A lot of people know New Trier as a school where students excel in any and all areas, and the music field is no exception.
Regardless of background or style, music is something everyone can embrace and enjoy, and New Trier is no exception.
Throughout the school, kids are seen carrying their trumpets, guitars, and drum sticks. It’s no secret that the music department here at New Trier is successful, but there are a handful of kids who crave more than just a period or two every day of playing their instrument.
Sure, you could play at your home after school, much like sports teams practice daily, or connect the X-Box and shred it on Guitar Hero. But to some, that’s just not satisfying. So, what do you do? You join a band.
A lot of people do so for those very reasons. But as is the case in most if not all trends, there are exceptions. Triplets Dennis, Todd and Jonathan Anastos can consider themselves in that group — the three started their own band called Triple A.
“It all started when we entered a talent show,” said Dennis. “We all played different instruments and figured we could put it all together and perform as a group. The original goal was just to put on a show and to have fun doing it. Although we’ve changed a bit through the years, I’d say our goal is still the same.”
These guys aren’t rookies either, they have been doing this for half a decade. “We started playing together in 7th grade, so 5 years,” continued Dennis. “However, we’ve been brothers a little longer than that. We started playing with Nate, our drummer, a year after that. So that’s when I’d say we officially became a band.”
Although it seems like all fun and games, music truly is a business, and being a part of that business in high school is serious work.
The time commitment is more than you might expect. “Although it changes depending on how often we perform, ultimately we try to practice at least once a week,” he explained.
Once or twice a week isn’t so bad, right? Wrong. Very wrong. Unlike a lot of students, when free time finds its way their schedules, they spend it working on the product.
“When we’re not together practicing, we’re thinking of new songs to play and writing originals on our own time. It can be a big time commitment when we’re performing a lot, but it’s time well spent.”
Looking past the music and work portion of the job, it’s ultimately about having a good time. The beauty of music is that artists don’t need to follow strict guidelines to be successful, and that’s one of the reasons Triple A enjoys what they do.
“Being in a band is a unique experience. We’re able to make our own schedule and play the songs we want to. It’s a lot different than other activities because we’re able to do it our own way.”