The Band Program
Lessons make players. Bands make musicians.
Students are grouped into working bands — real rehearsals, a real setlist, and a show at a real Santa Barbara venue.
The setlist
- 01
Form the band
Students are grouped by age and level into a working band — guitars, bass, drums, keys, vocals. Everyone gets a part that fits where they are.
- 02
Learn the set
Three to five songs, rehearsed like a real band rehearses — arrangements, dynamics, endings, and what to do when someone drops a beat (keep going).
- 03
Play the show
The set ends on a real stage at a real Santa Barbara venue, with lights, a mic'd kit, and an audience. Nerves included, free of charge.
- 04
Record it
Bands that want to go further cut their set in our studio — the same rooms the pros book. A first record before a first driver's license.
Band camps
Seasonal, intensive week-long camps: students are assembled into groups, learn three to five songs together, and close the week with a performance at a venue. Dates and pricing are announced each season — get on the list and we'll email you when the next one opens.
And two recitals a year
Band shows aren't the only stage. Detar runs recitals twice a year at a local venue — the Winter Recital in December and the Spring Recital in May — open to individual lesson students and bands alike. Between the two, a student who wants to perform has somewhere to do it every few months.
Who it's for
The band program is an add-on for enrolled lesson students — all instruments, all ages, grouped by level so nobody's in over their head or bored. It's the engine behind the journey on our homepage, and the reason our students actually stick with it. Bands are coached by Alex Detar, Micaela McCall, and Hudson Caceres.
Every band starts somewhere.
Usually with one free lesson.
Lessons feed the band program — book a trial and tell us you want to play in a band.
Book a free trial lesson146 Powers Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93103 · (805) 280-5439