Last Sunday night, the culmination of all of our efforts for the past few months resulted in one FANTASTIC show. It was so amazing to see all of our planning and hard work collide with the enthusiasm of the Santa Barbara community, and, of course, the raw talent of every single musician on stage. To everyone who made it out there that night: thank you — for everything! Thank you for performing. Thank you for cheering. And, most of all, thank you for supporting SBYMA and our mission to provide a fun, hands-on experience with music that unites Santa Barbara youth from all cultures and backgrounds in an environment that will ignite a desire to learn.
Although the pursuit of music has no winners and losers, prizes were awarded as a means of motivating the bands to bring their A-game. It is important to note that all bands were mentored at the event by professional stage managers like Eric Eisenberg, had the opportunity to perform for music industry professionals like Alan Bailey, JR Richards, Nick Gunn, and Darin Fietcher, were given gift bags that included swag from Horny Toad Active Wear, Fame Wizard, and Live Culture Records, and were covered by and will continue to be covered by local media.
Third place in the junior division was awarded to two bands, High Frequency and All Dudes One Chick. Each band will receive $100. Second place was awarded to The Catastrophes, who will receive $250. And first place for the Junior Division was awarded to Technical Difficulties, who will receive $500, the opportunity to play a guaranteed paid gig on the mainstage at Fiesta 2011, and 40 custom t-shirts designed and printed by Blue Skies silkscreening.
As for the Senior Division, third place was awarded to the Windmill Vandals, who will be awarded $100. Second place went to the New Cats, who were awarded $250. The New Cats were also awarded the Rockstar Award, which is the award for the band that had the most fans in attendance (each person at the show was asked to write down which band they came to watch). They will receive a spotlight on Santa Barbara Backbeat, which is a local TV show that “delivers a behind the scene look at people and organizations in Santa Barbara using music to make a difference in our community.” And first place in the Senior Division went to False Puppet, who will be awarded$500, the opportunity to perform on the mainstage at Fiesta 2011, and 60 custom t-shirts by Blue Skies Silkscreening.
Once again, thank you to everyone who came out to support these musicians on Sunday. We are very excited to see what the next year will bring and we sincerely hope that all of you will continue to encourage every child to focus on their own value and untapped potential through music.
For any questions, please email info@sbyma.org. Winners please call SBYMA music studios to let us know when you’ll be coming by to pick up your prizes at 805-897-4327.
Santa Barbara Youth Music Academy 