Saw this poster taped to a lamppost in my neighborhood last weekend. There is so much to admire about it. My first thought concerned the talent/practice angle as espoused by Anders Ericsson.
I played in a bunch of bands when I was a kid. Although we were generally dreadful, playing clumpy versions of bad cover songs at poorly attended basement gigs, it was hard to deny that all that very deliberate practice paid off. By the time you’re 16 or 17 and start writing your own songs, you have some idea of what works and what doesn’t and, perhaps most important, how to not drive each other crazy, since being in a band is essentially like being married to four or five people at the same time.
So it wouldn’t shock me if the kids who put up this sign accumulate some worthwhile human capital — whether or not related to actually playing music — by the time they’re young adults.
First of all, I love how organized they are. Looks like they went to the trouble to secure use of their building’s common room for an hour on two consecutive days (no easy feat in New York). I love the alternate coloring of the lettering. I love their upbeat attitude (“Hope to see you there”), and the fact that they’re taking themselves seriously enough to hold auditions. I especially love that their band is called Punx (and is trademarked), and the sign has a skull-and-crossbones on it, and yet they’re also looking for a pianist to round out their hardcore sound. Finally, I love that they’re recruiting within such a broad age rage, 9 to 14. When I was a kid, 14-year-olds and 9-year-olds didn’t hang out; as a parent, however, I’m all for such age diversity.
Yeah, I’m not crazy about the i’s dotted with hearts, or the ungrammatical “your own,” and I doubt they really meant for kids to lug their own pianos to the audition. But it wouldn’t shock me to one day see the Punx (or, more likely, some eighth or fifteenth iteration thereof) actually making some good music.
and 
. You can also watch it on 
My bet is that the “we” is two sisters, a vocalist/guitarist and her younger bass-playing sister. Their ages? I would say 9 and 12, possibly 9 and 13.
I think that Malcolm Gladwell’s thoughts on how access to opportunity early in life are more appropriate here. While it’s nice to think that this is a totally self-directed project by a few musical kids, I think it’s a bit disingenuous. this is, after all, the upper west side, and chances are the resale value of the apartment those kids live in is a bit higher than the median home value in the united states. the kids starting the band are lucky to have been born into a household that clearly cares about concerted cultivation, as are the kids who see that sign and respond, bringing along their own instruments, which probably aren’t rentals.
is it a nice idea? sure, and it seems like a great way to meet new kids in your neighborhood. kudos to the kids if they thought of it on their own. however, in terms of economic concepts, i think it’s a much more telling illustration of the inequality of opportunity in america than of the value of practice.
Can anyone else not see the poster image?
I’m thinking that by “punk” they mean Avril Lavigne punk. As in, not punk in any way, shape, or form.
I think you’re reading WAY too much into this. Maybe they didnt “secure” use of the LOBBY – its a public space. Surprise, creativity in youth – they must be geniuses.
If they could make a piano work in a hardcore punk band I think this could be quite innovative. I do, of course, realize that the 9-14 age group has almost no concept of what punk really is. After all, these kids were born after the punk revial of the 1990s.
Cool! but the colors isn’t really rock band colors! haha
I can’t get past the “you’re”. Maybe their parents should discourage any extracurricular activities until the kids can pass English.