Playing music may be just a hobby to some, but for most people, it’s a passion with promising career potential. Kids often enroll in music schools and online music lessons wanting to learn what playing is like, but the majority of such establishments are primarily focused on music theory.
Enter: Rock Out Loud, New Jersey’s premier music school founded to empower its students with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to fully embrace music and their chosen instruments.
Playing live music in front of an audience is a uniquely wonderful experience; for first-time performers, words are too small to describe the feeling of being under the spotlight, playing your favorite tunes with your friends, and absorbing the energy that the crowd directs to the stage.
Today, we’ll highlight why music students should play live, how they’ll benefit from it, and how Rock Out Loud can help.
What is Rock Out Loud?
Rock Out Loud is an NJ-based music school offering premium-quality guitar, piano, drums, and voice lessons.
As former music students, seasoned musicians, and professional music coaches, we’ve been on both sides of the spectrum. We’ve endured boring lessons, played pubs, and performed in larger venues.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to playing music. However, playing live is what inspired us to do more and grow bigger. That’s what we strive to instill in our students and prepare them for the big stage.
Playing Live is Identical to Live Sports Games
Whether it be football, basketball, hockey, or any other sport, most people that practice any of these disciplines do so to polish their skills. They practice a routine, perform a variety of physical exercises, and strive to be better.
This is all being put to the test during a live game. Years of training, the desire to overcome adversity, the audience cheering, and people depending on you; it all comes together during a live game. Without live events, sports would be little more than a convoluted workout.
The situation is exactly the same as musicians. Where basketball players shoot hoops, musicians play scales to improve their accuracy; they play for hours to build up endurance; they practice for days to improve, and they crave playing in front of an audience to show off the results of this training.
Performing Live is a Natural Confidence Booster for Children
Learning self-worth and building confidence requires a healthy dose of trial and error. Kids can easily feel a bit down after scoring a bad grade or arguing with friends/parents. Some need years to develop a high level of confidence, but there are shortcuts that are almost exclusive to musicians – playing live shows.
Even if it’s a gig in the tiniest of pubs; even if the stage is just a little carpet, it’s enough for children to get a taste of what rockstars and music icons are doing. Being merely a few feet away from the audience while the music “they” are playing is blasting on all four cylinders can’t even begin to compare to rehearsals or concert simulations.
It’s the Beginning of a Career for Some
Like with any other job, a portfolio matters to musicians. A person that can boast about performing as early as when they were 5-6 years old is far more likely to land a position in an established music group, whether it be a rock band, a local orchestra, or a prominent ensemble.
More importantly, kids performing music live is always an attraction. People are thirsty for fresh bands, and new generations of rock & roll musicians are keeping the venues across NJ and beyond packed to the brim.
How Rock Out Loud Prepares Kids to Perform Live
Live concerts are amazing, but they can be scary for those unprepared. Even adult musicians are not immune to stage fright, and we’re here to ensure our students get the most memorable shows.
Our professional music coaches boast decades of experience working with children. From regular rehearsals to sending Garage Band backing tracks to working with each student 1-on-1, answering all questions, and going the extra mile whenever doubts are looming, our coaches are people that our students trust and confide in.
Our Students Choose the Songs
At Rock Out Loud, we understand that forcing students to learn and play songs they don’t like spells disaster. It’s not much different from math homework or washing dishes, and we firmly believe that passion for music is as important as playing music.
That’s why Rock Out Loud students get to choose which songs our coaches will teach them. We practice these songs together, and believe it or not, the kids have made the setlist of the first gig your child will play.
Rehearsing Music Made Fun
Band rehearsals are performances where the audience is comprised of just the band and their coach. Our students play as if the room was Little Caesar’s Arena because they bonded through music and love the energy as much as they love the songs.
At Rock Out Loud, we strive to bring the element of fun into music practice, because our students need to be prepared for the stage so they don’t freeze when the spotlights are on. This way, they’ll have the skills and the confidence to blast their favorite tunes wherever, whenever.
We Host 3 Live Concerts Annually
Many venues across New Jersey actively search for bands. We’d never risk the safety and comfort of our students, which is the reason why we’ve partnered with the owners of the legendary Stone Pony and Bitter End – iconic venues with pristine reputations and a proven track record.
Rock Out Loud hosts 3 concerts each year in these venues. We take our students to places that are familiar, secure, and fun.
Ready to Join Rock Out Loud?
You can find our HQ in Morganville, New Jersey, send us a mail, or call us by phone. If you wish to learn more about Rock Out Loud, just follow this link, and our team will help you through the rest of the way.
