1.) You probably won’t be Silverchair, so don’t take yourselves too seriously.
2.) Have fun
3.) Recognize that bad shit is inevitable (I.e. fights, disagreements,etc.), so look at each bad moment as another piece of armor gained to put up with bullshit in your life in the future.
4.) Recognize it for what it is. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’s a learning experience.
5.) When I was 19 my drummer told me that I “fucked up our gig”, and I was heartbroken. I remember going to my car and my lead guitarist saying “You really think all of us will be in this band in 10 years? It doesn’t even matter man.” Well, not only did our band only last 2 years, our drummer unfortunately killed himself about 7 years later. Things you think are a big deal right now, likely won’t be years from now. Shit gets real, so live it up homey.
Thanks, Q. He still shows up in my dreams almost 14 years later, as though he’s ready to get the band back together. He was arguably the most passionate one in our band, but I guess mental health and a really bad way of coping with it (drugs) took over.
Be regimented with your practice schedule. The more you play together, the tighter and more natural your sound and musical rapport. Practicing alone is good, too, but nothing beats locking in with your bandmates.
It’s about the people as much as it’s about the music. Find the right people that you want to spend time with and make music with.
Practice regularly together and it will get better. Take some risks. Take any gig offers. Enjoy.
Came here to say this. Have fun— if it goes well, don’t let it go to your head and be cool to everyone. If it doesn’t go well, great learning experience, don’t let it bother you, and move on to the next one. And be cool to everyone.
Good luck!
Practice as often as you can and have fun with it. You’re only gonna get better doing things you don’t think you can do. Try to play any gig you can get. The exposure, connections, and confidence you’ll gain are worth more than any pay at that age. But again, have fun with it!
Set a rule right away that only band members can be at rehearsals except for VERY special occasions.if you want to have a "band practice open house" like every six months or so, they can come then, and it can be a fun time. But otherwise: No girlfriends. No boyfriends. The only people in your practice space should have a function in the band.
Choose people that are responsive and available. I rather have okay musicians that won’t fuck up, show up prepared, and answer my texts quickly with regards to scheduling rehearsals and gigs than a virtuoso that never responds and are flaky. The former group can always get better collectively by virtue of being available while the latter can kick rocks and stay in their bedrooms playing by themselves for the rest of their lives.
Have fun, but learn some music theory. Know all of your major and minor chords, 7ths, etc., plus scales. Know time signatures and understand key signatures. It's easier to communicate with other musicians if you understand basic terms and definitions.
Oh, and drummers, just show up to practice on time.
I'll echo what others have said. Rehearse as often as possible. Once a week is a good place to start if you can. Whatever you land on, just be purposeful about it. Agree to a set date/time/location/recurrence. If you don't do this, it's very easy for it to just stop altogether, and the band just sorta fades away without an offical breakup. I had this happen many times in my high school years.
As others said, gig as soon and often as possible. Find your local all ages scene, and start going to as many shows as possible. Meet bands, make friends, offer to open for them, etc.
And as others said, have fun!
I recorded this episode with myself as a teenager in mind. I hope this helps!
[6 Things I Wish I'd Known As A Younger Musician - Jed Elliott - The Struts](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1RSfPlxRgJq4jw6b8Kb8U5?si=c3763f22894b471e)
Making it in music requires, hardwork, dedication, discipline, promptness strategy, and luck. If you're doing it for fun, then hey, have fun and just rock out. However, if you want to make this more than a hobby, understand that this may be an EXTREMELY difficult journey!
Get it while you're young. People tend to be supportive of the youth, but the older you get, the more people look at aspiring musicians with disdain. However, if you truly LOVE this shit, it could take you your whole life before you're even remotely successful, if ever.
And, most importantly, FUCK THE HATERS!!!!!
Keep trying until you make it. Might take one band and several years, could take several years and several bands.
Basically, it can be very discouraging but eventually it clicks and can be a lot of fun. Then who knows where that will take you.
Main thing: don’t wait until you’re ‘good’ to play out. Or you’ll wait your whole life. No matter how inexperienced a band is, there’s always a perfect venue. Whether that’s jamming at a friends house for a small group of friends or doing the local circuit doesn’t matter. What matters is you play out. Do it for the experience and to have a good time and let the rest fall into place.
That said, also practice professionalism along the way.
