Yielding a multitude of successful tunes, Diamond Bar High School commercial musicians dive into a flurry of practice and performances.

Starting seven years ago, commercial music is an elective class available to students as an opportunity to showcase musical talent in a non-classical fashion. Commercial music has hosted many performances and events in previous years, including lunch concerts and most cumulatively, the Brahmapalooza, a four-hour concert hosted at the end of the year with dozens of student bands. 

 The program recently had a change of pace, with new teacher Ryan Jarvis leading the way. He has had a successful career in freelance performing, uploading covers with his guitar and producing for big names like Unfortunately Steven and Kendra Celise. 

“With this being my first year as a teacher, after working in the music industry over the last 10 years, I’m confident in saying that this is the best class I’ve ever had,” Jarvis said. “I want to take advantage of this opportunity to create the program that I wish I had when I was in high school.”

This group of aspiring musicians perform at every football game and rally, bringing a new form of pop-culture entertainment to the crowd. A group of members play bits of songs from popular artists like The Strokes, Fall Out Boy, and Metallica. Along with its game performances, the program hosted its first fall concert on Nov. 10.

“Performing at the concert was a very fun and new experience,” senior bassist Edward Ko said. “What was significant was the amount of planning that went behind the scenes to make sure every song transition between different players was smooth.”

The students of commercial music are split up into bands that cater to the genre interests of individuals. The choices range from pop, jazz, blues, soul, country, folk, and rock styles.

“The commercial music classes are designed for students who want to learn the craft of professional musicians today,” Jarvis said. “An emphasis is placed on vocal and instrumental performances, live sound, songwriting, and basic recording techniques.” 

The musicians are planning more events to host in the springtime, most notably the Brahmapalooza, continuing to practice every day for success.

“Practicing with my group is something that I look forward to when I go to school,” Ko said. “I love playing my instruments, and it is something that I’ve never really experienced in my years of playing prior to the class.”