When Kevin Auwarter decided to launch The Chord Collective, an after-school rock band program for kids ages 8-18, he had a simple goal: make music fun from day one. What he didn’t expect was how quickly his community would embrace the vision— or that his 12-year-old daughter would become the marketing force behind it.

The Chord Collective offi cially opened enrollment on March 9, 2026. Within 24 hours, all 12 spots for the inaugural summer session were filled, with a waitlist forming shortly after.

“I was watching the registrations come in and I couldn’t believe it,” Auwarter said. “By 8 PM the next day, both bands were full. It proved something I’ve believed all along—kids want to make music together. They just need the opportunity.”

Auwarter has spent decades playing in working bands, from hard rock in the 1980s to a Celtic rock band that toured Western New York and Canada, playing colleges, festivals, and pubs. He started The Chord Collective after watching too many young musicians burn out on traditional lesson structures.

“I kept seeing kids quit because music felt like homework,” Auwarter explained. “But music doesn’t have to be like that. You don’t practice basketball alone for years before joining a team—you learn by playing together. That’s what makes it fun. I wanted to give kids that same experience with music.”

The Chord Collective takes a performance-based approach: students learn instruments (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, or vocals) while working together in bands, preparing for a live showcase performance at the end of each 12-week session. The summer session runs June 2 through August 18, culminating in a showcase at Common John Brewing Company in Manchester in August.

The program wouldn’t exist without unexpected community support. Within weeks of announcing the initiative, anonymous donors began stepping forward with equipment.

“A gentleman sent me a text saying he had a Pearl drum set he wanted to give us,” Auwarter recalled. “He said, ‘I heard about your program. I think kids really need this.’ Then a keyboard, guitars and amps showed up. Then more donations. People were giving equipment that had been sitting unused for years.”

Normandy Presbyterian Church offered their fellowship hall as rehearsal space at no cost. Common John Brewing Company volunteered to host the showcase performance.

“That’s Coffee County,” Auwarter said. “A 110-yearold church and a brewery both said ‘we want to support youth music education.’ That tells you everything about this community.”

Perhaps the most unexpected element of The Chord Collective’s success is that the entire social media presence, website, and marketing campaign was carried out by Auwarter’s 12-year-old daughter, Lily.

Lily, who recently authored the book “Something I Can Feel,” signed on for a 60-hour home school business apprenticeship to help launch her father’s program. Over the first five weeks, she created graphics, wrote social media captions, managed daily posts, tracked engagement data, built a website, designed flyers, and created video content—all while learning real-world marketing skills. “She’s the reason we filled so fast,” Auwarter said. “She handled everything from Instagram Reels to analyzing metrics. She built this program’s entire online presence. And she’s 12.”

Lily will also participate in the program as a drummer, a change from her background of traditional piano lessons.

The summer session is full, but The Chord Collective is already planning a fall session for September through November. A waitlist is available at www. chordcollectiverocks. com.

Students range from complete beginners to those with some musical experience. The program provides all major equipment, with families only needing to supply guitars or bass guitars for students learning those instruments. The cost is $600 for the 12-week session, with payment plans and sibling discounts available.

“This is just the beginning,” Auwarter said. “We’ve proven there’s demand. Now we get to show these kids what they’re capable of.”

The Chord Collective is a performance-based rock band program for youth ages 8-18 in the Tullahoma, Manchester, and Shelbyville areas. Students learn instruments while working in bands, developing musical skills, confidence, and teamwork. Each 12-week session culminates in a live showcase performance. For more information, visit www.chordcollectiverocks. com or call (931) 389-4667.