Fund Musical Resilience for At-Risk Youth!

Happy Spring, Dear Supporter,

Thank you for making our work serving youth with meaningful music instruction after school possible. Your generosity helped the students who completed their first 10 weeks of the after school club program get their own guitars in February. We are still rolling the give-aways out and can share more photos soon. Please see a few photos we've attached to this report to feel the love coming back to you!

These students are so grateful and excited, and they have returned for the next 10 weeks of learning voluntarily. When students elect to study something after school consistently, that speaks volumes to us. They are getting something meaningful from the experience. They are fully, voluntarily engaged. Music is making a difference for them. With all of the competing demands and possibilities for high school students, this re-enrollment rate is a very positive sign.

The new term for Guitar Clubs has started with a brand new club opening at San Diego High School serving 20 teens who come from a variety of low to middle income neighborhoods. The reach of this school spans from Downtown San Diego in the southwest, through Hillcrest and North Park, finally reaching Golden Hill in the East.

59.4% of the students at SD High School receive free meals. 77% are students with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds including Black, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, and Hispanic students. 27% are English Learners. 28% are white. This population brings young people together to share learning, and clubs help them build common ground, and forge creative friendships. We are grateful to you for your support of this effort.

Unfortunately, since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism in students has nearly doubled nationally from 15% to 28%. That means more than 1 in every 4 students in the U.S. is missing more than 10% of their annual school days. A variety of factors has influenced this decline in student attendance and it's very serious. High school students take challenging classes, and missing more than 1 in every 10 days means an academic setback.

There is hope, though. According to recent research from the Arts Education Partnership, a national organization that draws participation from 35 states, some states have reported statistical correlations between participation in music and arts programs, and improved school attendance rates, a reduction in chronic absenteeism, and in arts achievement. Anecdotally, our club leaders hear from faculty members at participating schools, and from the students themselves that they are most motivated to come to school on Guitar Club days. We know the benefits of your support are musical, but they are alsosocial and educational. Students learn more if they show up. They are far more likely to graduate high school.

We hope you will stay with us and continue to contribute to this model of services what has the potential to reach many more youth. We presently offer after school ukulele clubs for younger students in Los Angeles Unified, and our first after school guitar club is running at the James Macley Middle School there. We're helping pilot a high school Guitar Club in Burlington, VT, and are hopeful we can do the same in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Washington State next fall where we have capable faculty members in place. Developing connections and a sensible plan will take time, effort, and funding.

So thank you, dear donor, for making a difference for youth facing an ever more complex society, wanting to have the skills, hopefulness, and determination to make their way forward. How wonderful that music has the power to support all of these things!

With much gratitude,

Jess

Links:

• Arts Education Partnership Resources Page
• Our Website