Four juniors of different backgrounds came together to form a worship powerhouse. Patrick Reed plays guitar. Joshua Miller plays the bass. Warren Leberfinger plays the drums. Roman Elienberger plays piano. 

 “We don’t have an official name for what our group is, but the best classification would be a Christian cover band,” Lead singer and guitarist said. 

The band rehearses on Thursdays and Sundays. They don’t have specific times they practice, but it’s always those two days. However, they do their best to be flexible with one another’s schedules. 

Although the band has only been rehearsing for two months, the idea originated in August. 

“Before the school year started, I was thinking about doing something that would bring fellowship to the Christian community here at AAHS. Then, Genius Hour began, and I thought it was a great way to start on this project,” Reed said. 

The group doesn’t meet with a Genius Hour mentor, but Reed’s youth pastor helps them on Sundays. 

The band works as a team, but Reed is considered the leader. 

“He [Reed] was the one who put us together and is a great guy.  He is very passionate about his faith and the band,” bass player Miller said. 

“[Reed] is a really strong leader. He is very focused on his goals, but also knows how to let us have fun. I’m  proud of him for starting this band out of Genius Hour,” pianist Elienberger said. 

“I just like to make sure everyone is doing okay and no one is struggling with the music and check to make sure everyone is clear on their parts,” Reed said. 

Aside from their band, some of the members do other things outside and around the school. Miller is in the jazz band and works with technology at his church. Elienberger does a youth group at Central City Church and is part of the orchestra. 

With everything the members do, they have had to learn the best way to manage their time. As juniors, they often have a lot of homework and extracurriculars that take priority over other things they want to do. 

“You have to manage your time and not let things get far behind,” drummer Leberfinger said. 

As much as the members love their band, they have had concerns about different things. 

“I felt a lot of fear in the beginning when I first joined the band. Being Christian isn’t the most popular thing to be anymore, at least not outwardly. The biggest fear is how others will think of you. It can be difficult to get to a point where you don’t care what people say,” Miller said. 

“There is lots of scrutiny about our group. People expect something different than what we are, and might think that we aren’t as good as a non-Christian band,” Elienberger said. 

The band’s first performance was the talent show March 3. They performed the song “I Thank God” by Maverick City Music. 

The group has a deep love of music, but most members don’t plan on having a career in music. Reed plans to be a worship pastor. Leberfinger wants to be an engineer. Elienberger plans to attend Penn State or Embry-Riddle but keep music as a side function. Miller, however, plans to go into musical technology. 

“I don’t plan on doing anything revolutionary. I think it is important to be able to distinguish a concert venue from a sanctuary. Having good production value is important. Most churches don’t have a full time staff of professional sound technicians or broadcasting crew, so having easy to use technology that works well is my primary focus when building out a church’s tech,” Miller said. 

There are many differences in personality throughout the group, but the thing that goes through their head while playing is a common consensus. 

“Don’t screw up, don’t screw up, don’t screw up,” Leberfinger said. 

All members have a strong connection to their faith. Even though they know others don’t always agree with their religious beliefs, they don’t let that stop them from embracing their faith. 

“For Christians who are looking for others like them, there are more people around you than you realize,” Miller said.