August is an interesting month for me as a music mommy. My two daughters, ages five and seven, play in a band and do their once-a-year show at the end of August. This signifies the end of summer, and then it's back to school and the after-school lessons start up again.

It's so great to see them having fun playing in a band. I imagine, when they're older, they'll always play in bands. When I was debating and deciding what this column should say, I kept thinking about my daughters. Then I began thinking about why I started playing in bands and that maybe sharing my experiences and thoughts in this column might, in some way, help you. So here it goes - this is what I know and what I've learned.

One of the very first reasons I remember for wanting to play bass was because I saw Leather Tuscadero (Suzi Quatro) play bass in a band on a TV show called Happy Days. The only reason I knew it was a bass guitar was because it had four strings. WOW. I'd never seen anything like that before, and she looked like the coolest thing I'd ever seen on TV. Then, later, I saw the Go-Go's on Saturday Night Live and it was like, "What? All girls in the band playing their own instruments?" It was totally unheard of at that time.

Girls on TV playing guitars!

Today, you can see girls playing guitars and basses everywhere on television. The media exposure out there has only begun to change in the last five years since I started my company, Daisy Rock Guitars. In the early 1980s through the 1990s, you could see girl bands or just girl musicians playing instruments on MTV. But now, there are entire television series based on a girl playing guitar and writing lyrics about herself, or about her career, or about being pushed into a rock start, etc. Tune into the Disney Channel, and almost every hour you'll catch the next Disney artist playing a Daisy Rock in her latest video. It blows my mind, it is so amazing.

So now, as a girl who wants to play guitar or bass, you are surrounded. You can see girls playing between cartoons, on Friday-night lineups, or at the movies, and all this exposure must propel you to ask yourself, "Why do I play guitar, and what do I want to do?" Let me guess - because playing guitar can be so much fun and so creative, and you want to be a rock star? Well, if your dad isn't the president of Walt Disney Records, I suggest you buy a book - maybe Alfred's Girl's Guitar Method - and listen to some of your favorite music over and over and over, and join a garage band! They RULE! The unity feeling, the team feeling, the club feeling - these are all captured in a garage with like-sized souls. (The muse can be funny at times, though). And getting into a room with your "peeps," creating what some can describe as a "glimpse into your soul," is totally exhilarating and therapeutic. Where else can you go off about a bad relationship, a hateful friendship, how you felt at your sister's graduation, or, better yet, falling in love or being admired because you're smart? All of these thoughts, these feelings, can be expressed merely by playing a guitar. And with other people, you can play, you can express, you can create. Such a wondrous experience can be fulfilling when you're filled with teenage angst.

So here are some tips to get you going. First, let's start with basics. You should have reasonable gear - a guitar or bass that stays in tune - and you should already know how to tune it and plug it into an amp that you understand how to use.

Second, practice enough to keep up - know your basics. If you can find a teacher, great! If not, there are tons of great instruction books and videos at music stores for every style and skill level. Or, learn the music that inspires you. I locked myself in a room with all the Cure, Psychedelic Furs, and Go Go's tapes I could buy, and I played those songs over and over hundreds of times until I could tell what the first bass note was and eventually figured out how to play the rest. But you can save a ton of time and pick up the sheet music or a TAB arrangement from your local music store!

Third, have an open mind. The most horrible feeling can happen if, in a garage band atmosphere, someone says "That sucks!" Now, if it's you talking about yourself, that's one thing, but if you're trying to be creative and write a part, and someone says it sucks before it's even been flushed out, well, your muse just might get her wings in a tizzy and there goes any productivity out the window. All ideas are valid.

Fourth, find a band! I know what you're saying: "How do I find a band?" Well, what music do you like? Find the band "sound" you most identify with. If you think Green Day rules (like I do), then put that influence down. Also, you will need to network. Put it out in the universe that you're looking to play. Tell your friends. Check the Internet for "musicians wanted" ads, or go place your own. And remember: As a girl, always, always be safe when going to meet a new band or to hang out at the house of someone you don't know. Take a girlfriend who can pretend she's you're biggest fan! Seriously, be cautious.

Fifth, have fun! Playing music is a great way to spend your time and release your creativity. Enjoy it!

Stay tuned!