More than a few bands have formed as a result of their members' chance meetings at music school. The story has been told a thousand times about the disgruntled and alienated youth who received a Stratocaster for his ninth birthday, then sat in his room for the next 10 years doing nothing but mastering scales and chords. This soon-to-be lead singer was, of course, no good at athletics, wildly unpopular with his classmates, and prone to delinquency.

Cut to freshman year at school, where our nameless and faceless lead singer meets a crop of similarly passionate musicians. The four or five former pariahs start to jam, and even though they're not very good, the foundation is laid for a winning ensemble. With a little bit of guidance and instruction, the band starts to improve and before long records its first album with the help of a friend of a buddy of a guy who has a big brother at an independent label.

Today's Bands

The example above is entirely hypothetical but could describe any number of bands working today. Of course, many bands form well before any type of secondary education, and many musicians never even bother with music colleges in the first place. There's certainly no guarantee that those students who embark on a formal course of study will have a greater shot at success, but one thing is clear: the contacts made through music schools can be an invaluable resource.

Today's bands reach the limelight in any number of ways. Some are only composed of middling musicians at best but have a marketable "look" that labels can sell to an adoring public. Image has almost completely supplanted musical merit on today's pop charts, which is both a tragedy and a triumph. While this trend has driven many better bands from the airwaves, it's also proved to be an innovative force. More and more talented artists are finding creative ways to generate buzz and get their albums heard by fans who know better than to tune into their local commercial rock station.