Have you ever dreamt of playing in a band? Do you play an instrument alone, wistfully hoping that one day someone accidentally hears your playing and invites you to play with them? Many musicians would love to play in a band but don’t dare to take the step to starting one themselves. But just waiting for an unlikely miracle is never going to make your dreams come true. And even if eventually someone does ask you to join their band, you might never be in a position to make decisions. If you start your own band, you get to decide who else plays in it, what style of music you play, and generally, what kind of a band are you going to become.
Maybe the thought of starting a band is scary and stressful, but once you commit to taking the first steps nothing but good follows (at least, in the best case scenario!). Playing music together with others is an incredible way to bond and to create something you yourself couldn’t have achieved alone. It’s also a lot more fun than playing hours on end alone in your bedroom. It has been shown that playing an instrument is excellent training for various cognitive skills, which is particularly useful nowadays when many of us feel that we cannot concentrate more than a few seconds at a time.
All those good consequences are multiplied when playing in a band. Not only do you have to concentrate on what you are playing, you need to be paying attention to what each band member is doing. The band will also develop your social skills. You need to be able to negotiate what you play and how, and to deal with potential conflicts with band members. Before you realise you have gained wonderful friends and a hobby so addictive you will never want to play alone again!