Fund Musical Resilience for At-Risk Youth!

Hello, Kind Supporters!

Thanks for your help making this initiative successful enough to grow! Thanks to your phenomenal support last December, our after school guitar clubs and classes have greatly expanded this year!

Your charitable giving has helped us open two more after school guitar clubs this spring, while keeping the other 5 established clubs running. In addition, GITC is also teaching 8 school-day guitar classes for youth during the day at three schools. This is a break-through in districts that have not offered guitar as a music option in the past. We are so encouraged. Thank you.

Your caring and generosity have made all of this possible. Our newest programs include:

1, After school guitar for 15 youth at Hoover High School.

• We are currently getting personal guitars for these very dedicated students!
• Their school guitars are only accessible to them on campus unless they take shoulder a risk of owing the school $180 if they take one home and it is damaged or stolen. All students except one declined this burden so they need their own guitars to practice at home. You are helping us get these now.
• These kids are so motivated that after just 4 weeks, they are already practicing for the school talent show on April 20th! We are sharing a couple photos from this class.

2. We are preparing to open a brand new club at Madison High School in 2 weeks, and 19 students have already signed up.

• We'll be using your December donations to procure these guitars as well. Thanks for helping us accomplish this goal.
• Madison HS has a great workforce development team who will help us launch a summer internship program for promising Juniors or Seniors who want to learn to teach guitar to younger students, or to learn the trades of guitar repair, guitar making, and more. So much to look forward to.
• This workforce development approach is in development at Lincoln High School, also. That club is now in its third year!

3. We are teaching school day guitar classes in 3 districts at these schools, and you have helped at all three campuses:

• CPMA, San Diego's middle school for Creative, Performing, and Media Arts (SDUSD)
• The Monarch School for unhoused youth and their families (SDCOE)
• Amestoy Elementary (LAUSD)

What's next? Workforce Development for Teens!

Our goal at this time is to flesh out a pathway to exploring jobs related to the guitar for teens to explore and pursue through internships. Some jobs will require college, but most can be learned hands-on through technical training, apprenticeships. Not every student can afford college, and many are seeking opportunities to work. Please join us to make this a real possibility!

Our board Worforce Development Committee is reaching out to artists, music directors, touring guitar techs, guitar repair experts, luthiers (guitar makers), guitar tech and accessory designers and engineers, music retailers, and specialists in other related careers such as djs, concert promoters, managers, agents, music journalists,.and graphic artists working on music related content. Our two-year plan is to develop a program that can run in San Diego and Los Angeles where we have a strong faculty and school district partnerships. But we also want it to be accessible to youth anywhere with a series of videos, resources, and contacts. 

We hope you will consider donating to this campaign again! continue to grow along with our services. A little gift from you will go a very long way. There are so many needs right now. Thanks for staying with us.

We're sharing our favorite young artist with this report- the amazing Jacob C. Like GITC, he loves playing in open tunings. He is inspiring a new generation of young musicians, and you can see how he plays guitar in his own unique way. 

May music brighten your days, and bring peace to your nights,

Jess

Links:

• Jacob Collier and Singers- Little Blue
• Our Website
• Our Facebook Page