For many students, high school is the time to seek out their passions, and for the musically-inclined, this means performing in student bands.

While Bryan High sponsors several musically-oriented organizations, many students continue their education by recording, performing, and writing music on their own with their peers.

Freshman James Mosqueda isn’t a part of a mainstream student band; instead, he and his family perform as a Mariachi band.

Even before James was born, his family’s band was performing with full force, yet the band has quickly expanded since the late 80s.

“It started back before I was born. In ‘89 they were just a quartet; it was my dad and my uncles on the guitar and my grandpa was singing,” Mosqueda said.

Today, the band consists of Mosqueda’s extended family, with a total of ten people performing.

“My dad and two of my uncles play the guitar, two of my cousins play trumpet with me, one of my cousins plays the bass, another cousin of mine plays the accordion and my grandpa and aunt sing,” Mosqueda said.

As for James, a member of the Viking Band, pursuing a career in music would seem almost natural. Mosqueda said that he is interested in majoring in music in college.

Mosqueda said that his greatest musical influence is his father.

Other students choose the more traditional route for playing music.

After deciding one day to start a band, senior Chad Doriocourt and his friends are now recording their first record.

“We’ve played gigs in downtown Bryan a lot at the Stafford and right now we’re recording our CD,” Doriocourt said.

Like Doriocourt, several students also perform at local venues with their own respective bands.

“We played once at the Stafford, once at Schotzi’s and twice at Fitzwilly’s,” junior Gabe Harrison said.

Many of the students associated with high school bands have been in several other bands before, but stick to playing the same genres of music. For Harrison, and his new band Reign of Tears, this means playing “rock, alternative rock, blues, jazz, rock blues, jazzy blues, jazzy rock and very little metal.”

Junior Dylan Hart, who plays in a band with his adopted brother and several other friends, performs “progressive rock, hard rock, a little bit of sting, a little bit of scream, a little a bit of everything.”

For Hart, and several of these student bands, the pathway to becoming performing musicians means doing things themselves.

“My apartment is basically converted into a studio. We have microphones everywhere and sound proofing and stuff like that,” Hart said. “[It’s] just how we roll. We’ve got it all on our own and it’s always been that way.”

For each of these students, being in a band represents preparation for their futures, as each looks to pursue a career in music.

“We basically love playing music so much; that’s all we do,” Harrison said.

For students interested in hearing local bands, locations such as the Stafford, Schotzi’s and Fitzwilly’s often showcase these student performers.