Nice treat for kids or creeping corporate marketing bullshit?

[SolidGoldBrass]

This lot played a short gig at DS school today and all the kids have come home with postcards and branded tat. I am not sure commerce of this sort should really be in primary schools.

The music's bog standard charty bullshit, though less awful than High School Musical - am I maybe just narked because I would rather, if this sort of thing must happen, that it was a decent band?

from what i can make out these are quite and up and coming band.

bt yes, very manipulative of young children

Are they trying to create a teeny bopper following.....why would any school want a pop band during school time?

I would have thought their target audience would have been 12 year olds, though, not my DS who is in Reception.

Maybe the school is showing how the children may end up if they don't work hard enough at school

I remember having a couple of boybands and also Peter Andre before he was famous perform at my secondary school that were trying to break into the charts!

This has been happening for years, not quite sure what the school/pupils/bands got out of it - I'm sure some of my classmates must have bought the albums/singles though which must have been the record company's aim.

SGB - it's not like you to be a grumpy old git

It's a bit of fun for the kids, a bit of exposure/experience for the young band... chuck the tat out while the kids are in bed if it bothers you that much ....

I'd ask the Head to explain what learning outcomes it contributed to.

Oh for the love of god - learning to have fun maybe????

Cor, aint they purty. Especially the pouty one in the middle

I share your cynicism about it really SGB. It's not like they don't get "sold" to enough outside of school.

It is a bit of commercialism, but maybe the school sees it as recruiting pupils into being interested in singing and playing instruments (I too could be in a boyband kind of thing)? Plus it is nearly the end of term.

Sorry ChippingIn, I was actually joking - but having had a career in music marketing, can promise you the band didn't come to the school to help the children have fun. The children need to understand that they are simply being marketed to, but can have fun with it. The PSHE link is a great idea.

lol at Boy band playing instruments

Oh I don't think it's done him much harm, it's just that I hope the record company paid the school some money or something. As Jamie AHMT says, kids are always having stuff sold to them.