Formed in 2006, Ra Ra Riot has made a splash over the last year, performing with Vampire Weekend and picking up a great following.

Coming to Buffalo next week, the Syracuse-based band returned to their alma-mater, Syracuse University recently in November for a special kind of performance—the band taught classes they once took as part of the school’s Bandier Program.

According to Billboard,

Manager Josh Roth and violinist Rebecca Zeller taught a class they once took to discuss the evolution of the band from a touring perspective; Zeller and cellist Clarice Jensen crafted another industry-focused class on applying classical skills in the contemporary music landscape. Singer Wes Miles directed courses on songwriting and guitarist Milo Bonacci, bassist Mathieu Santos and Zeller joined Miles for composing workshops. Bonacci held a master class on guitar and Kenny Bernard did the same for drums.

In the process of completing their new album, the group had plenty to talk to students about including real-life advice and lessons that can’t be taught in the average classroom. 

Their new album “Beta Love” is due out on January 22 of 2013 and will have more of a synth-pop sound instead of their usual string-centered melodies. With cellist Alexandra Lawn leaving the band, Ra Ra Riot’s new project will focus on a dance-beat sound, as heard in their first single, by the same name.

In an interview with SPIN.com, bassist Mathieu Santos spoke about putting the new album together. “We wanted to be outside of our collective comfort zone for this record. We wanted to be open to new things happening. There was a lot of building up and tearing down with Dennis — a lot of problem solving, a lot of trial and error.”

Ra Ra Riot will be performing with Guards at 7 p.m. on Dec. 12 at Mohawk Place. Tickets are on sale for $15 from Ticket Web or the After Dark Entertainment box office. For more information on the show, head over to the After Dark website for updates and details.

Photo courtesy of Facebook.