OUR STORY
By BandWorks co-founders Jeremy Steinkoler and Steve Gibson

Ever since we were kids, we wanted to play music. For years we attended our lessons, practiced until the wee hours of the morning, and formed bands with our friends, all the while dreaming of rock stardom. But that was a long time ago….

One night in the summer of 1993, we were hanging out after a late rehearsal talking about teaching music. We had each been teaching private lessons for a number of years, and agreed that the biggest problem facing our students was that they didn’t have the opportunity to play with other musicians.

We talked about wanting to create a venue where our students could play together – one where we could offer them the kind of practical, hands-on musical advice that we wished we had gotten as younger players, but had to learn the hard way over years of working as professional musicians.

From that inspired conversation, the idea for BandWorks was born ... out of a desire to help musicians find other people to play with. But as the program evolved, we realized that we weren’t just connecting musicians with one another to share in the experience of playing in a band ­– we were also teaching values.

At BandWorks we stress the importance of this collaborative process, and the need for communication, respect (for ones’ self and for others) and ownership. It’s a commitment to trying to sound your best, to your own improvement as well as that of the whole band. And when it works, the rewards are profound.