Weekly band at Eliette’s

written by Adam Young

For a lot of musicians growing up in New Zealand, the dreams are often the same.

To make music & jam with friends, to play and perform in front of crowds and most importantly, to have fun whilst playing music. 

Often a great way to check all these boxes is by starting a band!

But how does someone start a band? Sometimes it's hard to meet the right people, sometimes you have the right people but no place to jam!

And even then... what should you play? How do you practice productively? Where do we go from there?

All this can be a lot for a young creative who just wants to play, but don't worry, Eliette’s Music Academy has got you covered with the ‘Weekly Band Program’ which I've been lucky enough to teach at our Grafton Campus.

The goal of our weekly band program is to form bands based on age and personality,  then teach each member how to set goals and work towards them within these bands.

Band members will be taught multiple songs and band specific techniques in a group setting as well as being taught about stage presence, live sound/audio, band dynamics and teamwork skills, all whilst working towards a performance at the end of each term in front of friends/family/tutors and the other bands!  

Each band tutor has years of experience both inside and outside of bands and aims to teach their students everything needed to make a successful music project that lasts, whilst also keeping a fun and enjoyable approach which is super important for encouraging positive experiences around bands and making group music.

With over 7 bands and growing, there's no doubt in the results! And each time we see a band perform we can all sense the tremendous growth each member has had, through everything taught in the weekly lessons. 

Along with all this, Eliette’s also has a close partnership with Rockshop New Zealand, meaning not only does each band learn on some of the best gear available at both our Grafton and Albany campus’s, they also have the opportunity to perform their Termly show at the Rockshop’s own Backbeat Bar, an iconic venue in Auckland’s CBD giving students a feel for playing on a real stage, on great gear and through a big sound system! 

As someone who used to struggle a lot with forming bands when I was younger I think these programs are so crucial to teaching the younger generation that they all have what it takes to make a band work and I'm so glad to be a part of it!