When BandWith Chicago started 10 years ago, the non-profit organization only offered free band lessons. Since then, it has expanded to offer choir, drumline lessons, dance and studio engineering and increased the number of options at other schools.
“I consider every day to be an honor that I get to be here doing what I love,” said Annie Palomino, founder and executive director of BandWith Chicago, which focuses on offering music education to Chicago's under-resourced communities.
The students love it too, and, so do their families.
Debra Bigo, who has two grandchildren in the band program, credits Annie Palomino with truly making a difference.
“It’s just her heart and her spirit," Bigo said. "It comes through, and you can notice it in the kids. It just gives them an opportunity or choice to do something.”
“My trumpet teacher, he told me I should have been playing trumpet earlier, cause it was like I was like a pro at it,” said sixth-grader Kiara Washington.
Fourth-grader Aaron Bowman is among the students taking guitar classes.
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“When I come into band, they teach me new stuff that I haven’t learned yet on the guitar," he said.
BandWith Chicago will soon be expanding even more, when it opens a performing arts center next year. The city of Chicago recently awarded the organization a $5 million dollar grant for the project, but more contributions are needed.
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“We are working as hard as we can to make sure that we have all the funding, and we hope to be opening the building by the end of 2024," said Palomino.
“I think this music just uplifts people and I would like to keep it going, so please help," Big added.
For more information on the BandWith Chicago building fund, click here. A fundraising brunch is also planned for Sunday, May 6.