By Jonathan Turner, jturner@qconline.com

Photo: Submitted Josh Turner of Bettendorf, who studies with drummer Luke Hull at West Music in Moline, will be among 57 student musicians who will play with their teachers Sunday at West's fifth annual Parking Lot Jam.

Josh Turner is a country-music star, one of the youngest members of the Grand Ole Opry. Alex Turner is lead guitarist and singer for the rock band Arctic Monkeys.

So it's only natural that my own boys – also Josh and Alex – are musicians, like me. Whether they achieve their namesakes' kind of success doesn't matter. What's important is that they enjoy music, and one of the best ways is learning an instrument.

West Music in Moline lives to give area kids an outlet for plugging in that artistic passion. This Sunday's fifth annual Parking Lot Jam lets students show their skills in bands that include their teachers.

Josh, 9, loves to play drums, and he will display his chops in "Bulls on Parade" by Rage Against the Machine. Through the expertise of his wonderfully enthusiastic teacher, drummer Luke Hull, this will be Josh's second Jam in the lot behind the store at 4305 44th Ave.

This free family-friendly outdoor concert will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, hosted by CJ the DJ from www.nobudgettv.com.

Though West has five other stores in eastern Iowa, the Moline location is the only one to hold the Jam, said Heather McGriff, band-department manager and coordinator for the event.

If you're going, be prepared to sit a while. Last year's Jam was about four hours long, attended by 425 people. Sunday's event will feature 57 students in 34 songs, with 13 teachers and six other West Music staffers, Ms. McGriff said.

"Parents can see what their kids are learning," she said this week. "The other part of it is, we have a lot of great guitar, bass and drum instructors. Kids normally can't hear them play in a band. They often play in bars.

"So parents can see their kids doing something good, see how their teachers are interacting, supporting their kids, and how good players these teachers are."

The close camaraderie among the teachers, and between the teachers and kids – which I've often seen first-hand – comes shining through at the Parking Lot Jam, Ms. McGriff added.

Mr. Hull treats Josh like a rock star, and he eats it up. He even became a celebrity of sorts last summer, when the retail trade magazine Music Inc. featured a photo of him (rocking out to Coldplay's "Yellow") with an article on the event.

This year's diverse song list includes everything from "Smoke on the Water" and "Sir Duke" to rock hits of today.

In addition to the live music Sunday, you and your family can register for giveaways and enjoy fresh sandwiches, pulled pork and cold drinks from Smokin' Joe's Lazy Dog Barbecue.

To learn more about Parking Lot Jam and see rehearsal photos, visit www.myspace.com/parking_lot_jam. Jonathan Turner writes about the arts for The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus. Contact him at jturner@qconline.com.