Band+Kids

Alex Dutton Screen Writer cdutton@temple.edu “Band Kids”


 * The Concept**

Watch our America! There is a brand new group of teenagers that are calling themselves “The Band Kids” that are set and ready to take over a TV screen near you. The Band Kids are a group of instrumentalists that go to Wanamaker High School located in Boliva, Pennsylvania. At first glance, Wanamaker High seems like a pretty normal high school. Just like anywhere else, there are clicks of different kids that tend to stick together. There are kids that are more popular then others. There are kids that get picked on or bullied and kids that feel they run the show. What is unusual about Wanamaker High is the people that fill these roles. The Band Kids are now the students who are most popular. The derogatory term “band geek” not only does not exist, but is something that could get you banned from the cafeteria for saying. All of the football players and other athletes look up to the band kids and do what they can to respect their role as second tier citizens in relation to the band kids. There are a few band members that stick out from the rest and are known as leaders. These band members are obviously the most popular kids in the school. They get all of the attention from the rest of the girls and guys. These kids get free food from the cafeteria and the starting wide receiver of the football team can be seen polishing their instruments on a daily basis. The names of these members who stick out from the rest are.


 * The Characters**

**Sam** Sam is the only girl main character of this show and she definitely is in control. The jocks have accurately nicknamed her the “Silent Assassin.” She can typically be seen wearing blue jeans and her favorite black leather jacket to school everyday. She is very quiet but has a way of looking at you that makes you feel that she knows what she is doing and you should probably listen to her. She, along with all of the other band kids, is a straight A student who is the clarinet Section Leader of Wanamaker’s High School band. Sam is without a doubt the princess of the school. She has every guy around school wanting to date her. There are two types of guys at Wannamaker High; the guy who has asked her out and failed, and the guy who failed to ask her out. On a daily basis she receivers 15-20 notes shoved into her locker with guys phone numbers and requests for dates. The dedication that she has to make her clarinet section better and to become a better musician is one of the main things that makes all of the football players drool at the very thought of her. What is most endearing about her is the fact that she does not like, or even want the attention. Her main priority is to be as successful of a musician as possible.

**Mike** Mike of course is the rockstar drummer. No one has yet to see what color his eyes actually are because he is so cool, the principle has allowed him to keep his sunglasses on at all times to protect and promote his image. Mike loves sports and is friends with most of his high school’s athletes but there is an obvious difference in class system. Most of the football and basketball players wear glasses and are, ironically, pretty clumsy. They very rarely know the right thing to say to girls and can be seen watching and taking notes of Mike’s behavior and the way he carries himself. Mike has been playing drums his whole life and is very close to getting a record deal. When you have the talent that he has to talk to people and play an instrument, girls find it physically impossible to resist him. He does date occasionally, when his mom lets him, but for the most part his main priority, along with Sam and JD’s is his music. He takes his classes and craft very seriously and would never jeopardize any of that for a night of “fun.”

**JD** JD has a very unique situation. He used to be an athlete and was on the football team his freshmen year. He always played the piano because his parents made him but he never took it seriously. He would have to play at Christmas and different family occasions but that was it. His parents always said that he had a gift for music. They believed whole-heartedly that, that was his calling and that he would never make it to the NFL. His sophomore year, he hurt his knee in the second game and was not cleared by the school nurse to play for the rest of the season. He became very bored and decided to try out for the jazz band just for kicks and giggles. On the tryout, the band director was blown away. JD, quickly became the hot new talent at Wanamaker High. He is still adjusting to the new quality of life that he has but was always naturally outgoing, funny, and attractive to most. Once he was able to settle down into a comfort zone JD became the life of the party. Everybody wants to hang out with him, when he is not practicing, because he has a way of making people around him feel better about themselves.


 * The Plot**

This show is targeted to the 11-13 year old age group. We feel this is the perfect age as young teens are looking forward to the mysterious and adventurous years of high school. This live action TV series would fit quite well on the Nickelodeon and be shown on 4pm as kids are just coming home from middle school. The plot of the show is to just how these 3 main characters deal with the everyday problems and drama of high school. On each episode there will be a different situation, like a party with no supervision, and JD, Mike, and Sam will teach the kids what to do in these different situations. There will be episodes about relationship drama, parents, having trouble in class, and everything else that happens on a daily basis in high school and these characters will lead by example. When kids see how these three main characters interact and carry themselves, they will see the true meaning of “cool.”