Overview: At one point or another your participants have stood in front of the bathroom mirror, hair brush in hand and belted out their favorite tune! The Battle of the Bands activity enables your team to step out into the spotlight and unleash their inner Rockstar. Split the group into teams of 4 to 6 people. Each team must create a band name and choose a workplace appropriate song to perform in front of a live audience. The band should delegate their own singers, air guitarists, drummers, etc. Give them plenty of time to perfect their performances and finish the activity by having each of the bands perform in front of one another. Once the performances are complete have the audience elect a winner!
Equipment Required: Microphone (s). Smartphone. Speakers.
Recommended Equipment: Poster board, Markers, Musical Props such as toy microphones, tambourines, toy drums and guitars. Costumes such as wigs, hats, boas, and sunglasses.
Space Required: Small. Indoors or Outdoors.
Group Size: 4 to 6 people per team. 20-60 people total.
Total Time: Minimum of 1 Hour.
- 5 minutes to brief the activity
- 30 minutes for the teams to create their performance
- 5 minutes per team performance
Instructions
- Divide the group into groups of 4-6 people.
- Instruct the groups to create their own unique band name, to choose a workplace appropriate song to perform, and to elect their singers, guitarists, drummers, etc.
- Give the group a minimum of 30 minutes to perfect their band dynamics and performance.
- Give each band 5 minutes to perform their song in front of the rest of the bands.
- Have the groups (or another department in the audience) vote on their favorite band.
- Announce the winner to the group!
Learning Outcomes
- Creative Thinking
- Communication
- Time Management
- Cooperation
- Leadership
Useful Tips: This activity can be extended over the course of a day long or multi-day meeting. For a multi-day activity, you can introduce the challenge at the beginning of the meeting and host the Battle of the Bands Performances as a closing activity and awards session.
Suggested Review Questions
- What aspect of this activity did your team enjoy the most?
- How did your band delegate throughout this challenge?
- Was it difficult for your team to agree on a Band Name or Song? If so, how did you decide?
- Was there a leader during this exercise?
- Overall how well do you feel you worked as a team? What did you do well? What could you improve?
