Music and Art are better shared through Community
The Bandwagon's Journey
The Bandwagon's Journey
Spending the last 6 years building a career in music education from Richmond, VA to Los Angeles, CA. In 2023, my wife and I officially made Portland, Oregon our home and planted roots in the North Portland community. We've been welcomed with open arms as we've engaged with the St. John's Neighborhood and have made it our goal and mission to serve this community in the best way we knew how.
My time in Portland has been spent designing and leading mobile music programs and building arts engagement programs with other non-profit organizations across Portland. Seeing students from my classrooms and programs light up on stage, form bands and discover confidence through music showed me I needed to continue exploring this side of artistic exposure. St. John's, and the North Portland Community as a whole, is filled with so many talented and curious artists, but they lacked an easy pathway ,geographically and economically, to engage in a community focused and led arts education program.
I piloted a program in the St. Johns community with another non-profit, Portland Tennis & Education. Over two years, it grew into one of the most anticipated parts of the school year for students and families. That proof of concept became The Bandwagon: a fully mobile music education program built to meet students where they are, remove every barrier in the way. Let's get rocking and rolling.
- Wyatt Ellerbeck
Founder & Music Educator
The Problem
The Problem
The Willamette Weekly and arts based organizations in Portland, like VibePDX, have identified St. Johns as an underserved community and many young people in the area are excluded from opportunities to engage with music as a form of expression and connection. Many arts opportunities in Portland are located outside North Portland, requiring transportation, flexible schedules, and financial resources that are not accessible to every family.
The Solution
The Solution
The Bandwagon delivers music education directly into communities via a converted box trailer equipped with instruments, sound equipment and climate controls. Serving as both a teaching space and a small performance stage, The Bandwagon will allow flexible programming that includes instruction, collaboration, and live events.
How To Hop On
How To Hop On
We operate out of a converted box trailer equipped with instruments, sound equipment, and climate controls; functioning as both a mobile classroom and a small performance stage. The truck travels directly to schools, parks, and community spaces in North Portland, so students never have to figure out how to get to us.
Programming runs Tuesday through Saturday. Group lessons are held in the afternoon for students K–8, and sliding-scale private lessons are available Thursday through Saturday. Every six-week term ends with a community performance where students get to engage with their communities through a neighborhood Bandwagon Concert.
Our Programs
After-School Rockstar
After-School Rockstar
Open to students K–8th grade. Small groups of 8–12 meet four days a week for a six-week term at schools, parks, or community spaces. Hands-on instrument instruction, group collaboration, and a cumulative performance at the end. Always free, no financial documentation required.
Sliding Scale Private Instruction
Sliding Scale Private Instruction
One-on-one lessons in piano, guitar, or percussion, available Thursday through Saturday. Families choose a contribution between $10 and $45 per 30-minute lesson based on what works for them. No proof of income needed, we trust our community to participate honestly.