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Do you ever wonder what is happening inside of your neighbor's closed garage? Have you heard strange noises while walking by in the late afternoon? Do you often see teenagers emptying out of cars in the front yard? If so, you may be closer than you realized about discovering what is a secret to most people: the wonderful but often hidden world of garage bands.

Garage bands are a source of fun, creativity, and building friendships for young people. Those with unpolished musical desire gather to see what combining their talents and potential might do. They come with long lists of deep dreams, hopes and plans for what the future will hold. And without any clue of how to make their dreams come true, they resort to doing the only thing they know to do: spend hour after hour playing in garage bands.

What actually goes on inside a garage band practice is a mystery to all those outside the garage. I have yet to witness a single garage band practicing with the door open. Many parents, in what seems like an unrealistic desire to be able to use their garage, make their teens and bandmates set up and tear down for each practice session.

The parents of the most serious garage bands, however, have given up use of their garage for the sole purpose of seeeing their teens have a safe place to spend time and make all their music dreams come true. And take over the garage the teens do. No longer are there tools and equipment for outdoor activities hanging from the walls of the garage. Now the walls are full of famous bands' posters, giving the garage bands something visual to shoot for and a reminder of the reason that the countless hours of practice will someday pay off.

A normal day in the life of a garage band member is simple. There is one goal each day: to get through all of the other necessary but meaningless things in life like school, homework, chores, and time with family as quickly as possible in order to get to practice. Garage bands eat, sleep, and breathe to practice. Members work part-time jobs on top of school in order to fund their passion. You will not see many garage band teens dressed in nice clothes. No, there isn't any money for nice clothes. Money goes to buy better instruments, better equipment to make their instruments sound better, and more posters of band they esteem in order to keep the vision alive.

Garage bands require one main thing of each of their members: commitment. Even before having skill (although that is always nice), garage bands require their people to show up faithfully day after day and put hours in. Members must be commited to the good of the band over their own. They must do whatever it takes to increase their chances of moving from the garage band scene into the big time. Their goal is to play in front of people, whether that means playing for ten people or ten thousand people. Because what it all comes down to is this: garage bands just love to play.