Your kid, in a real band.
Young Band Nation is our student band program, where Baton Rouge kids learn, rehearse, and perform together, led by real working musicians. YBN Connect is the heart of it: our monthly band class. Your player gets a home band of their own, a room full of pro mentors, and real stages all year.
Led by working musicians
Every class is led by professional musicians and educators who play, teach, and perform for a living. This is who your player learns from, up close, every month.
Doug Gay
Built BRMS over 20 years and still plays out. Leads the room.
Syreeta Neal
Professional vocalist who leads voice and shapes the room.
Chad Townsend
18-year pro drummer and educator, trained at Musicians Institute.
Marley Vick
Multi-instrumentalist and performer, and the room's heartbeat.
Evan Decker
Coaches our performing bands and leads in the Connect room.
Deborah Kleinpeter
Teaches voice and piano and performs with our bands.
Our monthly band class, where young musicians come together to learn, rehearse, and perform. Real songs, real bands, real stages, all year.
YBN Connect is the official Young Band Nation class, and it runs every single month. Every player gets a home band with a name and a crew of their own, plus the freedom to play in duos, trios, and guest spots with everyone else in the room. Because the whole program is together, we build the most fun, most impactful shows and give every player real chances to perform.
The basics
Flexibility is what we teach
One of the most valuable things we can teach a young musician is flexibility: adapting on the fly, playing with new people, and covering a different role when the moment calls for it. It is nearly impossible to build in a room by yourself, or in a traditional band room.
Because everyone is together in one room, your player builds it naturally. They form a show with their home-band friends, sit in with other groups, and learn to roll with whatever the music throws at them. Every little thing we do in that room adds up to a musician who can play with anyone.
Form a show
Build a set with your home-band crew.
Sit in
Guest with another band for a song.
Cover a part
Step in when a bandmate is out.
Switch it up
Try a new instrument or a new style.
Read the room
Follow the song, not just the page.
One of the most valuable things we can teach a young musician is flexibility. This is exactly where they learn it.
Learn all month, play all year
YBN Connect runs on one connected loop, month after month. Every class moves your player forward, and nothing gets lost in between.
It comes together
At the monthly class, the whole crew rehearses, and we set each player's goals for the month ahead.
You get the tools
We record every class, then send your player the mixdown and notes, along with their lesson teacher.
The work happens
Over the next few weeks, your player builds their parts in their weekly private lessons, right on target.
It hits the stage
At the next class we shape it and get it performance-ready, then home bands, duos, and trios take the stage.
More than a rehearsal
Coached by pros
Four to six working musicians and educators lead the room every month, guiding every player.
A home band
A band name and a crew to call your own, the belonging kids remember for life.
Real performance chances
Monthly showcases and the wider BRMS stage, all year long, not just one show.
Room to stretch
Play beyond your home band in duos, trios, and guest spots. Multi-instrument kids can switch it up.
Your own in-ears
The one-time Starter Pack sets your player up with in-ear monitors to keep, so they hear everything on stage.
Never a missed beat
Miss a month? You still get the class recording and notes, and your lessons keep you right on track.
One monthly rate, one starter pack
No registration fees, no performance fees. Just your monthly membership and a one-time Starter Pack your player keeps. The membership pays our team for the shows too, not just the Saturday.
- The monthly two-hour band class
- A home band, plus duos, trios, and guest spots
- Real performance chances all year
- Coaching from our whole team every month
- Every class recorded, with notes sent to you
Weekly private lessons are part of the class and are billed separately. Take them with us, or with your own teacher. Either way, your player shows up ready.
- Your player's own in-ear monitors
- Theirs to keep
- Fitted and ready before the first class
- Something they actually get, not a fee
We buy them, fit them, and keep fresh spares on hand, so you never have to remember a thing.
Built to welcome more kids into the band
Kids who want in
Players who love the idea of making music with others and are looking for a group to create with.
Every instrument and voice
Guitar, bass, drums, keys, and singers all belong. Multi-instrument players get room to explore.
Near and far
Families on both sides of town make one easy monthly trip to BRMS Creative, the home built for the band program.
