132nd Concert Weekend. Summer Jam 2024 – Music Lessons Sherman Oaks

132nd  Concert Review – Spring Jam 2024

It’s not too late to Join The Band! We are booking new bands now! Kids – Teens – Adults!

(818) 345-8950

March 2nd and 3rd at The Mint

30 Bands Rocked The Mint!

I need to send out kudos to my amazing team at Join The Band. Trent, Ryan, Taylor, Bianca, David, Rosh, Miriam, Zak, Dan, Scotty, and Lynn. All these team members are there to make sure your show day is a fun experience. 

A 7:30 am call time for a rock show is not normal. Everyone on the JTB team showed up with a great attitude and was ready to support all of our amazing Band Members. If you ever want to watch an experienced stage crew at work, show up at “load in time” for a Join The Band concert. 

You did it! Congratulations on performing at the “Join The Band” Spring Jam 2024  We had 30 bands perform over the weekend. 

There is nothing better for your musical growth than playing live shows.  Having a performance goal sharpens your focus and prioritizes your practice routines. Over the last 26 years of coaching bands, I still get excited to see the progress of our JTB band members on concert weekends!

We had quite a variety of music played from pop, jazz, rock n roll, metal, and more. 

A great variety of music was played from very diverse age groups.  Kids as young as 8 years old, teenagers, adults, and our most senior band members performed to a packed house at The Mint.

Join The Band Adults Bands!

Join The Band Teen Bands

Join The Band Kids Bands

THINGS TO WORK ON

EVERYONE: 

1. Memorize your music and lyrics. The best and most confident performances happen when you memorize your music and lyrics.
2. Nobody wants to see performers with their heads down buried in a lyric sheet or a phone. Good grief. :)   Can you imagine attending a concert of your favorite band and watching them with their head buried in a chart or lyric sheet? Not to mention the music stand blocking your view of them performing?
3. See number 1 & 2. 
4. See number 1 & 2. 

SINGERS: 

1. Memorize your lyrics. The best and most confident performances happen when you memorize your lyrics.
2. MICROPHONE: It is always best to have your own Shure SM58 microphone. Microphones are gross. Singers spit on them and touch them with their mouths. I don’t think you want to swap spit with your fellow JTB friends. Yuk! 🙂
3. Test your microphone at the same level you sing at, otherwise the engineer cannot set your mic level correctly.
4. MONITORS: We test the monitors thoroughly beforehand and they work. Most monitor issues are from the source (singer) not projecting enough on the microphone.
5. You have to project on the microphone. The microphone will only produce what you give it. If your singing projection is too low,  the microphone and the engineer will not be able to boost your level without getting a lot of feedback. (Feedback is high-pitched squealing from the speakers.)

GUITAR and BASS PLAYERS:

1. Memorize your music and lyrics. The best and most confident performances happen when you memorize your music and lyrics.
2. Did you tune-up before you got on stage?
3. Please bring your tuner to the shows and rehearsals. We recommend the clip on “Snark” brand tuners. You can clip the Snark to your guitar and leave it on in case you get out of tune during your set. 
4. You do have your strap…right?
5. You do have your picks…right?

KEYBOARDISTS:

1. Memorize your music and lyrics. The best and most confident performances happen when you memorize your music and lyrics.
2. Make sure the keyboard is not transposed. If you are not sure, please ask a band leader on the stage. 

DRUMMERS:

1. Memorize your music and lyrics. The best and most confident performances happen when you memorize your music and lyrics.
2. You do bring your sticks…right? 
3. Make sure the drum throne and drum/cymbal heights are good for you. We have JTB teachers on stage to assist you.

Every time you play a show you will learn something. “Things” happen during live performances.

Your preparation time makes a difference. Ask yourself these questions:

• Did I put in proper time to learn my songs? 

1. 1. 1. You know the answer to this question. Be honest with yourself. 
      2. Put in the time. Work with your teacher.
      3. Listen to your teacher’s input and apply their advice.

• Did I put in the time to memorize the music and song lyrics? 

1. 1. 1. Really? You had 3 months and you still need a lyric sheet?  Come on man! :)
      2. Playing with your head buried in a music stand isn’t fun for your audience to watch.
      3. The most successful performances I see are minus music stands. :)
      4. Listening to the song is key. Listen to your songs when you are commuting in your car, going to work, going to school, etc… 
      5. Listen to the songs until you can’t stand to hear them again. Then listen to them some more. :)
      6. Is my instrument show ready? 
      7. This applies to guitar and bassists. 
      8. Do you need new strings, is your input jack working, volume and tone controls clean? etc…

• Drummers… Did I bring my sticks?

1. 1. 1. Really? You don’t bring your sticks?  Come on man! :)

• Guitar players… Are your effect pedals ready to plug in and play?

1. 1. 1. You should be able to drop your pedal board on the stage, plug it in with 2 cables, and be ready to rock within 2 minutes.
      2. Are your gain stages set properly? Ask us for help.
      3. Are your connection cables working properly? No shorting out? no intermittent problems? etc…
      4. Are your pedals mounted on a pedal board with a power supply?
      5. We can assist you with your pedal board setup. Just ask. :) 

• Avoid filling your head with “what ifs”. 

1. 1. What if I forget a lyric? 
   2. What if I forget a chord? 
   3. What if my sticks break? 
   4. What if I break a string? 
   5. What if…? What if…? What if…? 
   6. All you are doing is creating an image in your head of what you don’t want to happen. In other words. “Worrying is like wishing for an outcome that you don’t want”.

Things that are challenging to plan for:

1. The audience: The only way to get used to playing for an audience is to play live. Nothing else works. Remember, go in with the attitude that your audience wants you to succeed. Your preparation time is crucial.
2. Lights in your eyes: This advice sounds simple but I’ll say it… Don’t look directly at the lights. 
3. Night clubs sound different than rehearsal rooms. Every nightclub/venue you play will have its own sound. Some will be similar but they are all different. The only way to get good at adjusting to a room is to play live in a lot of different venues.
4. Sound engineer: Every engineer we work with is different. Some are detailed others are not. Detail is better. We have had engineers fired for “phoning it in” at our concerts. 

PRACTICE ROUTINES: What is yours and how do you make the best use of your time?

Let’s face it. We are all busy. Computers, phones, tablets, and even our watches are supposed to “simplify our lives,” but many times they are vehicles for distraction and wasted time. There is always one more post to send, one more to read, one more email, one more text, one more tweet, one more whatever to keep us from doing the work that matters.

Plan your practice schedule and stick to it. Setting aside the same days and times for practicing will get you into a solid routine.  During this time, do not use your phone, tablet, or computer to read charts and/or lyrics.  Instead,  print out your music and/or lyrics to avoid spiraling down a “digital rabbit hole”. Place your phone in a different room, or just shut it off.  Believe me, the world will continue even if you are “not connected”.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the studio!

John Mizenko

Director

Join The Band