Tag: SBE Band

#yoloswaG to Perform on the Last Day of School

by Ruth Sensenig

Aidan, the alert drummer, leads the group with his reliable rhythms. No song is too tough for him; he studies it and works it out, then plays so confidently he makes it look easy.

The community is invited to come to the school to hear this year’s band class, performing as #yoloswaG, play on the last day of school, Wednesday, May 22.

For the most part, #yoloswaG performs covers of popular songs. Last semester they got the idea to play Bon Jovi’s “Wanted: Dead or Alive.” When they approached me with the idea in class, I enthusiastically broke into a bit of the chorus. They said, “You know this song, Ms. Sensenig?!” I responded with, “Sure, I’ve known this song since before you were born! Where did YOU learn it?” The answer was, of course, Guitar Hero.

Darrel is a versatile member of the team. He plays keyboards for the band, but he has recently taken up guitar and is teaching himself all kinds of riffs. It’s not unusual to hear echoes of Nirvana coming from his guitar.

When they’re learning a new song, the band typically spends some time listening to the song on Youtube and looking up tabs or chord sheets. The kids get out their phones and put on headphones to listen to tutorials of their part of the song. As they work, little by little the strains of the melody or the rhythm start echoing around the room. Eventually they get to the point where they are ready to start playing the song together; the first few times through, they play along with the original version. The first time through on their own is usually pretty rough, but a few more times through and the song starts to sound like the real thing! Continue Reading