BANDING TOGETHER

OUR STORY

Founded in the Fall of 2015 by Annie Palomino, BandWith is a Chicago-based non-profit organization whose mission is to provide lasting access to high quality performing arts instruction to underserved Chicago communities.

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Since its inception, BandWith has addressed the need for access to music and creativity in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. Annie Palomino launched BandWith when the band program was dropped from LEARN Campbell Charter School due to budget cuts. Starting a nonprofit allowed Annie to continue providing free access to music instruction to students at the LEARN Campbell Campus while increasing reach to new students. 

Since then, BandWith has developed into a stable organization offering individual and small group instruction, weekly ensemble play and performance opportunities to participants throughout the year.  BandWith’s free in-school and after-school programs are located in East Garfield Park. They include our longest standing in-school band program, the Titan Band, within LEARN Charter School.  BandWith also provides an after-school performing arts program at Marillac St. Vincent’s Hope Jr. Youth Center, which includes Drumline, WestDance, Studio-Engineering and Vocal Training/Choir. This summer, we partnered with After School Matters to support our growing Drumline Program as well as Chicago West Community Music Center to launch the WestDance Program. 

BandWith offers instrumental music programs at 3 additional sites that are fee-for-service. The sites of these are St. Procopius School in Pilsen, St. Helen School in Ukrainian Village, and St. John Berchmans School in Logan Square. The three fee-for-service programs ensure BandWith’s financial viability and stability, and help subsidize the cost of our free programs. All other fundraising efforts are used to support free programs. 

In its first year, BandWith served 90 students including 35 students in the free program in East Garfield Park.  Gradually expanding our free programming over time, this school year, we are serving 215 students, ages 3-18, 130 of whom are a part of the free programs. 

Looking forward, in fulfillment of our commitment to be a lasting presence in the lives of the families we serve, BandWith is building a community performing arts center in East Garfield Park. Housing our free dance, drumline, sound engineering, instrumental and choral ensemble programs, we envision a space for many more students to grow as people and as performers, for young adults to receive job-training and meaningful employment, for the community to gather and experience art. We are securing financing and hope to be able to break ground by the Spring of 2022.

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BandWith Music Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Our EIN number will be provided upon request. 

2020 IMPACT REPORT

Each year of BandWith Chicago's journey has brought new miracles. We have experienced the continuous joy of each music lesson, rehearsal, performance, and collaboration. Along the way there has also been the gift of seeing BandWith's programs steadily funded and given space to grow, year after year, thanks to the incredible generosity of the community that surrounds our students.