“Start a band” is great advice to give young people these days. Not only is it a great creative outlet and a way to express yourself, but it’s a way to connect with like-minded people in a community and learn plenty of life lessons. You’re relying on others building trust. You’re learning to express yourself and your ideas to others, and learning to lead. Girls Rock teaches by example, and we heard multiple times on Saturday camp volunteers talking about how much they learned from their campers.
The energy in the room for the band showcase was buzzing and contagious as confident girls took the stage to rousing applause and “girls rock! girls rock!” chants that beckoned for their performance. Some girls were less confident than others at first, but by the end of their performance the encouragement of the crowd and volunteers side stage boosted something inside them. It was inspiring to watch and I left wondering why I don’t write more music and why I don’t try to play more shows. Or why don’t I take more chances in life in general.
Watching girls write their own script and joke about rapping “Baby Got Back” or make everyone laugh with the 3 second 4 word song “I got my period” brought the house down and made some of the adults uncomfortable for at least a second. The campers controlled the performance. They had confidence to jump from script, some dropped their drum sticks in walk-off style, and they impressed with their ability more and more as the showcase went on.
I know in one case the campers inspired volunteers to start a band of their own. They inspired me to start putting myself out there more and face fears head on. Maybe I’ll try to join that volunteer band….
The news has been filled lately with articles on how parents can help their girls be better leaders, and unfortunately with news of how young girls can be mistreated in music scenes. And it’s about time the conversation has really come to the forefront, so we can all deal with it together and work as one to make things right and make things better. With every tragic story comes something positive as light is shed on the dark spots of our society. Though our fast paced society has plenty of negatives, it has its positives as change happens quicker and information to educate the ignorant travels faster. Things that were common place in music in the 60’s, 70’s and beyond are now condemned as we’re moving forward as a more connected and supportive society.
Maybe some of the girls I saw Saturday were future rock stars of America, or maybe they weren’t. But one thing I do know is that those girls are better prepared to be our leaders of tomorrow, taught by girls who are leaders in our community today. What they’re teaching their campers is things we all need to hear. To speak up and let your voice be heard. If you see someone treating someone else wrong, or if someone could handle a situation in a better way, speak up and help them be a better person. Not to shame people, or run them into the ground, but to be a leader and help everyone be the best person they can be.
START A BAND!
