How to join a band
Every musician knows the magic of performing live with a band. No matter how good your recorded tracks are, if you don’t play with other musicians, it’s like something in your musician life is missing. That’s why I want to recommend you join a band as soon as you can. Don’t think that you have to be a professional to be able to join a band. There are bands for all kinds of levels and you just have to be looking for the right people in the right places.
Here are some of my recommendations if you are trying to find a band:
Ask your friends/family. Do you know any musicians around you? Ask them to keep in mind that you are looking for a band. Try jamming with them and be flexible towards other people’s taste. At this point you are just gaining experience.
Create an online presence for yourself. People need to know who you are and how you play. Create online profiles and apply for band auditions. Some of the websites that have personally worked for me are: starnow.ca, bandmix.com, Facebook Groups and Kijiji.ca. I created a Youtube page for myself and uploaded my covers on to it. That way I could easily share my resume with anyone.
Ask your music teacher/institution. Your music teachers/mentors know many people who can help you out. Ask your teachers and institutions to introduce you to their other students or come up with band programs. A lot of institutions will create those kind of programs if there is enough demand. That’s just the way the market works.
Things to remember.
Stop always assuming that you are not good enough yet. There is nothing to get to. You will never get a big sign saying you have made it. There is only an internal feeling, when you accept that you are always going to be on the journey of evolution. So go make mistakes, try things out, get muddy and all. Start living for God’s sake!
You have got to get OK with rejection. There is no way you can avoid rejection in music. It doesn’t mean anything about you, but rather means you are not the right match. Risk this rejection for a chance to feel true magic, a blessing not many get to experience in their lives, to jam live with other musicians.
Watch my Youtube video “How To Join A Band”:
