Thanks to your support last year, the Rock Band Club has been an unbelievable success and become a Bancroft institution. When we started the club we had one student and no idea that it would take off in the way that it has, and it has honestly been quite overwhelming (in the best way possible). In just one year, our students have played 14 covers and 3 originals at 5 lunch shows, 2 arts showcases, LAUSD Arts Fest, the Hard Rock Café, and LACER Star Fest. They’ve written 7 original songs, been interviewed by PBS, and were even cast on a national PBS show about student musicians! These opportunities never would have come our way without the equipment needed to teach students new instruments, take risks, and be loud in those early days. READ MORE! vv

The Bancroft Middle School rock band club started by accident in 2024, when we didn’t have a drummer for a faculty talent show and recruited this awesome 7th grader to play with us. While rehearsing, we started getting asked if we were a club and eventually we started saying yes. We started with one guitar and three faculty members’ personal equipment, then raised over $5,000 in donations by the winter showcase and were able to support our rapidly growing roster. What started out as two adults and a seventh grader playing a couple of covers has now grown to include almost 35 kids (all grades and skill levels) playing covers, teaching each other instruments, writing their own songs, and discovering just how powerful music can be when they work as a team. We are so proud and amazed by their dedication, creativity, and enthusiasm.

Because we grew so much as a group, we have been low on instruments and a lot of students haven’t been able to practice their desired instruments enough. Since our club is entirely volunteer and self-funded, we need to raise money to buy more instruments, new cables, and performance gear. We currently have about 4 guitars, 4 basses, one mostly functioning drum kit, and a simple keyboard from the music room. For amps, we got a lot of mid-size practice amps last year, but we are still mostly using teachers’ personal equipment for our performance setup, and also need mini amps and headphones we can send home with students so they can practice. This year we have a techy kid who will absolutely flourish if given a synth and/or digital audio workstation (DAW) to play around with and create sounds, but those things are $$$. This club has given so many kids a creative outlet, supportive community, and a huge confidence boost (both in and outside the band), so the last thing we want to do is have to turn students away. More teachers are volunteering to help with the club, we are just bottlenecked by lack of equipment.

Please enjoy the videos and pictures we’ve attached to see what we accomplished on a shoestring last year, and follow the Bancroft Middle School Instagram page (@bancrofthollywood) to keep up with us throughout the year!

Thank you for helping us keep the music alive at Bancroft - If there are any songs you think we should play, leave a comment with your donation!