Lower Mainland (some from as far away as Squamish!) gathered at the downtown Vancouver Tom Lee Music store on Saturday, November 28th. These high schoolers spent their Saturday afternoon at a workshop with producer/songwriter Don McLeod of SASS (School Alliance of Student Songwriters), learning 101s on how to make your band sound AMAZING! The atmosphere was filled with upbeat energy and fresh talented musicians, all striving to win Youthink's Best Band Contest. With an imminent deadline of December 15th, competing bands were anxious and hopeful to take home the finest advice from professionals.

Kicking off at 2 pm, the afternoon consisted of two main topics: song composition and band rehearsals. There was rundown on basic song structure, covering chord progressions, choruses and making your composition flow. Questions immediately began to rise about crafting lyrics and effective ways to capture your audience. Soon, three lucky bands were selected to have their original songs critiqued.

Nervous and excited, each band took their turn on the small set stage as they played their tunes for McLeod. Various genres, techniques and styles were delivered, while bands in the audience couldn’t help but examine one another closely. The constructive criticism ranged from simple issues like tuning and timing, to building up a stronger chorus. As the day continued, lessons on running efficient band rehearsals and the importance of band ethics were discussed. Band management and keeping disagreements to a minimum were stressed to be important aspects in becoming successful.

Inspired and challenged, participating young musicians left the workshop with not only a day of experience for the Youthink contest, but creative advice and new insights to apply to their biggest dreams in musical careers.