Senior Jam Squad

How does it work?

Think your teen might like to join our Senior Jam Squad? Great! We can't wait to meet you!

To make sure we can place them in the right group, we ask that they bring their instrument along to play for us and have a quick chat before they join. This usually takes around 15-20 minutes and just helps us work out what level they are at, what kind of music they like and what they want to get out of being in an ensemble. Your child should come along ready to play (or sing) a song that demonstrates their skill level. If they play and sing, that's great! It's always possible to move groups if it turns out not to be the right one for them, so please don't stress about this session.

We want your teen to enjoy playing with us, but we understand that they might decide it's not for them.

That's why we offer a one-month trial at a discounted rate of $50 for four weeks to give them enough time to really see what we're about. That way, you can try us out without breaking the bank.

One month trial

Expectations once you join

Once your teen decides to join an ensemble (and we hope they will), we highly recommend they aim to schedule in around an hour per week practice between sessions. Hopefully, they'll enjoy the songs we learn so much that they'll look forward to practicing as a break between school work and other commitments! We find everyone has more fun and we learn many more songs if everyone puts in a little bit of time through the week to make sure they are on top of their parts.

Many of our ensemble members have private music lessons as well as being in one of our ensembles, but this isn't compulsory.

Audition and placement

Cost

Cost to join our Senior Jam Squad is $200 for a ten-week term. If you join mid-way through the term, we will calculate the cost on a pro-rata basis.

Why join the

Senior Jam Squad?

Contemporary music, such as rock and pop music, can have a powerful effect on young people especially teenagers, as they go through the physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioural changes of the adolescent years.

Most contemporary songs will have some kind of meaning to teens; they may help teens realise they are not alone in how they feel, and they often enforce positive actions and condone negative ones. Many songs – through lyrics and tone – give teens the means to express themselves through music when they may not have the headspace or maturity to express themselves verbally.

Of course, each young person will interprets song lyrics differently to the next, depending on what is going on for them in their lives. The songs we choose in Senior Jam Squad aim to tackle real issues that teens are going through and promote positive mood through their message and tone.