Rachel Bear of the band Depredation rehearses for a concert on Wednesday. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

School of Rock

High school garage band class prepares for finale concert

Jan 18, 2020 | 8:00 AM

In a first floor classroom at Prince Albert Collegiate Institute, one of P.A.’s newest bands is rehearsing for their biggest show yet.

The members of Depredation are students in the school division’s first-ever garage band class. Finding their sound and honing their performance skills has been their coursework. Wednesday’s concert at the EA Rawlinson Centre will be their final assignment.

But for the musicians in Depredation, it feels like anything but schoolwork.

“It’s not like a class,” says drummer Kolton Kimbley. “It’s like a band. You don’t feel like you’re in school when you’re playing here.”

From left: Keenan Janzen, Trey Joseph-Bear, Cody Ahenakew. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

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Teacher Mike Mogg says it’s been amazing to watch students grow and make the course their own.

“I tried to keep it pretty structured in the beginning with just ‘okay we got to select some songs. We got to start working on this stuff.’ But over time they just kind of took it on their own and I’d say ‘okay guys let’s go,’ and they’d just start playing.”

Mogg says the main difference between garage band and a traditional music class is the entire course is essentially a group project.

“Whereas another music class might be a little bit more independent, these guys depend on each other, they’re a band. They have to be here as often as they can be and really work hard together as a group,” he explains.

Depredation is the second band of several of its members, including Rachel Bear. She’s been involved in the Jam Street music program for seven years so the garage band course, “feels like home” for her.

“I feel like we all got pretty close and tight knit in terms of practice and music, which I feel helps forward the band,” she explains.

Her bandmate Cody Ahenakew, who plays guitar and bass, came up with the group’s name which means “an act of attacking or plundering.” The band chose it as their favourite suggestion for it’s aggressive and hard-rock feel.

Ahenakew says the class has challenged him and taught him how to be a better performer.

“Stage presence is a big one, when you’re playing, don’t just stand there,” he explained.

Trey Joseph-Bear agrees he’s also learned a lot of about stage presence from the course.

“This class kind of opened the opportunity for it,” he says. “Because with other things like drama for example you kind of work with a script but for garage band its just like whatever you want it to be, as long as the crowd likes it I suppose.”

Aside from giving him the space to grow his own artistry, the course allowed Joseph-Bear to build his confidence. He recalls a show the band did for grade seven and eight students from other schools in the city in November.

“They were all cheering for an encore,” he explains. “And I stepped on stage and did a little bit of soloing to kind of help the guys backstage pick a song. At the start of the semester I probably would have never done that, but now I would.”

From left: Trey Joseph-Bear, Cody Ahenakew, Kolton Kimbley, Rachel Bear. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

The band’s sixth member Seth Clarke, who plays guitar, bass and vocals was absent on the day paNOW visited.

After the class finishes at the end of the month, the students and Mogg plan to keep garage band going as an extra curricular activity so they can continue practicing and performing together. They’re even toying with the idea of putting on a free concert in Kinsmen Park this spring.

Meanwhile, next year Mogg hopes to teach garage band both semesters, and expand it to other grade levels.

Wednesday’s show at the EA Rawlinson will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom