Check out Walsh’s band playing above!

For special education teacher Jared Walsh, teaching is only one of his jobs. Once or twice a week, Walsh can be found singing and playing the guitar with four other musicians in a small rehearsal warehouse in Charleston.

Walsh first began singing and playing the guitar in high school and started writing his own music in college.

Earlier this Winter Week, Walsh performed acoustically during a series of teacher performances. However, on Thursday, Walsh swapped his acoustic guitar for an electric one as his band, Barricades, performed for WHS. All of the members in the band, besides one of the guitarists, went to Braintree High School. These members met after being a part of various bands and shows together. The other guitarist was friends with the band’s drummer. Four years ago, the four musicians formed Barricades together.

Barricades plays alternative rock music and performs covers of songs as well as original music.

Walsh admits that while songwriting can be easy at times and can take as little as half an hour, it can also be very challenging.

“It’s easy to come up with chord progressions that sound cool, but the lyrics are the hardest part,” Walsh said. “I can go months without finishing a song.”

Barricades has performed at various clubs in Boston and Cambridge. While performing, Walsh focuses on a lot of different things.

“Sometimes I’m thinking about someone or something that the song relates to or is written about, and sometimes I’m thinking about the notes I’m playing,” Walsh said.

Walsh enjoys performing because of the music he can bring to the audience.

“I really like sharing what I’ve written and the stuff the band has worked on,” Walsh said. “There’s a special relationship between performer and band that you don’t get often unless you’re onstage.”

Miss an event from Winter Week 2013? WSPN’s got it covered.