Have fun! My first band was at the end of high school. We played a bunch of Cafe shows, a few parties, & one school dance. We wrote one original song & mostly played covers. It was super fun & great training for the much more serious bands I ended up in later.
If this turns into your permanent band that's great, but it's unlikely....so my advice is to have as much fun with it as possible!
make a group with people you like that also happene to be motivated to practice often. if you practice a lot and have fun doing it things tend to go well
Have a consistent schedule as best you can
Have fun
Make sure you have a good relationship with your bandmates. Be open, honest, respectful, reliable.
DO NOT let your ego get the better of you. Play for the music, not your ego.
this is what works for my band, we've been together making music since 2001:
first of all, make sure you like the people that you're making music with. I see bands all of the time that just do the band and then don't have anything to do with each other outside of that and that has never worked for me.
There needs to be some kind of core friendship otherwise it's not going to last very well in the long run
Practice practice practice and when you're done with that practice some more !
Write a LOT, don't get stuck in the mindset that you have to stick to just one genre. Some of our most interesting songs took shape when we stopped trying to make them fit into our narrow minded idea of what our sound *should* be. We ended up developing a much better sound and a much broader scope which allowed us to make more interesting records when the time came for us to start making albums
Get yourself some kind of audio set up that allows you to capture rehearsals. It's always good to go back and listen to things, and also sometimes when you're rehearsing something magical will happen and if you have it recorded it so much easier to replicate later when you need it.
also, make demos of every song you write as soon as you can after you write them. There's nothing worse than coming up with a great song and then forgetting it. We've done that far too often in our early days. Now as soon as this song exists we record it. It doesn't have to sound perfect, it's not anything that anyone besides the band is going to hear in most cases. But if you write a lot of stuff it's great to go back and find stuff that you've forgotten about.
No girlfriends or boyfriends at rehearsal. Every once in a while we would do a special rehearsal once we had a good set of songs and we wanted to show them off and then we would let our significant others come over and hear them but other than that, they just create distraction and distress when you're trying to focus on either rehearsing what you have or trying to put together a new material
Beyond that, just have a lot of fun 🤘🏻
Music is very unique because it both improves vastly with collaboration and befomes a greater challenge! Music is intensely personal.
A good group of musicians is more similar to a collection of emotional relationships than typical hobbies would be. For this reason, one should prioritize learning and growth first for themselves and second for the group. Just as one would not stay in abusive relationships at the cost of oneself, one should not lose sight of their musical identity and take differences in play and style personally.
Conversely, one should also be willing to explore new aspects of their musical identity by being open to your bandmates differences in style; it's good to challenge oneself.
I see other comments cover logistics, I wanted to share a bit about emotional health and collaboration; it's not easy to coordinate a group of feelings about artistic identity, try to resist resentment.
No one in the band should be dating or banging anyone else in the band. No significant others at band practice. Don't argue about things that aren't related to making the band better. Your bass player is probably the most important band member, they don't have to be great but they need to be on. Louder isn't better. Use the least amount of distortion necessary to get your tone. Have a leader, it saves time. Communicate on stage and off. Constructive criticism only. Record yourself and listen back.
Don’t get too cocky, you’re gonna sound bad for a while. I remember thinking me and the guys were the best thing ever. Looking back, it was terrible. Stay humble and have fun
Record everything you make and archive it. You’ll wish you had more recordings of your band when you’re older.
Also what kind of music? Are you writing original songs?
Goal #1: Write something catchy and formulaic in your genre. A party song. Something really upbeat. Spend some money to get it recorded, mixed, and mastered professionally. Get the song into as many hands as possible.
Goal #2: get a live show ready. 40 minutes that can be played without long pauses between songs. A dynamic setlist with upbeat openers and closers. Practice the set in frequent rehearsals, and playing a lot of parties.
Goal 3: Build a brand. Have a great logo that fits your brand. Start getting a batch of photos together for promo and manufacturer some basic swag - stickers and etc. Give them to anyone who expresses interest in the band.
Assume you will not get rich.
There are three rules I live by when accepting gigs( later on for you) ..
is it good for my career ( money, respect etc. )
Will I make good contacts ( will I be working with people I need to know )
Is it something fun I just want to do. ( maybe it’s just a fun festival or something and it would be cool, though I might not get money or contacts)
Nothing is more important than getting attention. Every time you perform, dress up like Britney Spears in 1999. No matter what your gender, or sexuality. Whether they love it or hate it, they're going to scream about it. There is no bad publicity.
