Band Workshop in Munich
A fixed band of 3–5 people at your level. You rehearse every week, build a set and play it on stage.
The band workshop is what Fretster exists for: you do not play alone in your room, you play real songs with the same people every week. We put the band together by age and level, you choose the songs, and the result is a set you play on stage.
Who it is for
- Children, teenagers and adults – each in their own bands
- Guitar, bass, drums, keys and vocals
- Anyone who can get through three or four songs – no band of your own needed
What is included
- 60 minutes of band rehearsal per week
- Fixed line-up of 3–5 people
- Rehearsal room with amplifiers, drums and vocal PA
- One professional recording per year
How the weeks run
- 1Getting to know each other, setting up instruments and sound, the first song together
- 2A 60-minute rehearsal every week: entries, transitions, dynamics
- 3Single songs become a set that you play in one go
- 4A stage performance – and a professional recording once a year
What is the band workshop?
The band workshop is the heart of Fretster: a fixed band of three to five people at roughly the same level. You rehearse for 60 minutes every week, choose your songs, build a set and play it on stage. Once a year you make a professional recording.
It is not a course with a textbook, and it is not an open jam. It is a real band, with everything that comes with one: entries that go wrong, an ending nobody agreed on, and the moment when it suddenly sounds like music. That moment is the reason people learn an instrument.
Why a band, and not only one-to-one lessons?
In one-to-one lessons you learn your instrument. In a band you learn music: listening while you play, holding the tempo when the drummer speeds up, playing more quietly when the singer comes in. You cannot practise that alone. It takes other people in the room.
Making music together also connects people beyond the music. In a well-known study at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig (Kirschner & Tomasello, 2010), four-year-olds helped each other noticeably more often after making music together than after the same game without music. We promise no miracles. But in our experience, people who work on a song with the same group every week stay with their instrument longer and practise at home with a reason.
Band workshop in the holidays: three days instead of every week
If you first want to find out what a band feels like, come to the 3-day band workshop: three days, one band, and a performance for parents and friends on the last day. It costs €149 and runs several times a year at both our locations; the next dates are on the workshops page.
During the Bavarian school holidays the same idea runs as the holiday workshop, and in summer as the five-day Summer Band Camp. And if you simply want to play along with others, come to the Jam Station: open, free, no registration.
Locations and price
Fretster has two locations in Munich: in the south in Obersendling (Hatzelweg 25, 81476 München) and in the north-west in Allach-Untermenzing (Gustav-Otto-Bogen 13, 80997 München), easy to reach from Moosach, Pasing, Karlsfeld and Dachau. We arrange in person where and on which day your band rehearses, because we put bands together by age and level.
The band workshop costs €52 per person per month. Amplifiers, drums and a vocal PA are in the rehearsal room; you bring your own instrument.
Frequently asked questions
How well do I need to play to join a band?
Less well than you think. If you can get through three or four songs or grooves without stopping, that is enough to start. We put bands together by level so that nobody is bored or overwhelmed.
I am coming alone and know nobody. Is that all right?
Yes, that is how most people join. You do not need to bring a ready-made band. We match you with people of a similar age and level.
Which instruments are needed?
Guitar, bass, drums, keys and vocals. As everywhere, bass players and drummers are especially welcome.
Is the band workshop also for adults?
Yes. There are bands for children, for teenagers and for adults. Adults play with adults.
How is it different from the Jam Station?
The Jam Station is an open evening: whoever is there plays, free of charge and without registration. In the band workshop you rehearse a fixed set with the same people every week, working towards a stage performance and a recording.
How much does the band workshop cost?
€52 per person per month for a 60-minute band rehearsal every week. The 3-day band workshop costs €149.
From the workshops
What comes out of it
Recordings from the final day — played by students who had not met three days earlier.
Band Workshop
€52 / month per person · Once a week · 60 min · 3–5 people