By Gretchen Millich, WKAR News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-977541.mp3
EAST LANSING, MI – Remember that rock band you started in high school? Your dreams of performing live in front of hundreds of screaming fans? That dream still lives in the hearts of teenagers at the Community Music School at Michigan State University. They're in a "Rock Camp" this week, and it all leads up to a live performance at Common Ground on Friday night.
AUDIO:
This week, the sounds of rock and roll can be heard in the halls of the MSU Community Music School. More than 50 young musicians are learning how to put together a rock band and how to perform on stage: microphone technique; stage presence; even how to dress for a concert. But mostly, they're rehearsing their songs.
Lisa Kacos is with Outer Vibe, a rock band based in Grand Rapids. Kacos and the other band members launched Rock Camp three years ago.
"The whole idea for Rock Camp started when some MSU Community Music School faculty noticed their neighbors with instruments, some brothers who had guitars and drums, but didn't have band mates," says Kacos."You want to form a band, but what do you don't know anyone who plays bass or anyone who sings?"
The students all have experience playing an instrument the guitar, bass, drums, keyboard or vocals. They're assigned to a band based on their skills and the music they like. Kacos and her band mates guide the students through the process of preparing for a concert and share what they've learned about being in a band.
"Gosh, we wish we had Rock Camp," says Kacos."We teach them about marketing their band, how to promote a concert, how to put a brand to your band. We talk about how to book gigs and tour and how to look on stage, not just playing the music but how to act as well. It's a business really, if you want to do rock and roll for a living, which is completely possible."
Joe Lancour has the coveted position of playing bass on "Satisfaction," a song he knows well, even though he's only 13.
"I mean this is a very famous Rolling Stones song, so I had heard it before," says Lancour. "The notes aren't difficult, because it's the same thing over and over again. It's more being able to play the rhythm without listening to the guitar and thinking I'm supposed to play like that and then losing it completely."
"This is a really great experience," he says. "You're put in your band, you pick your songs and you learn it, with the help of the Outer Vibe, the band that's hosting the whole thing, which is a great help. Our band made a lot of progress today. We went from not being able to play the song at all to being able to play it OK. We need to practice a lot, but it's getting there very quickly."
Like some of the characters in the movie "School of Rock", a lot of these students are nervous about performing on stage. Not so with 16-year-old Katrina Lothamer. She studies piano and voice and likes classical music, but also loves rock. She's looking forward to Common Ground, where she'll sing one of her favorite songs: "Waking Up in Vegas".
"When you play with a band, everything syncs together," says Lothamer. "It's beautiful. You get into your own little world, and that's what people like to watch the most. They don't like it when people are up there and they're really nervous. They're like, oh they're not going to be that good. They like to watch when the whole band is having the best time of their life."
Lisa Kacos says at the end of the camp, it's rewarding for her to see her students play at Common Ground and to see the proud parents in the audience. She says she's always impressed with the performance.
"It's not even about the music you play," says Kacos. "I think it's the sense of accomplishment that's so exciting. It's getting to work in a group and having a common goal that your band is working toward and being able to pull it off. It's a pretty unique experience."
All 10 bands from Rock Camp will perform Friday evening starting at 5:30 on the Pearl Vision Stage at the Common Ground Music Festival.