Music was the main reason for my move to Berlin. Although I wasn't a rock star, nor a professional musician, I was a dedicated hobbyist who decided to leave the field of human rights law to pursue my long-standing passion: becoming a better guitar player.
Berlin is the artist’s Mecca. There’s no shortage of inspiration on the road to your creative dreams. But even with the guidance of a teacher and 30 years of hobby playing under my belt, I was still struggling. I needed to play with other people.
I realized that no matter how much I wanted to advance as a guitar player, it would be impossible without the chance to play alongside other musicians. My music teacher agreed — that collaborative music expression was necessary to improve.
But how could I find others with the same goals who were of a certain proficiency level and had the time to commit to meeting up? Answering that question was the beginning of Bands’ story.
Bands do all the work hobbyist musicians need to just focus on playing. We host auditions for musicians looking to join a group, set up a time and place to play and record, and link musicians in groups while pairing them with mentors who guide them on their journey.
Without Bands, hobbyist musicians would be waiting for meetings set up on eBay Kleinanzeigen, and Facebook that would never materialize. Bands facilitate the entire process by bringing hobbyist musicians together.
Since creating Bands, I’ve learned so much. One of the more striking lessons was understanding that those Bandsters are often shy and insecure about their skills. With time, practice, and engagement, these once-timid players begin to shine. Bands was the opportunity they needed to understand they were always good enough.
Like many businesses, the Covid-19 pandemic had a huge impact on Bands. Meetups were impossible despite the great desire among our members. It was an uncertain time but one thing was clear: our community’s commitment to music never wavered and Bands will return with even bigger goals.
To begin, we’ll bring back our beloved open jam sessions. We’ll also start holding regular concerts at venues across town. Thirdly, we’ll be launching Team Rock – a team building workshop for companies who want to give their employees a fun activity with extra value. It’s an exciting and intimate activity for 10-15 participants where they create, play, and record together with our mentors. The workshop is suitable for everyone regardless of their musical skills and will be held in one of our partner studios. The workshop is 3 hours, which will be filmed and edited into video all participants will have access to.
They say Berlin is a new city when spring rolls around and with all the sun we’ve been having recently, it’s hard to deny. 2 years of a pandemic couldn’t dispel the desire people have to create together. Bands will always be a home for those who wish to do just that.
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