Battle of the bands and more: This Johnson County city puts on free Music House event

If you’re ready for a traditional battle of the bands to spice up your summer, check out the Music House outdoor festival July 16. The Prairie Village event will feature a selection of teenage and adult bands.

The festival will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of one of the Music House’s schools, located at 7614 State Line Road. The school also has locations in Lenexa and Overland Park.

All performers are students from the higher levels of the band workshop program, and all have auditioned.

“Once they’ve kind of reached certain skills sets with instruments, they are recommended by teachers to join some of our bands,” said Rachel Loewen, director of outreach for Music House.

The majority of Music House’s bands focus on rock music, although the school has had jazz bands, too. The music the bands play can be original or covers of established songs.

In the actual battle there will be nine bands, plus three other groups that will perform but not compete. Usually the bands have five or six members. Typically, they feature a few guitarists, a singer, a drummer and maybe a pianist.

Audience members will get to vote at a people’s choice award to determine the top band of the battle. As a bonus, bands getting the most votes can win prizes such as a performance slot at a music venue or time in a recording studio. Previous winners have gotten to perform at The Bottleneck in Lawrence and at Rock & Brews in Overland Park.

Each band has a 20-minute time slot that includes set-up and sound check. Loewen expects them to perform four or five songs each.

To make things even more fun for the crowd, the event will feature a free raffle with a variety of prizes donated by local businesses, as well as Music House giveaways like T-shirts and free lessons. There will be small games, such as cornhole and ladder golf, for those who want to do more than listen to music.

Attendees can also get a break from the heat by going inside and taking an air-conditioned tour of the Music House facility.

“This is a totally free event for people who want to enjoy some live music and support students as they experience what it’s like to be part of a big festival,” she said.

The last time Music House held a festival in Prairie Village was in 2019.

“We just thought it was time to bring another event to this part of community. Since Music House has three locations in the Johnson County area, we try to spotlight each location periodically,” Loewen said.

She hopes to have a food vendor on-site, but that’s still in the works.

The festival isn’t the only performance opportunity students have.

“We think music is a very social art form. If you think of it in terms of a language, you need to be immersed in a community so you can really speak the language with others,” Loewen said. “We host monthly jam sessions and open mic nights.”

For more information on Music House, call 913-562-4112 or visit www.musichouseschool.com

This story was originally published July 8, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Battle of the bands and more: This Johnson County city puts on free Music House event."