None of the members of IESE MBA 2022 band “Simplicity” had expected that by the end of their MBA, they would be playing on stage for dozens of their MBA colleagues and friends. Here, they reflect on their experience creating a community of shared interests while pursuing their MBA studies.
An Eclectic Bunch
The first time most of us met was at the start of our second year. Giancarlo organised a meetup by the turtle pond and as we introduced ourselves, it became quickly apparent how diverse the assembled group was in terms of musical backgrounds and tastes. Some with formal training and others self-taught casual hobbyists. Some into pop and others into heavier rock numbers. We were however united with a common purpose, to first and foremost enjoy playing together.
The Big Event
Achieving what we had in mind took a fair bit of planning and work behind the scenes: securing the venue, marketing, communications, artistic direction and…practice, lots of practice!
Like a typical project, things did not always go to plan. The timeline had to be adjusted a couple of times and there was a bit of trial and error. One of the biggest challenges was ensuring the appropriate time was dedicated by all of us. We were all balancing some combination of career development work, academics, and social/family activities which made it difficult to consistently set time aside to practice and meet up.
In the end, we were able to lock in April 1st as our concert date, selling out a 70 person venue. We played a diverse setlist including well known alternative, rock, blues, and Brazilian pop songs.
Most of us had never played before an audience of that size. It was amazing to see them having a good time and enthusiastically dancing and singing along. What was even better was having our classmates see us and relate to us in a different light.
