Drum Circle

School Jam USA is one of the best opportunities for school funding. The event is a unique battle of the bands, providing prizes not only for the band that wins, but for the school's music education program as well.

Run by a German company called MusikMedia Germany, School Jam has been popular for years in Germany, with a well-established history for creating school spirit while engaging teenagers in a competition that benefits both student and school. MusikMedia has been essential for the adoption of popular and rock music in school bands' repertoires. MusikMedia runs the publication of SchoolJam the magazine, which is published every two months.

The contest is open to teenagers under the age of eighteen who are not attached to a music label. The contestants must be enrolled in an American high school, but need to have passports allowing travel to Germany for the final competition.

Artists are able to play any kind of music they want, from power pop and rap to percussion ensembles featuring the djembe drum or horns, so long as the music is under public domain and School Jam officials approve the lyrics. School Jam encourages students to try out new arrangements of older music, in order to makes sure that their act sounds fresh and new. The School Jam competition is a unique experience for middle and high school students, as it allows them to showcase their own talents while supporting and rallying their school band.

Open entries for the contest begins on August 24, 2009 and continue until the middle of October. In order to enter the competition, visit schooljamusa.com to upload your application. The only limitation for bands is that no more than ten people can be playing on stage, and the song for the competition must be five minutes or shorter. After that, students can be as creative as they want.

Fifty semi-finalists will be chosen from the open entries, with ten from each of five regions. These contestants will then be posted on the School Jam website, where visitors can vote for their favorite band once a day between November 1, 2009 and December 5, 2009. Visitors also have a chance to win some fabulous prizes for themselves, just for voting through the voters' sweepstakes.

The top ten finalists from the online semi finals will then go on to the live finals in Anaheim, California on January 16, 2010. These finalists are made of the top two finalists in each region. All ten of the finalists will receive gift cards to spend on new instruments and gear for their band, as well as money for their school's music program to fund new instrument purchases.

Finally, the winning band will compete at the School Jam performance in Germany in March 2010 at the School Jam Germany finals in Frankfurt. For more information about the competition, visit www.schooljam.de. The site also hosts information about the SchoolJam magazine, rules and terms, interviews with previous School Jam winners, and contests for great prizes, like guitars signed by members of the Black Eyed Peas.

Labels: Fun, Music Education