MATTHEW BURNETTE

Staff Writer

If you find yourself driving past Normandy Presbyterian Church on a late Tuesday afternoon and hear the faint but familiar sound of electronic instruments, it’s not a new contemporary worship service.

It’s the sound of the next generation of musicians honing their craft.

The Chord Collective, led by “Director of Rock” Kevin Auwarter, is an afterschool program where students learn the ins and outs of being part of a band from playing a variety of instruments to performing in front of a crowd.

This session of the collective, currently in its tenth week, is preparing for their summer showcase which will be held at Common John Brewing Co. on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.

Guitarist and occasional lead singer Izzy Gard says that she joined the Chord Collective out of a desire to learn.

“I really have been wanting to play an instrument, but I couldn’t really teach myself because I didn’t know like chords, but then after coming here and playing a lot more songs has actually been really simple,” she explained.

One of the Chord Collective’s bassist Isabella Flynn, who also sings, was encouraged to join the group by her parents.

“My parents wanted to get me involved with something besides soccer, and they had been in the music industry for like a really long time now,” she said. “My dad was in a screamo band when he was younger, and my mom got a Gold award for engineering and stuff. I really wanted to learn to play the bass and how to play music and stuff. That’s pretty much it.”

Gard noted that she’s learned a lot since her time in the group but has trouble putting it into words.

“I’ve learned a lot, but I can’t really name that “a lot” because it’s just been so much,” she said.

The group admits that while they are very excited about their upcoming showcase but also nervous.

In addition to their showcase, they have also been invited to play at a benefit show at Beans Creek Winery on Sept. 5 and will be opening the Good Friends Music Fest later that month.

Their setlist includes songs like The Cranberries’ “Zombie” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a favorite of the group’s.

It was curated based off of favorite songs and music that they listed on their registration forms for the Chord Collective.

Willow Addington, also a bass player, says she enjoys rock and metal. She actually switched instruments due to necessity.

“I really wanted to play an electric, but then Kevin said, ‘Hey we don’t have a bass player, so do you want to play bass?’ I was like sure I’ll try it out and ended up liking it really well,” she recalled.

The Chord Collective’s current members all plan to pursue music professionally and have actually envisioned themselves starting a band outside of the program with Gard adding that she wants to expand her catalogue.

“I hope I learn how to play more songs on the guitar since I’ve learned all the frets and kind of learned all the chord names,” she said. “I hope to learn some more songs like some of my favorites.”

Gard says that she has really enjoyed making the friends that she has in the Chord Collective.

“Everyone is really cool, and everyone is really nice,” she said. “Even if you mess up, people don’t really like- there’s probably somebody that can agree with you that they messed up on that part or need to practice it a little more.”

“I’ve really enjoyed when the band comes together and helps each other out,” added Flynn. “There was this one time where Ethan (a fellow band member) was teaching Izzy how to play a part, and they actually got together really well.”

Lily Aurwater, Kevin’s daughter, concluded the most important thing about being in a band is coming together as a group.

“Being in a band is mostly about teamwork,” she explained. “The song sounds a lot better when multiple people are playing it in contrast to just one person on the keyboard or guitar or drums. When we all work together to practice and make the song better, it sounds a lot better as a band.”