Since attending my first live music show at the Depot Coffee House freshman year, I have taken an interest in being in a band. Seeing a musical side to those kids who didn’t say much at school was eye opening. After finding myself back at the Depot every month or two my involvement only grew, which eventually led me to pick up the bass.

After months of practicing various covers and working to get better, I wanted to apply myself in a band. But my question was where to start.

Trial and error up until summer of 2016 led me to “The Broken Beaks,” a school band with fellow classmates. The opportunity was a one-time gig, but nonetheless a place to start. After my first practice, I realized I wasn’t where I needed to be musically and that encouraged me to practice more to be ready for the upcoming gig.

Upon a random invite to jam with a group of friends I quickly grew into the band I have been in for a year and a half, 9Volt. Having a group of like-minded people wanting to make music is what I needed to progress as a musician and performer.

Nowadays preparing for a gig is everything otherwise another day is wasted getting bored and going out to eat. The last thing you want is to look like a fool on stage because you don’t know what happens after the second verse. Practicing consistently as possible is the only way to prevent that. Whether it is 30 minutes a day or four hours one weekend, repetition is what led to me getting better.

Not only does playing the same set reinforce confidence, but it also brings me closer to my bandmates and lets us realize what we do and don’t like about a song. After playing the same song for months, we still have realizations on how a song can be better.

I learned the only way to improve is to apply myself musically by having a gig to progress towards.

Nothing tops the feeling of putting your heart out on stage. Seeing all our practice come together and seeing people jam in the audience is always the real reward.