For busy students, finding a place for playing in a college band is a problem, especially if they’re under the legal drinking age. Underage students should find alternative stages for jam sessions.

Few DeKalb businesses offer open mic nights; even the stages that do aren’t always accessible for musicians 21 and younger. There are a few ways to get around this problem.

An opportune time for local jam sessions is during the weekends. On a quiet weekend, if an empty college town doesn’t offer activities, create one. You might be surprised how your alternative stage could snowball into a weekly event when you keep an open time other artists can look forward to.

A starting place for practicing is the lounge in your residence hall. If you encourage the entire floor to join, people might not complain about the noise. If not, ask around and see if an older friend has an apartment or basement.

Even if you don’t get a large crowd, music is a way of creating something. You can talk with the others in the group about how to incorporate different interests and topics into a single event. If you start an open mic night in a residence hall, reach out to the residence hall government and see if you can host your event in other halls.

If you can’t find anyone in the residence halls, venture out of the university and network with the DeKalb musical community. Meet people at coffee shops and get acquainted with people around DeKalb.

Broaden your perspective by attending a student poetry group, watching a play or listening to a local musician in a restaurant. The potential for creating music when you’re young is there, but it’s a question of whether you want to make it happen by taking the initiative to getting involved.