Use Your Voice

Sound Impact was resident community engagement ensemble for Music in May 2018. Co-founded by Rebecca Jackson, Tiffany Richardson, and Danielle Cho in 2012, Sound Impact is a collective of musicians dedicated to serving communities and igniting positive change through live performance, educational programs, and creative collaboration. Sound Impact’s passion for community engagement brings music into diverse communities including schools, hospitals, homeless centers, juvenile detention centers and orphanages throughout the US and Costa Rica.

At MiM’s 2018 festival, we presented 20 hours of free musical programming for youth which included visits to 6 schools, and 3-day residencies at Santa Cruz and Santa Clara County Juvenile Detention Centers. The curriculum, entitled “Use Your Voice”, used an exploration of classical chamber music to delve into topics such as effective communication, respect, connection, and inspiration. The final visit culminated in a collaborative performance: their words and our music. Their vulnerability was heart breaking, inspiring, and affirmed music’s ability to break boundaries and connect people of all backgrounds.