Our school has many opportunities for students interested in music, from band to orchestra to musical theater, Steinbrenner is in touch with its tunes. Five girls from Steinbrenner have taken their musical education to the next level. Senior Lea Stetler, juniors Jillian Blades, Ciara Cabrera, Swathi Shenoy, and graduate of Steinbrenner, Lia Guevara, make up the Phoenix Jones band.
The beginning of the band started through a music school called Bach to Rock. Each band member took individual lessons at the school and the girls were placed together based on their similar music tastes and skill levels. After a few practice rounds to see how the different sounds blended, Phoenix Jones was born. “Now since we have been a band for longer the energy is more positive and we work together well” said Lea Stetler, the bass guitarist. Even though each girl had some previous experience working with their instrument, they had to put in work to improve their skills. “It’s a very supportive energy that we have, we are all here to learn together ” said drummer, Ciara Cabrera.
The band members spend a lot of time together, especially before an event by practicing every Monday. They prepare for events mostly by rehearsing at the music school B2R or at one of the bandmate’s houses and meeting multiple times outside of school to make some changes if need be. The girls have grown close over time and often get food together after practice.
On Jan. 28th, the girls won their first local battle of the bands, where they took first place out of 12 other bands. “It was amazing we were jumping and screaming with joy,” said Jillian Blades, the keyboarder for the band. This was a seminal moment for the group since they began preparing for this competition in Aug. of 2023. Phoenix Jones participates in 2 of these events each year along with another event called Soundcheck that takes place at the Orpheum, a concert hall located in the entertainment district in Ybor city.
As for the future of the band, they have a lot of new projects to look forward to. One goal is to play some gigs of their own and work on making more original songs. “The next step for our band is to play harder music flawlessly and hopefully inning the national battle of the bands!” said Swathi Shenoy, the lead guitarist. In addition to their music goals the band also plans to post more on their social media to encourage viewer engagement through apps such as Instagram and TikTok by posting videos and pictures of the band in action. They have started a great foundation as a band and now they are on their way to building a great fanbase.
Instagram and TikTok: @phoenixjonesband
Youtube: @Sudhir Shenoy
