Testimonials

“You must hear this, but I’ll tell you anyway: five years of piano didn’t do half as much as one session of BandWorks did for developing Max’s musicality, interest, desire to write music, and oh yes, the cool factor.  That’s why we keep coming back!”

-Laura Lunt, parent

“I feel like we are so lucky to have found you! Julian enthusiastically wants to continue with the band. And when I told him there is BandWorks camp in the summer, his eyes lit up. I cannot say the same for his reaction to my offers to send him to chess camp, adventure sports, or computer programming camps.”

-Whitney Moss, parent and publisher of Rookiemoms.com and 510families.com

“Eight years in various BandWorks programs provided me with invaluable insight into what it takes to be in a band. The close musical instruction and friendly learning environment allowed me to improve all aspects of my music far beyond what I would have otherwise done. The band setting challenged me to be both creative and cooperative with my peers, while motivating me to always get better for the sake of my fellow members. As a lucky one who spent nearly 6 years rehearsing, performing, and even recording with the same group, I was able to explore my outer limits of musical chemistry and capability. Thanks to BandWorks I had the ability to find, organize, and start rehearsing with a group within three weeks of starting my freshman year of college. Being in a BandWorks band gave me the skills to be a versatile and creative musician and band-member, and I owe much of my success in the musical world to the foothold provided by BandWorks.”

-Austin Zimmerman, student

“I was very impressed with the quality of the performance, especially given how relatively little time the kids had to rehearse. It speaks to the terrific instruction of the teacher, and the kinds of student musicians that Bandworks attracts.”

-Joyce Dorado, parent

“Professionally organized, teachers were fantastic. James couldn’t speak more highly about them. James was grouped with kids whom had a proficiency and skill that matched his own, so their achievements over a week were astounding. He gains valuable experience and confidence from the camp.”

-Melody Thurling, parent

“When my son first went to BW, he was very nervous, since this was a subject matter unfamiliar to him. But, after the first day, he was SO EXCITED to come back. The week went by quickly, and I know he’ll be eager to do it again!”

-Kari Dahlen, parent

“Eli likes to play music with others, and the facilitation help with putting the songs together is the only way it really works. He has tried on his own with friends, and at school with the music program, but he needs the expert facilitation for it to really work. I think the modeling is exceptional, and it’s clear the kids are playing WITH each other. I wish you could bring in the school music teachers and share with them the Bandworks methodology. Seriously!!”

-Kim Nelson, parent

“What an amazing camp! By far, my favorite camp all summer. I would love to sign up again and can’t wait until next summer. I would be interested in year round.”

-Casey Felton, student

“My son loved the camp. He is a piano player, but has always wanted to learn to play the drums. This camp gave him the opportunity to play the guitar and bass which he had no interest in but now would like to learn to play in addition to the drums. I really liked the concert on the last day. It was great seeing how much our son had learned in just four days and hearing him play and sing! I think it was great that the instructor involved the children in selecting a name for themselves and the songs that they would be learning. I would highly recommend this camp to other people. We plan on participating in more BandWorks camps.”

-Rosie Carmona, parent

“As a parent, I was very impressed with the organization and communication. The emails before and during camp were much appreciated. My daughter really enjoyed the camp and had lots of fun. Having had no experience playing instruments, she was thrilled and proud to be able to play songs in a band after so little time. I am recommending this camp to others as we were very impressed.”

-Erin Head, parent

“My daughter LOVED the camp. She thought the teacher (Jason Reeder) was fantastic and made a huge difference in her enjoyment of the experience. He was funny, smart, helpful and she was really impressed with his musical skills. She also felt that he managed the class well and that the rest of the students were very well behaved (sometimes a raucous class can ruin the experience for her because she tends to be a little quieter). She enjoyed the music and felt that she learned a lot of new things.”

-Brenda Wagner, parent

“We had a great first experience with BandWorks. Thank you for all your help in getting us set up and for responding to my concerns. Vincent was a great instructor all around. He motivates and supports the students so well. Leo was great in his role of meeting us at the door each day…especially our first & last days. He is quite warm and personable. And finally, all staff we had the pleasure of meeting or doing business with were professional and courteous.
Thank you all.”

-Lisa Hopper, parent

“Ari was fantastic with the large group – allowing each to shine. The performance was amazing. I was already standing (standing room only) but otherwise I would have given a standing ovation! You could tell that they worked hard during the week but had a great time. The band seemed very connected. Thanks for another great experience. We are considering the fall workshop.”

-Gay Pelletier, parent

“Ryan was very proud that his band composed a song in 30 minutes. He really enjoyed the whole camp and now wants to take drum and guitar lessons…The end of camp show was also a big hit! He liked Michael so much he would like to take lessons from him”

-Jennifer G., parent

“This was a fantastic, very positive experience for our son. It was wonderful that the instructor plays multiple instruments & could really help each one of them. The performance at the end so exceeded our expectations. We couldn’t believe that they had only just learned the songs & were performing together at that level after just a dozen or so hours of practice. The instructor definitely brought out the best in them. Wish we could have signed up our son for more sessions this summer. We are looking forward to signing him up again and hoping to convince our other kids to give it a go too!”

-Sheryl Pereira, parent

“This was an awesome camp and it was WAY more than we thought it was going to be. Zack was really laid back and seemed to get a kick out of all the kids (even on the day when they, the kids, were fighting). They learned an impressive 4 songs and then even composed one. This camp really turned my kids on to music because they actually got to play music, not just learn chords. They definitely want to do this camp again. Thank you. Keep up the good work! ”

-Lisa Gearing, parent

“My son has had his best summer camp experience ever in all his 10 plus years at his last two sessions of BandWorks. So much so that we’d like to do another session. He has Asperger’s and often has a hard time tolerating camp. This was the first time he’s made it through a week of camp without a single meltdown. He loved the camp and couldn’t wait to go back each day. He is now a total Beatles fan. Chris was an excellent instructor – he was calm and steady but also fun. He was also able to teach the kids a lot. ”

-Elaine Park, parent

“My son loved this camp and he doesn’t usually embrace summer camp. He liked the music selected and he felt like he was a “real” musician. The teacher was fun and patient…The “concert” at the end was great fun and I have shared the video with friends and familiy who thought it was terrific. He wants to do your 8-week session in the fall – he loved the camp that much! ”

-Amy Huerta, parent

“My daughter had a great time. She signed up for just a half day and was a bit reticent about it because she had not had experience playing music with other people, and because she didn’t know what to expect…thought it might be “boring.” (Also worried that she wouldn’t be good enough to keep up with the others.) But after the first morning, she decided on the spot to sign up for the afternoon session. Rex was a great instructor – he encouraged her to try new things (drums, singing), made her feel that her contribution to the band was important, and overall created a fun and enthusastic experience for her. She is looking forward to doing it again next summer. ”

-Catharine K., parent

“The day before camp started Aeden was saying things like: “it starts too early! Why do I have to do a camp anyway? why did you sign me up for both morning and afternoon? It’s summer and I just want to hang out!” The second morning, he was out of bed of his own accord (at 7am!), prodding me to hurry up. By the third day of camp, Aeden was coming home and playing guitar until I made him to go to bed, while completely ignoring his video games – not his usual behavior. At the end of camp all he wanted was for it not to end! I can’t imagine a better recommendation for BandWorks than that. ”

-Milton McClaskey, parent