Rock N’ Roll 101
“It’s true that kids can just get together in their basements on the weekend and jam, and we encourage our students to do so,” Domnarski wrote. “But most kids still need structure to achieve their best.
“Our beginners need individual attention to learn how to play their instruments and work together as a band, while our more advanced students start to focus on deeper concepts of harmony and composition and start writing original music, all under an instructor’s supervision.” What they need, in a word, is focus. “I’ve played so many shows with a variety of bands,” he wrote, “and am often shocked at how unfocused they can be in rehearsal!”
Domnarski was motivated by his dissatisfaction with many music education programs. Music classes leave so many kids uninspired; even if they stick with them for years, they still end up with little to show for it. “I’m a big proponent of promoting the joy of playing music at a young age,” he wrote. “If students can see how much fun it is to play music with others, they are infinitely more inspired to work on developing their own skills.” But even boring programs are better than no programs; Domnarski is also concerned about music education rapidly disappearing from public schools. “If independent schools don’t rise up to fill in the gaps, I worry that creative programs will lose their place in education,” he wrote. “And then we’re all in trouble.”
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