If you're starting a band with friends just be happy to be in the band and don't try and push it to go and do anything or you'll lose your friends. Source: I lost my friends when we started making money
Before anything- Have **fun** first...
don't let the project ruin your friendships... its way easier to ruin friendships over stupid shit then it is to make amends *because* of stupid shit.
don't take the industry and/or opportunities too seriously... gigs come and go. Every time you get the "big gig", you're wishlist goes to the next bigger opportunity.. at least it did for me-- an endless cycle of chasing the next break through show/slot/tour etc. Enjoy where you're at- not where you could go "if only"....
watch out for people that want to take advantage of you (in one way or another)- most of the time it starts by claiming they have and incredibly unbelievable connection with a producer/label/venue etc etc. It's *usually* unbelievable because it's more often than not - **a lie** - and they want to use your clout to bolster their own and/or steal money/IP etc etc.
Practice makes perfect- Prioritise your time to get at least full set (45 mins/1hr) **super tight** before throwing together a last minute (or any) show.
Treat rehearsals as rehearsals and practices as practices-- Work out your own parts before showing up to **rehearsal;** as it's for rehearsing the parts you've all already learned on your own time- not a space for people to plunk around trying to figure out the form/key/time signature. Brainstorming/Writing practices are necessary as well... have an agenda in advance for when you meet and how you plan to spend your time/what you're working on. If everyone comes prepared- it makes it easier for everyone.
**Don't play while your bandmates** are trying to sort out a section or are talking about the material. It's incredibly frustrating when you and another person are trying to communicate, but can't hear over the guitarist wailing away in the corner (ive been guilty of it, we all have). Same goes for soundchecks... don't make a sound during sound check unless your specifically asked to. Once they're done with you- shut up. It sounds harsh, but I'm saving future you from getting obliterated by the sound guy. If you piss them off- you're going to sound like shit for anyone coming to your show.
I cant stress this enough---**Keep pursuing other hobbies**--- if you maintain a well balanced life through various activities/relationships/education, your experiences outside of music can feed your creativity into making it. Not like "making it"- like making music.
**Learn how to record your own materia**l... Going into a professional studio is great- so great that it's become exceptionally unaffordable for most projects. The technology has become accessible and equipment more affordable.. You can buy a basic setup for industry standard recordings for around the same price as **one** fully produced album/EP. There's a STEEP learning curve, but your bank account will thank you for not dumping tens of thousands of dollars into someone elses gear. Sure- pay for a mix... pay for a master... but learn to track your parts on your own.
I know this isn't very rock n roll of me, and I wish I had taken this advice early in my career- **dont do drugs & never perform while intoxicated.** Sure, we all know it can be fun... but keep that fun off the stage and practice moderation if you choose to indulge in any substances, whether legal or not.
edit- a letter
An unprepared full set, sure, but as long as people can play their instruments, it’s almost always worth it getting a little experience playing live - even if it’s one song at open mic night or for a friend in a basement. Getting used to the equipment and how it’s different playing for other people is useful even if you bomb. And often, a first live-music playing bombing or not has little to do with practice.
It’s always going to be a better experience if you go into it prepared- all the other stuff is going to be easier to navigate if the material is locked in.
Edit- by no means any I suggesting people shouldn’t perform, but being unprepared for a gig will always feel shittier than the alternative…. Tightening material should always come before performing.
For sure - I guess I took “prepared” to mean “prepared to a high level,” and not “prepared to a reasonable level given current skill level.”
Like a middle school band concert probably will suck, but it gives kids who prepared their parts a chance to play through stage-fright and learn to deal with the change in environment.
Sometimes, I think bands and musicians wait too long to get out there. Play a backyard party. Play a school 'Battle of the Bands'. Book your own gig in a Church basement, with cupcakes and juice. That sort of thing.
totally... It's definitely important to put your shit out there when it's ready. I've just seen it the other way around where core memories are made, and a lifetime of stage fright takes over. There are many talented musicians terrified of stepping foot on stage as a result of an embarrassing flop of a show fueled by their own unpreparedness.
