Bowling Green Rock Band Academy expands to year-round

BOWLING GREEN Ky.- The musical talent scattered through Bowling Green now has a place to hone that talent year-round, at the Bowling Green Rock Band Academy.

What started as a summer camp for young musicians recently became a year-round after school opportunity because of positive feedback of the program. The operation is led by music instructor’s Matt DeVore, and Jordan Weiss.

“It feels amazing. It’s amazing that we get to offer this experience for the kids to play music together once a week,” DeVore said.

“The longer semester gives the bands time to really get to know each other personally and musically to develop more as musicians, learn to listen to each other and put together a tighter sound,” Weiss added.

From percussion, to string, to even marching instruments, up and coming musicians have everything ready to start playing in a setting where cutting loose is encouraged. Something DeVore said he wished he could have experienced.

“If this was available when I was a kid, I would have felt nothing but lucky. Honestly, it’s more than just lucky. It would have been a great place for me to grow faster as a musician,” DeVore said.

The goal is to get the kids stage-ready through scheduled sessions, in addition to teaching the young musicians the value of teamwork. Weiss said he’s seen great results.

“I personally have had the chance to see students develop from very beginner to professional level players. I’ve seen them go off to study at different universities and music schools,” Weiss said.