Influencing Youth Through Music

Vital Stats

Shannen R

Valencia, CA

  • people helped100
  • People Doing It 40

The Problem

It is essential that we as a society recognize the importance of music as a tool for positive change for youth. Our nation has gone through many changes recently. All the budget cuts in schools have made it very difficult for all students to enjoy the therapeutic and scholastic benefits of music. As a result, the schools lack the resources to make music available to everyone. I have started, with a fellow Hart High School student Sarah Hong, a Music& Songwriting Club at William S. Hart High School to bind teens through music. This club is open to all interested students. The music programs offered at all high schools such as show choir and band cost $1000 or more. My club is free. Our shows create a greater awareness of the benefits of music. Also, music serves as therapy to students; it brings together all youth despite their cultural differences or economic background; it develops the minds of young people and it serves as a stimulus to all minds. Our club represents the youth in our community by bringing public awareness of the need to have music programs available in the lives of all youth.

Plan of Action

So far we’ve had five successful shows, four of which were “lunch shows” that took place at Hart High School’s outdoor stage. Our goal is to to have one band show and one open mic each month. October featured Zebra TV for our first show following an Open Mic presenting Miky Tayoba & Everett Bichara, John Foley & Grayson King, and myself & Sarah Hong. In the month of November we had an Open Mic presenting Joey Hernandez, Riley Lyon, Mackenzie Richmond & Grayson King, and Valerie Magallanes & Miky Tayoba and featured Humboldt Squad. To top off our first semester of shows, we had an end of the semester show called SCV Young Artist Festival from 5PM to 830PM at the outdoor amphitheater in the Valencia Marketplace in which three bands and eight solo artists performed all original material. We also gave away a gift basket of prizes worth $100 for the Best Entertainer (audience’s choice), had a bake sale, and provided hot chocolate thanks to Starbucks. Each show is admission free with a $10 from each performer to help with the cost of T-shirts, lights, and to provide thank you gifts to all volunteers as well as to pay for future venues. The audience is always very responsive and involved in our shows and there’s plenty of dancing and clapping. In brief, we need to put forth the effort necessary to make music available to all youth in America and around the world. Therefore, I am going to focus on three goals: fund raising activities; obtaining support from local musicians, teachers and the community in general; motivating all students to participate.
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Education
Music Education

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