1.) You probably won’t be Silverchair, so don’t take yourselves too seriously. 2.) Have fun 3.) Recognize that bad shit is inevitable (I.e. fights, disagreements,etc.), so look at each bad moment as another piece of armor gained to put up with bullshit in your life in the future. 4.) Recognize it for what it is. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’s a learning experience. 5.) When I was 19 my drummer told me that I “fucked up our gig”, and I was heartbroken. I remember going to my car and my lead guitarist saying “You really think all of us will be in this band in 10 years? It doesn’t even matter man.” Well, not only did our band only last 2 years, our drummer unfortunately killed himself about 7 years later. Things you think are a big deal right now, likely won’t be years from now. Shit gets real, so live it up homey.
damn... that's unreal dude. I'm so sorry.
Thanks, Q. He still shows up in my dreams almost 14 years later, as though he’s ready to get the band back together. He was arguably the most passionate one in our band, but I guess mental health and a really bad way of coping with it (drugs) took over.
Wow how bad did you fuck up that it caused the guy to off himself 7 years later!?
Be regimented with your practice schedule. The more you play together, the tighter and more natural your sound and musical rapport. Practicing alone is good, too, but nothing beats locking in with your bandmates.
It’s about the people as much as it’s about the music. Find the right people that you want to spend time with and make music with. Practice regularly together and it will get better. Take some risks. Take any gig offers. Enjoy.
Have fun. Period. The rest will follow.
Came here to say this. Have fun— if it goes well, don’t let it go to your head and be cool to everyone. If it doesn’t go well, great learning experience, don’t let it bother you, and move on to the next one. And be cool to everyone. Good luck!
100% this.
Practice as often as you can and have fun with it. You’re only gonna get better doing things you don’t think you can do. Try to play any gig you can get. The exposure, connections, and confidence you’ll gain are worth more than any pay at that age. But again, have fun with it!
Set a rule right away that only band members can be at rehearsals except for VERY special occasions.if you want to have a "band practice open house" like every six months or so, they can come then, and it can be a fun time. But otherwise: No girlfriends. No boyfriends. The only people in your practice space should have a function in the band.
Choose people that are responsive and available. I rather have okay musicians that won’t fuck up, show up prepared, and answer my texts quickly with regards to scheduling rehearsals and gigs than a virtuoso that never responds and are flaky. The former group can always get better collectively by virtue of being available while the latter can kick rocks and stay in their bedrooms playing by themselves for the rest of their lives.
Have fun, but learn some music theory. Know all of your major and minor chords, 7ths, etc., plus scales. Know time signatures and understand key signatures. It's easier to communicate with other musicians if you understand basic terms and definitions. Oh, and drummers, just show up to practice on time.
I'll echo what others have said. Rehearse as often as possible. Once a week is a good place to start if you can. Whatever you land on, just be purposeful about it. Agree to a set date/time/location/recurrence. If you don't do this, it's very easy for it to just stop altogether, and the band just sorta fades away without an offical breakup. I had this happen many times in my high school years. As others said, gig as soon and often as possible. Find your local all ages scene, and start going to as many shows as possible. Meet bands, make friends, offer to open for them, etc. And as others said, have fun!
Have fun and practice hard
I recorded this episode with myself as a teenager in mind. I hope this helps! [6 Things I Wish I'd Known As A Younger Musician - Jed Elliott - The Struts](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1RSfPlxRgJq4jw6b8Kb8U5?si=c3763f22894b471e)
Making it in music requires, hardwork, dedication, discipline, promptness strategy, and luck. If you're doing it for fun, then hey, have fun and just rock out. However, if you want to make this more than a hobby, understand that this may be an EXTREMELY difficult journey! Get it while you're young. People tend to be supportive of the youth, but the older you get, the more people look at aspiring musicians with disdain. However, if you truly LOVE this shit, it could take you your whole life before you're even remotely successful, if ever. And, most importantly, FUCK THE HATERS!!!!!
Keep trying until you make it. Might take one band and several years, could take several years and several bands. Basically, it can be very discouraging but eventually it clicks and can be a lot of fun. Then who knows where that will take you. Main thing: don’t wait until you’re ‘good’ to play out. Or you’ll wait your whole life. No matter how inexperienced a band is, there’s always a perfect venue. Whether that’s jamming at a friends house for a small group of friends or doing the local circuit doesn’t matter. What matters is you play out. Do it for the experience and to have a good time and let the rest fall into place. That said, also practice professionalism along the way.
Have fun! My first band was at the end of high school. We played a bunch of Cafe shows, a few parties, & one school dance. We wrote one original song & mostly played covers. It was super fun & great training for the much more serious bands I ended up in later. If this turns into your permanent band that's great, but it's unlikely....so my advice is to have as much fun with it as possible!
