We had a pretty terrible experience at Bandworks but I didn't want to trash the program because there are some great people associated with it. That said, my kid just told me that their instructor once said to them - in front of all the kids - "I'm certain you have a learning plan." My kid denied it (they, in fact, did not) and the instructor continued to insist that they did. Who the hell talks this way to a child in this day and age, in front of their peers?! It was humiliating for my kid and extremely insensitive of the instructor. I could follow up with a list of messed up things this instructor said or did along the way, but this one put me over the edge and really just sums up why we now steer clear. read more

My son first attended a BandWorks summer program in 2007 (age 8). He was in the Intro class and got to play drums, guitar, sing, and generally get the full band experience. He liked it so much we signed up for the next year and he really focused in on drumming. Loved drumming so much he got a private instructor and took drumming for quite some time after that. Then life got in the way for a few years and now we've returned....and it's the daughter who's doing the workshop sessions now! Came in for the September 2012 session and was put in a band with 3 boys and had to learn how to negotiate want she wanted. Great experience in self-empowerment for a 7th grade girl. She, too, loves drumming. She played one song on drums, and the other songs on keyboards and vocals. She had kicked and screamed about not wanting to do vocals before joining (just got out of 6 years of chorus and literally did not want to open her mouth again) but the instructor convinced her to give it a try and the boys were supportive and she actually loved it. To hear my daughter sing a Red Hot Chili Peppers song and love doing it, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven LOL. Anyway, she's back for this session....decided to bring in her girlfriends.....and now is giggin' in an all-girl band as the drummer. What I've always loved about BandWorks is their ability to work with whatever your nutty schedule may be, and whatever level you are as a musician, and whatever your musical taste is, to create the right experience for you in your band. read more

I highly highly recommend BandWorks for any person, young or, um, "mature" (like me). If you haven't played for a while, that's okay -- the BandWorks folks will take care to place you in a band with others at your same level and the instructors are extremely helpful and supportive in bringing the band together for an ultimate rockstar performance at the end of your session! No matter how tired I was from work, I'd always totally wake up and forget the stress of the day after starting rehearsal. I'd never played in a rock band before doing this and now I have my own band (met them through BandWorks). Try it, you'll like it! read more

Big fun! Our 11.5 year old just finished a week long band camp. He was in with a group of 8th graders. He really enjoyed the experience and is looking forward to doing it again next year. Rex was a great leader and my son connected with him well. read more

My son took an Intro to Rock camp at San Carlos Charter Learning Center through BandWorks, and it was one of the best camp experiences he has had. He got to try a bunch of different rock instruments, and learned a lot of music theory. He had fun every day of class. At the end of the week, his "band" held a performance, which included discussions and demonstrations of things he had learned, and a performance of 2 rock songs. He got to sing on "Another One Bites the Dust" and play drums on "Louie Louie". It was fantastic, and a great way for him to see if he wanted to pursue any of the instruments farther. Just our luck, he may want to be a drummer... read more

My son first joined a week long summer session at Bandworks a few years ago. A few of his buddies had done it once before and raved about it, but my kid had never played an instrument and I figured he'd have a fun week on tambourine or some such thing. Man was I surprised. After one week of camp, he was playing Beatles songs on bass guitar and I was blown away. That brief and wonderful experience started a life long love affair with music and with his bass guitar. He's been taking Bandworks classes and playing with his buddies in their band ever since and has blossomed into a confident, talented, dedicated musician. We were so impressed by the talented, supportive teachers and helpful office staff that my 2 younger boys started taking Bandworks sessions too so now I also have a budding guitarist and keyboardist/drummer in the house. They are having a great time making music they love with their pals and learning a lot from the excellent instructors of Bandworks. I have turned a lot of my friends on to this wonderful program for their kids because I have seen first hand how much fun the kids have while learning wonderful new skills. As a parent, I love that they will practice without me nagging (because they are enjoying it and don't want to let their buddies down) and to see them perform on stage with their group is one of the greatest joys I've ever known. In order to improve their skills and confidence on their instruments, I have found it very helpful to also have weekly lessons with a one on one instructor. The combo of both types of instruction has increased their skills so swiftly as well as their desire to practice daily on their own. My family members are amazed how far my kids have come so fast on their chosen instruments and I owe so much to Bandworks and their wonderful program! I only wish my grown up buddies would sign up with me so I could have some fun making music too! read more

my son took Bandworks in Los Altos last summer with Eric Geller. Eric Geller is a tremendous teacher. My son's main instrument is piano but Eric got him playing bass and drums and the band got along so well they met all year long to practice together. This is a seriously underappreciated program. read more

BandWorks is amazing! It helped my son discover and develop his love of music as well as gain confidence and poise on stage, all the while keeping everything fun. My son took one of their beginner summer camps two years ago and really connected with the bass. After a year of lessons and a few more camps, he joined a band with the year-round program which performs on stage every session. The challenge of working together with other musicians toward a common goal resulted in unbelievable improvement over the past year. The supportive, encouraging, you-can-do-it atmosphere is magic for any kid. They have adult bands, too, who seem to be having just as much fun while making great music. I highly recommend BandWorks for both summer camp and year-round study. read more

Our son took rock n' roll music classes and camps at Bandworks from the age of 9 to 16. He loved it. Bandworks class was his favorite ongoing event of the week. He learned a lot about playing music and got great experience working as part of a team. His band now writes their own music and gets paying gigs. Bandworks was the best activity we found for him. read more

So much fun! I was taking private bass lessons elsewhere for a few weeks... I was learning how to read music & whatnot, but I wasn't really having a good time. I quit my lessons & signed up for the BandWorks adult workshop in San Jose instead. I had never played in a band before, and I barely knew anything, but it was no problem. The practices were entertaining & the performance was a blast. read more