Marching Band Program
Home of the Thunder Squad Drumline
& Monarch Majorettes
HBCU inspiration and academic excellence are what you will get from Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy (HBMPAA). HBMPAA is a non-profit organization providing Music & Dance Education to underserved youth in San Diego. What started as a drumline in 2011 at the Jackie Robinson YMCA, HBMPAA has grown into a renowned organization that uplifts the inner city and lower income communities of San Diego. HBMPAA’s band is comprised of a highly skilled drumline and dynamic majorettes.
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HBMPAA is highly recruited for performances. Most recently, the band performed in the nationally televised Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2019 as the only act to represent the state of California. The drumline has also become Hollywood's top choice to appear in National Commercials such as ESPN, US Census, and Boost Mobile to name a few. Additionally, the drumline can be seen in cameo appearances in National Television Shows such as Insecure, The View, and Marriage Bootcamp. The drumline is currently filming a television show to air on FOX TV in 2021.
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HBMPAA was created out of a need to help the underserved youth of San Diego and surrounding areas that were impacted by the downsizing or complete elimination of music and dance education program in the inner-city school district. Since its inception it has become much more. It has been a creative outlet for these youth. If for only 4 hours of their day, they are able to escape the struggles of their home life or of this world and just perform. HBMPAA provides a space for these youth to allow their minds to envision a future of possibilities.