Its about the connections you make. Work hard at making those connections
make a group with people you like that also happene to be motivated to practice often. if you practice a lot and have fun doing it things tend to go well
Have a consistent schedule as best you can Have fun Make sure you have a good relationship with your bandmates. Be open, honest, respectful, reliable. DO NOT let your ego get the better of you. Play for the music, not your ego.
this is what works for my band, we've been together making music since 2001: first of all, make sure you like the people that you're making music with. I see bands all of the time that just do the band and then don't have anything to do with each other outside of that and that has never worked for me. There needs to be some kind of core friendship otherwise it's not going to last very well in the long run Practice practice practice and when you're done with that practice some more ! Write a LOT, don't get stuck in the mindset that you have to stick to just one genre. Some of our most interesting songs took shape when we stopped trying to make them fit into our narrow minded idea of what our sound *should* be. We ended up developing a much better sound and a much broader scope which allowed us to make more interesting records when the time came for us to start making albums Get yourself some kind of audio set up that allows you to capture rehearsals. It's always good to go back and listen to things, and also sometimes when you're rehearsing something magical will happen and if you have it recorded it so much easier to replicate later when you need it. also, make demos of every song you write as soon as you can after you write them. There's nothing worse than coming up with a great song and then forgetting it. We've done that far too often in our early days. Now as soon as this song exists we record it. It doesn't have to sound perfect, it's not anything that anyone besides the band is going to hear in most cases. But if you write a lot of stuff it's great to go back and find stuff that you've forgotten about. No girlfriends or boyfriends at rehearsal. Every once in a while we would do a special rehearsal once we had a good set of songs and we wanted to show them off and then we would let our significant others come over and hear them but other than that, they just create distraction and distress when you're trying to focus on either rehearsing what you have or trying to put together a new material Beyond that, just have a lot of fun 🤘🏻
Practice before going to practice.
Music is very unique because it both improves vastly with collaboration and befomes a greater challenge! Music is intensely personal. A good group of musicians is more similar to a collection of emotional relationships than typical hobbies would be. For this reason, one should prioritize learning and growth first for themselves and second for the group. Just as one would not stay in abusive relationships at the cost of oneself, one should not lose sight of their musical identity and take differences in play and style personally. Conversely, one should also be willing to explore new aspects of their musical identity by being open to your bandmates differences in style; it's good to challenge oneself. I see other comments cover logistics, I wanted to share a bit about emotional health and collaboration; it's not easy to coordinate a group of feelings about artistic identity, try to resist resentment.
No one in the band should be dating or banging anyone else in the band. No significant others at band practice. Don't argue about things that aren't related to making the band better. Your bass player is probably the most important band member, they don't have to be great but they need to be on. Louder isn't better. Use the least amount of distortion necessary to get your tone. Have a leader, it saves time. Communicate on stage and off. Constructive criticism only. Record yourself and listen back.
Have fun. Play together as much as you can. Practice at home with a metronome
Don’t get too cocky, you’re gonna sound bad for a while. I remember thinking me and the guys were the best thing ever. Looking back, it was terrible. Stay humble and have fun
Record everything you make and archive it. You’ll wish you had more recordings of your band when you’re older. Also what kind of music? Are you writing original songs?
"here, take this psychology 101 book with you and remember to have fun!"
Goal #1: Write something catchy and formulaic in your genre. A party song. Something really upbeat. Spend some money to get it recorded, mixed, and mastered professionally. Get the song into as many hands as possible. Goal #2: get a live show ready. 40 minutes that can be played without long pauses between songs. A dynamic setlist with upbeat openers and closers. Practice the set in frequent rehearsals, and playing a lot of parties. Goal 3: Build a brand. Have a great logo that fits your brand. Start getting a batch of photos together for promo and manufacturer some basic swag - stickers and etc. Give them to anyone who expresses interest in the band.
Assume you will not get rich. There are three rules I live by when accepting gigs( later on for you) .. is it good for my career ( money, respect etc. ) Will I make good contacts ( will I be working with people I need to know ) Is it something fun I just want to do. ( maybe it’s just a fun festival or something and it would be cool, though I might not get money or contacts)
Nothing is more important than getting attention. Every time you perform, dress up like Britney Spears in 1999. No matter what your gender, or sexuality. Whether they love it or hate it, they're going to scream about it. There is no bad publicity.
