With just over three months to go before the Jamaica Best School Band (JBSB) competition, founder Rayven Armani is looking to raise funds for its 11th staging.

She hopes Sip N Link, a live show scheduled for December 9 at 22 Jerk in Kingston, will help.

Along with fellow singer Jay Edge, she is a supporting act for that event which has Warrior King as headliner. All will be backed by the Rootz Warrior Band.

Although the JBSB has revived interest in music among high school students, Rayven Armani says getting financial support is still a challenge.

“For the upcoming season, we have some support from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, but the cry is that there are budgetary constraints, so we are falling short of our budget,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Eight bands entered the 2023 JBSB, including debutants St Mary High School, which won the competition in April. They tallied 92 points to finish ahead of Belair High School (84 points), Papine High School (83.5 points) and fellow newcomers Lennon High School (64 points).

The winners received $300,000 from the Vinyl Record Collectors Association, an alto saxophone from Music Mart, and one-year membership with the Jamaica Federation of Musicians.

Belair High School received $200,000 from the CHASE Fund, which also awarded Papine High School $150,000.