2010 LAUNCHPAD MUSIC COMPETITION KICKS OFF!

Lauchpad, the statewide battle of the bands competition for high school students, is back again! Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) has kicked off the sixth year of Launchpad – a first-of-its-kind alternative music competition designed to celebrate the reach of music education.

Launchpad provides another outlet for students to stretch the boundaries of their musical knowledge. 

The deadline for applications is February 5th, 2010. You can get an application here.

 High school students who are in garage bands (i.e., rock, jazz, country, reggae, hip hop, etc.) outside of school are invited to submit an application (available through school music teachers and at LaunchpadWisconsin.org), plus an audition recording with three songs (originals or covers). 

Submissions are narrowed down to a maximum of 15 bands in each of four Wisconsin regions. Selected bands then compete in a concert extravaganza held at a school in their region. The regional events (March 26 – Madison area, hosted by Waunakee High School; April 9 – Green Bay area, hosted by Appleton West High School; April 23 – Eau Claire area, hosted by Chippewa Falls High School; May 7 – Milwaukee area, hosted by Wauwatosa East High School) are open to the public.

The top three finalists from each region, plus a “wild card” band selected from Launchpad entries through a world-wide voting system of listeners on Broadjam.com, then compete June 12 in Madison for the grand prize: professional recording time, a 2010 Summerfest appearance and the Les Paul Launchpad Award.

Launchpad is funded primarily by corporate sponsorships (statewide sponsors include Charter Communications, Madison Media Institute, Yamaha and Nicholas Family Foundation) and in-kind giving from people who believe in the benefits of music education and all that music has to offer. The program is produced by Dennis Graham Associates.

For more information on Launchpad, including participation details, video footage of last year’s finals competition, supporting sponsors, late-breaking news, etc., go to www.LaunchpadWisconsin.org. Also be sure to visit www.wsmamusic.org for more about WSMA.