How to join the class
Get in touch
Send us a quick note with your player's name and the best way to reach you. That is it, we will take it from there.
Book your placement
A low-pressure way for us to get to know your player and find the best place for them to start. Everyone is welcome, and it is not an audition. No perfect performance required.
Get your Starter Pack
After your placement, your player gets their onboarding kit with their own in-ear monitors to keep, ready for the first class.
Play your first class
Join the crew at BRMS Creative, get matched with a home band, and start working toward your first performance.
The community we build
Young Band Nation isn't just a group of musicians who happen to play together. We're a community, and communities take care of each other. Every member commits to a simple code of conduct, and our staff hold it as seriously as the music.
We lift each other up
We celebrate progress, not just talent. Everyone here was a beginner once.
Feedback like bandmates, not critics
We talk about the music, never the person, and we ask before we critique.
We don't put each other down
No mocking, no exclusion, no put-downs, even ones meant "in fun."
Room for every voice
The newest member matters as much as the most seasoned one.
We own it and repair
If we get it wrong, we make it right. Repair matters more than being right.
If something's wrong, we say something
Looking out for each other isn't snitching, it's taking care of the community.
The next level, by selection
YBN Live is our tier of standalone, gig-ready bands, and it is earned, not bought. Players are chosen for Live through our ongoing assessment of the YBN Connect room: who is growing, who shows up ready, and who is prepared to carry a band of their own.
Every Live musician started right where your player will: in the room at YBN Connect. We watch for readiness in every class, and when a player is ready, we invite them to take the next step.
Start in Connect
Every player begins in the monthly class, in a home band, learning the craft.
We assess, every month
Our team watches growth, readiness, and reliability in every class, all year.
Earn the invite
When a player is ready, we invite them into a Live band of their own.
Crooked Line
A YBN Live band.
Scenic Highway
A YBN Live band.
Flipswitch
A YBN Live band.
Biscuits & Gravy
A YBN Live band.
Spots in YBN Live are earned, not bought. We are watching for it in every Connect class.
Questions parents ask
What exactly is YBN Connect?
It is the official Young Band Nation class, and it runs every month. Your player joins a home band, learns their songs in weekly private lessons, then brings them into a two-hour class where the whole program rehearses together and gets stage-ready. It is the flexibility, the community, and the stage time you cannot get from a lesson alone or a traditional band room.
How is this different from YBN Live?
YBN Connect is the class that every player is part of. YBN Live is our selective tier of standalone, gig-ready bands. Players are chosen for Live through our ongoing assessment of the Connect room. In other words, Connect is where everyone plays and grows, and Live is earned from inside it over time.
Does my child need to take weekly lessons?
Yes. Weekly private lessons are part of the class, because that is where your player learns their band's songs and builds real instrument skills. They are billed separately from the $90 monthly membership. If your player already studies with a teacher elsewhere, just let us know. We are glad to support fellow educators, and it does not keep your player from joining.
What is a placement, and is it scary?
Not at all. A placement is a low-pressure way for us to get to know your player and find the best spot for them to start. It is not an audition and it is not pass or fail. Everyone is welcome. It just helps us put your player in the right place from day one, and it can happen during a lesson or a quick visit.
What is the Starter Pack?
A one-time $50 that sets your player up with their own in-ear monitors, which they keep. In-ears help them hear the whole band and play with confidence on stage. It is the only extra fee, and it is something they actually receive.
Can my child play more than one instrument?
Absolutely, please do. The flexible format is made for it. A player might anchor their home band on one instrument and jump into a duo or trio on another, or even switch it up mid-set.
What if we miss a class?
Never a missed beat. We record every class, so your player gets the audio along with a few notes on what they missed, and their private lessons keep them right on track.
Where and when does it happen?
At BRMS Creative in Baton Rouge, on the second Saturday of every month, for two hours.
Let's get your kid in the band
The class is active and enrolling now. Send us a quick note about your player and we will help you find their spot in Young Band Nation. Low pressure, big fun.
Get in touch