Fund Musical Resilience for At-Risk Youth!

Dear Supporter of our After School Guitar Clubs for Teens,

My name is Dan Decker, and it’s been my privilege to be the Guitars In The Classroom instructor for the after school guitar club programs at Lincoln High and Hoover High in San Diego this year. These two high schools serve a very high percentage of teens facing challenges, but I see every week how music has the power to lift everyone up! 

At Lincoln, 76% of the students are economically disadvantaged, and 86% qualify for free or reduced price meals, meaning that 10% are living just above the poverty line and everyone else is below. All but 1.4% of the students at Lincoln High are students of color. The majority have parents who didn't graduate high school. Like their parents, we want to do whatever we can to help them break the cycle of poverty. Music, often seen in this world as an "extra" is actually core for these students.  The young men and women in our Guitar Clubs over the past 3 years have been so resilient, eager to learn, and to find things about which they can feel passionate. 

I have been blessed to see the wonderful results of your generosity in providing guitars for these students so they can not only learn, but practice outside of school, share music with their friends, and at the end of the year, keep their guitar for good.   struggle to purchase an instrument or provide lessons for them.

The looks on the faces of the students this year, when I told them at the beginning of each club that these were their guitars, was priceless. To see the growth in the playing ability and the love of playing in each student as the weeks passed, was very rewarding.

Not only were students developing individual skills, but they began to play and create together, and share with each other and the whole group what they were working on each week. We were able to explore many different playing techniques, and the genres they were interested in ranged from pop, to metal, to regional Mexican music.

Each club had the opportunity to perform in public towards the end of the semester, and they glowed at the applause and recognition of their peers and families at their performances.

I can’t stress enough how important your contribution has been to the success of these programs, and I am very grateful and thankful to you. Please keep supporting this campaign as we attempt to grow and bring this work to new communities in California and the U,S. Together we can make it a reality. 

With eternal gratitude for your generosity,

Dan Decker

Links:

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