Once or twice a month, the sound of guitars, piano and drums fills the Liang household. Inside, amid laughter and chatter, The Baby Shower rehearses.

Juniors Orson Liang, William Hunter, Ethan Chen and Avyaya Jha formed The Baby Shower band last winter. What began as a casual hobby has evolved into a serious passion for the group. The band members thrive on friendship and a low-pressure approach to rehearsing as they work toward their ultimate goal: performing at their graduation.

Hunter was inspired by a student band he heard performing at his sister’s high school graduation in 2024. In December of that same year, he united the group and formed The Baby Shower.

“All four of us were pretty close beforehand. We all had passion and love for music,” Hunter said.

Chen said that the initial plan was to start playing Christmas music in the streets, but this casual idea snowballed into a more organized commitment.

Hunter is the band’s lead vocalist, and Liang, Chen and Jha play the guitar, piano and drums, respectively. The band rehearses at Liang’s house once or twice a month to practice whatever song they are currently working on.

“We just run through the songs, and if something sounds off, we play that part over again until it sounds right,” Liang said.

As the singer, Hunter generally leads the rehearsals and keeps everyone on track.

“He’s a lot more dedicated to the band than any other member. Most of the time, we listen to him, and he directs us,” Chen said.

As a leader, Hunter does research on the songs they play and finds sheet music for his bandmates, while also maintaining a fun and low-stakes environment, Ethan said.

“We’re off track a lot of the time, but I think that’s a good thing because if we took it too seriously, that could get in the way of our friendships,” Hunter said. “I think not caring as much is actually helping us do better because there’s less stress over it.”

Because of the nature of the band, the boys can prioritize school and maintain a balance between their social life, the band and their academics.

Currently, The Baby Shower only plays covers, but they do like to incorporate original, indie ideas into the songs they play.

“We use the original as a reference and then try to add our own creative spin to it,” Chen said.

Each member of the band had their own individual music experience before they began playing together. Liang initially played the saxophone but picked up the guitar in 8th grade so he could play a wider variety of music.

Hunter has been singing since he was little and has been part of Camerata Choir since freshman year. He said that being in a band helped further his love for singing in different ways.

“There are opportunities within the band where I can choose songs that I would like to sing, rather than a choir where I have to sing whatever the teacher suggests. This lets me work freely with my friends, and it’s a really fun experience,” Hunter said.

Beyond covers, the band is considering writing its own original songs in the future. They plan to start with an arrangement by Chen, who has had experience through his previous AP Music Theory class, and shape the rest from there.

“Ethan is a music theory whiz, so we might start composing our own stuff,” Liang said.“We’ll see how that turns out.”

The band’s post-graduation plans are still undecided, but they said they will always remember their time playing together, even if they separate.

“I think that this band has turned into a very important part of my life. And I’m sure that it’s the same for the rest of my bandmates,” Hunter said. “I think that our connection through our music is going to keep us together.”