Band practice has been difficult to maintain throughout the struggles of IB, but against all odds we did. This culminated in a local concert where we played 5 original songs and our participation in the CEESA rock festival. Being able to make music and make friendships through music allowed me to grow as a musician and person. 
Songwriting requires a large amount of communication and commitment to growth as we challenge ourselves to write for instruments and styles we are not familiar nor comfortable with. This experience pushed me and my fellow band members outside of our comfort zones in the best way possible. We all came from different backgrounds of music, ranging from jazz to punk rock. But our styles all blended together to create something unique and which was true to us. From the beginning of our formation, we attempted to avoid covers as much as possible and this was because part of this experience was the act of creating music. 
Even if we didn’t record an album or play a lot of gigs, the real reward of the band was writing and improvising music true to our identities. Many of our practices devolved into us improvising 10 minute long songs with tempo changes and key changes which came out of nowhere. Challenging ourselves and each other, with each practice we had a method of self expression which is like no other. 
Thank you to Mr. Hughes and Mr. Petko for facilitating our practices and everyone who came to our concert!