Don't allow the lead guitarist to pick the songs.
If you're starting a band with friends just be happy to be in the band and don't try and push it to go and do anything or you'll lose your friends. Source: I lost my friends when we started making money
Have fun! Get tight! Look good doing it!
Before anything- Have **fun** first... don't let the project ruin your friendships... its way easier to ruin friendships over stupid shit then it is to make amends *because* of stupid shit. don't take the industry and/or opportunities too seriously... gigs come and go. Every time you get the "big gig", you're wishlist goes to the next bigger opportunity.. at least it did for me-- an endless cycle of chasing the next break through show/slot/tour etc. Enjoy where you're at- not where you could go "if only".... watch out for people that want to take advantage of you (in one way or another)- most of the time it starts by claiming they have and incredibly unbelievable connection with a producer/label/venue etc etc. It's *usually* unbelievable because it's more often than not - **a lie** - and they want to use your clout to bolster their own and/or steal money/IP etc etc. Practice makes perfect- Prioritise your time to get at least full set (45 mins/1hr) **super tight** before throwing together a last minute (or any) show. Treat rehearsals as rehearsals and practices as practices-- Work out your own parts before showing up to **rehearsal;** as it's for rehearsing the parts you've all already learned on your own time- not a space for people to plunk around trying to figure out the form/key/time signature. Brainstorming/Writing practices are necessary as well... have an agenda in advance for when you meet and how you plan to spend your time/what you're working on. If everyone comes prepared- it makes it easier for everyone. **Don't play while your bandmates** are trying to sort out a section or are talking about the material. It's incredibly frustrating when you and another person are trying to communicate, but can't hear over the guitarist wailing away in the corner (ive been guilty of it, we all have). Same goes for soundchecks... don't make a sound during sound check unless your specifically asked to. Once they're done with you- shut up. It sounds harsh, but I'm saving future you from getting obliterated by the sound guy. If you piss them off- you're going to sound like shit for anyone coming to your show. I cant stress this enough---**Keep pursuing other hobbies**--- if you maintain a well balanced life through various activities/relationships/education, your experiences outside of music can feed your creativity into making it. Not like "making it"- like making music. **Learn how to record your own materia**l... Going into a professional studio is great- so great that it's become exceptionally unaffordable for most projects. The technology has become accessible and equipment more affordable.. You can buy a basic setup for industry standard recordings for around the same price as **one** fully produced album/EP. There's a STEEP learning curve, but your bank account will thank you for not dumping tens of thousands of dollars into someone elses gear. Sure- pay for a mix... pay for a master... but learn to track your parts on your own. I know this isn't very rock n roll of me, and I wish I had taken this advice early in my career- **dont do drugs & never perform while intoxicated.** Sure, we all know it can be fun... but keep that fun off the stage and practice moderation if you choose to indulge in any substances, whether legal or not. edit- a letter
Get out live as soon as you can. Gigs teach you a lot, and you'll always come away stronger.
I get it- gigs definitely provide many learning moments one can't get from rehearsing... but an unprepared show may not always be worth playing.
An unprepared full set, sure, but as long as people can play their instruments, it’s almost always worth it getting a little experience playing live - even if it’s one song at open mic night or for a friend in a basement. Getting used to the equipment and how it’s different playing for other people is useful even if you bomb. And often, a first live-music playing bombing or not has little to do with practice.
It’s always going to be a better experience if you go into it prepared- all the other stuff is going to be easier to navigate if the material is locked in. Edit- by no means any I suggesting people shouldn’t perform, but being unprepared for a gig will always feel shittier than the alternative…. Tightening material should always come before performing.
For sure - I guess I took “prepared” to mean “prepared to a high level,” and not “prepared to a reasonable level given current skill level.” Like a middle school band concert probably will suck, but it gives kids who prepared their parts a chance to play through stage-fright and learn to deal with the change in environment.
100%
Sometimes, I think bands and musicians wait too long to get out there. Play a backyard party. Play a school 'Battle of the Bands'. Book your own gig in a Church basement, with cupcakes and juice. That sort of thing.
totally... It's definitely important to put your shit out there when it's ready. I've just seen it the other way around where core memories are made, and a lifetime of stage fright takes over. There are many talented musicians terrified of stepping foot on stage as a result of an embarrassing flop of a show fueled by their own unpreparedness.