Club helps create musical matches for potential bandmates

It’s almost like a dating website for musicians – one that facilitates the creation of a band and provides venues for performances.

This is exactly what Daiting Song, a first-year economics student, had in mind when she created Musicians Match. Although it is not actually a dating website, the new club is similar to one because it matches together people with similar music styles who want to form a band and begin making music. Currently Song and the club’s members group musicians manually, but Musicians Match is developing a website that will be accessible to the public.

Song said she learned the importance of connecting people through music as a young girl, and understands it to be a valuable tool for building relationships.

When she was in a school choir in China, Song went to different countries around the world to perform. The choir primarily sang in Chinese and English, but made an effort to learn at least one song in the local language. In Russia one year, the choir really connected with the audience through a native Russian song, and the audience was surprised that the language was so comprehensible, Song said.

“It was like a bridge was built between us and the Russians,” Song said. “Music is a really strong bridge that can connect people, especially when people can find something in common or share the passion in each other’s music.”

Throughout her childhood, Song was a vocalist in a jazz and blues band called Little Witch, and loved improvising and creating songs. Determined to start a band at UCLA, Song said she came up with the idea for Musicians Match at the beginning of the year when she realized how difficult it was to find people with a similar musical style on such a large campus.

“Technology is so important these days, but the best way to start connecting the coming website to real life is to have a club here at UCLA first – for bands to get together, and to provide them with venues (where they can) perform,” Song said.

Song said in order to be grouped by Musicians Match, students must provide basic personal information, the instrument they play, their skill level and what they are looking for in bandmates. Then, the club matches the musicians according to the information provided, and introduces the musicians to each other so that they can begin practicing.

Matching people who love the same music is the key. Shlomo Feigelstock, a UCLA alumnus and professional musician, said he has found band members through Craigslist in the past and believes Musicians Match’s website will be an efficient and phenomenal tool for young musicians to find people they can really connect with.

“It really will be a band dating site, since this is the dating phase when musicians will find which band they will work best with,” Feigelstock said. “Once you are in a band, it’s like you are married – it’s the dating that’s the most difficult, but fun part.”

Although it has only been an official club beginning winter quarter, Musicians Match has already helped create two bands and given them a place to perform. The newly matched rock-alternative band Three Kids No Money performed in Bruin Plaza as a part of Musicians Match’s kickoff event “Kickstarter” earlier this month.

Song said the members of Three Kids No Money were matched in late April because of their interest in rock. Three Kids No Money had only practiced for a week and a half before performing their original song “Two Chords Song” at the event.

Feigelstock also participated in the kickoff – he played guitar in an unofficial group also put together by Musicians Match. “I really like what this club is going to offer: for people to have the opportunity to make music with others, especially at UCLA, (where) there are so many talented young musicians,” Feigelstock said.

Kenneth Rudnick, a first-year economics student, played keyboard alongside Feigelstock in the kickoff event. He said he found the club on OrgSync, a website about college clubs, and initially signed up for Musicians Match because he wanted to find people who held a similar interest in music.

“I don’t know if it’s been done before, but it’s cool to have another source to meet people,” Rudnick said. “Music is a way to express yourself, and a way to let out what is inside that can’t be expressed with words.”

Song said she wants Musicians Match to allow people to do just that. She said she has high hopes for Musicians Match, including spreading the word about the club and finishing the website to allow more people to benefit from Musicians Match.

“The benefit of this club is that the people who do the pairing are musicians themselves,” Rudnick said. “Music can’t be defined by science or math – it’s not always logical – and I don’t think there is actually a way to match up people perfectly, but (Musicians Match has) a better viewpoint and can really help pair musicians with similar interests.”