The Winners Are In: Bach to Rock Announces 2026 “Battle of the Bands” Champions
Student Musicians from Across the Country Earn Top Honors in Nationwide Competition
Bach to Rock, America’s modern music school for students of all ages, proudly announces the champions of its Sixth Annual National Battle of the Bands competition. Following local and regional contests, student bands competed for national honors in four divisions: elementary school, two middle school divisions and high school. The competition showcased an impressive range of young musical talent, with students demonstrating not only their musicianship, but also the teamwork, confidence and stage presence that is cultivated from performing as a band. A distinguished panel of music industry professionals evaluated the performances and selected first place winners and two runners-up per category. More than 7,700 fan votes were also cast to select a fan favorite in each division prior to the August event. The list of national winners is below, and the performances can be viewed on bachtorock.com/live.
Elementary School Division
- 1st Place: The Runaways – Bach to Rock, Bristow, VA
- Runner-up: The Noodles – Bach to Rock, Rancho Penasquitos, CA
- Runner-up: Evergreen Titans – Bach to Rock, Redmond, WA
- Fan Favorite: The Noodles – Bach to Rock, Rancho Penasquitos, CA
Middle School Division 1
- 1st Place: Kuzin Kru – Bach to Rock, Port Washington, NY
- Runner-up: Overdrive – Bach to Rock, Denville, NJ
- Runner-up: Sick Moose – Bach to Rock, Lutz, FL
- Fan Favorite: Sick Moose – Bach to Rock, Lutz, FL
Middle School Division 2
- 1st Place: Murder On Mars – Bach to Rock, Redmond, WA
- Runner-up: Double Time – Bach to Rock, Nanuet, NY
- Runner-up: Redhorn – Bach to Rock, Northbrook, IL
- Fan Favorite: The Exploding Bobs – Bach to Rock, Apex, NC
High School Division
- 1st Place: Whether For Cast? – Bach to Rock, Lutz, FL
- Runner-up: Slackin Kraken – Bach to Rock, Apex, NC
- Runner-up (tie): Used Car Battery – Bach to Rock, Port Washington, NY
- Runner-up (tie): LOVEblue – Bach to Rock, Fishers, IN
- Fan Favorite: Petrichor – Bach to Rock, East Marietta, GA
“The Battle of the Bands is one of our favorite events because it gives students the experience of preparing for a big gig, from rehearsing and collaborating with their bandmates, to ultimately performing for an audience,” said Brian Gross, President of Bach to Rock. “At Bach to Rock, we are performance focused. So, it is rewarding to see the confidence, stage presence and passion each band brings to the stage. We know they have put in a lot of time, energy and dedication to achieving a common goal.”
Bach to Rock thanks its all-star panel of judges for bringing their expertise and enthusiasm to the 2026 Battle of the Bands.
- Elementary school judges: Griffin Tenbarge, Kimberly Venetz, Sean Mason
- Middle school division 1 judges: Ben Badger, Jason Clark, Rhett Repko
- Middle school division 2 judges: Ben Badger, Dan English, Kayko
- High school judges: Claudia B, Gabe Baker, Trey Odum