Free time is hard to come by for most high school students; but for sophomore Jaden Jostrand, being a member of three different bands assures that she is busy nearly all day every day.

  “We have a lot of gigs,” Jostrand said. “Like sometimes two every Saturday. It becomes a lot.”

  Being in three bands is not a chore for Jostrand because she loves what she does.

  “[Being in a band] became a really big part of my life,” Jostrand said. “I have become a lot more confident in everything and I have more friends in more places, because [my band members] all go to other schools.”

Jostrand’s friends are very supportive in what she does and are happy to see her make new friends.

“The bands make her really happy,” Blair Lang said. “And so do the people in her band. They’re all best friends and it’s so adorable.”

Her bandmates are close with her and are grateful for all that she does for the bands.

“Jaden is awesome,” bandmate Daniel Louise said. “She is our drummer so she helps keep a basic structure for all of our songs. She keeps everyone on task at practices.”

  Jostrand does different things for each of her three bands.

  “In one band, I am lead singer along with my friend,” Jostrand said. “Then in another band I am a drummer, and in another band I just play bass or guitar, drums or whatever.”

  Though she has a natural inclination for music, Jostrand was assisted by a special program.

  “[Two of my bands] are through a place called School of Rock in McKinney,” Jostrand said. “I mostly taught myself [how to play these instruments] but I was inspired by School of Rock to learn.”

  School of Rock opened two years ago in McKinney, where it has attracted many aspiring musicians.

  “I saw an add in the newspaper,” Jostrand said. “And I was like “Hey, I like music”, so I joined and it became a really big part of my life. I started out playing the drums, and I didn’t even like to sing. But then everything was cool so I just learned everything.”

  Playing in front of a crowd is another big part of her band life.

  “[Performing in front of people is scary] sometimes,” Jostrand said. “But I’m pretty used to it now. We’re playing at this festival soon in front of 40,000 people so that might be a little nerve-wracking.”

  Jostrand doesn’t even have to find her own gigs.

  “It’s through an organization, like we pay them to teach us and book us gigs and stuff,” Jostrand said. “So we don’t get paid, but one of my bands, we’re not through School of Rock, so if we find a gig soon, then maybe we’ll get paid.”

Jaden’s friends have seen changes in her since she began playing in bands and learning music.

“I think they’ve impacted her life super positively,” Lang said.

Though her bands keep her incredibly busy, Jostrand has learned a lot and has grown as a person through her music.

  “It’s impacted my life a lot,” Jostrand said. “In a good way.”