Youth Outreach
David Kaun Endowed Youth Outreach Program
“If the world is ever going to become a better place, it’s going to come from the arts.” — David Kaun
“Music will save the world.” –Pablo Casals
Since its inaugural season, MiM has been dedicated to youth outreach which was co-founder David Kaun’s abiding passion. We thank him, his daughter Abigail, and his granddaughter Anika Narayanan (whose poetry inspired MiM’s 2017 commission by composer TJ Cole) for instituting the endowed chair that will honor David’s memory and ensure the continuation of our youth programs.
In the months leading up to the mainstage concerts, we present free programs for youth throughout Santa Cruz County, especially the underserved. MiM provides students with an intimate “front seat pass” to interactive performances, striving to ignite the creative spirit and provide aural landscapes that uplift and inspire each young listener. Starting with its inaugural visit in 2015, MiM presents regular programming for youth at Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall.
“MiM is one of my favorite things to do while I’m in here.”
A continuation of our series in 2021, in 2022, from February through May MiM presented both online and in-person programs for youth. We presented a series of 19 dynamic programs featuring a varied roster of renowned musicians for youth at Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall. Our opening program featured the life of violinist and Holocaust survivor, David Arben. Because of the students interest to learn more, their teacher shared that they added an entire unit about the Holocaust.
PC: Shmuel Thaler
PC: Shmuel Thaler
“I really enjoyed learning about classical music. One of my favorite ones was De Colores. It really warmed my heart listening to that music. I enjoyed how you guys played it. I honestly almost shed some tears. Y’all touched my heart.”
“Thank you for coming to our juvenile hall. When I get out I plan to look into playing an instrument again.”
PC: Shmuel Thaler
“I will continue to learn about the Holocaust and one of these days when I turn 18 years of age, I will go to Poland and have a tour of the concentration camp Auschwitz.”
PC: Shmuel Thaler
“Thank you for taking time out of your day to show us the art of music. It means a lot to all of us. While we are locked up we can’t experience live music so it means a lot and makes us feel a lot better. Your music reminds me of being home with family...”
“Through music, I keep getting reminded that we’re all just humans and more similar than different. Music is this wonderful tool that gets you to that point more quickly than anything else I can think of.”
“One [student] said it was as if they were put in a trance and were let free. I asked him if he meant set free from the juvenile hall and he said, ‘No, set free from myself’”
May 2022 marked our first in-person youth programs since 2019. We performed for nearly 1,000 students and staff at Watsonville schools. After over 30 programs on Zoom for youth at Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall, seeing the students react to the vibrations created by live musicians were moments we will not soon forget.
PC: Kevin Monahan
On May 26, 2022 we celebrated our first annual Family Music Night at Starlight Elementary School in Watsonville, a free community concert featuring the debut of the Harmony Youth Choir alongside Music in May Festival Artists. The Harmony Choir grew out of a vision in 2019 that Kate Alm and Rebecca Jackson-Picht share for serving underserved youth through music. Harmony Youth Choir, one part of the trio of Musical Soulmates projects (Suzuki Piano Studio, Harmony Youth Choir, and Performer’s Collective) nurtures the whole child through music. Each session builds community through disciplined and joyful music making. Students receive vocal training, learn diction, movement, positive message songs, music reading through hand motions, and ear training from co leaders. The Harmony Youth Choir develops the next generation of youth leaders in music while closing the racial gap in performance representation for youth as young as six years old, and cultivates resilience and joy. Special thanks to Everyone’s Music School for providing rehearsal space and to Starlight Elementary for hosting.
Emcee, Janine Bach / PC: Elliot Lovell
PC: Kevin Monahan
In 2020, our 10-episode Music
E-ducation Series on YouTube took our outreach global, inspiring children all the way to Australia
Click HERE for the episodes.
“Mina literally watches the whole 15 minutes. It’s crazy! When Rebecca said she started [violin] at 5, she got so excited and asked if she could start… the content is perfect for kids and I’m learning a lot too.”
The Santa Cruz Sentinel came with us to Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall.
Poetry by incarcerated youth during Sound Impact’s residency [MiM 2018].
Sound Impact (founded by Rebecca Jackson-Picht, Danielle Cho, Tiffany Richardson) has been a part of enriching MiM’s youth outreach. In 2018, Sound Impact presented 20 hours of free musical programming 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”, uses an exploration of classical chamber music to explore relevant topics such as effective communication, respect, and connection. The final visit culminated in a collaborative performance: their words set to Sound Impact’s music. Their vulnerability was heart breaking, inspiring, and affirmed music’s ability to break boundaries and connect people of all backgrounds.
“For us, the best safety tool is building relationships, and that’s what the music does here. You felt it in the room, for those moments, we were all equal. There wasn’t management, and probation, and these [correctional dynamics] — we all were connected and calm. It’s an escape. It grounds all of us and it’s such a gift.”
In 2019, thanks in part to grants MiM received from several Santa Cruz County Rotary Clubs, Music in May featured 14 world-renowned musicians, bringing programming to over 600 south county youth. One of the programs featured Sound Impact’s newest educational program “Time Travel Through Music” (now available online in a 10-episode series). It leads grade schoolers through an interactive time travel adventure, exploring music from the 1200s to 2018, where they meet composers in their hometowns throughout the U.S. and around the world. Connecting with poetry, nature and historical elements, this program touches on moments in history and the evolution of music through the eyes of a violin, viola, and cello.
“We hardly have any programs or assemblies - only those that are free... Thanks so much for coming to Hall [District Elementary School] again. I loved the curriculum you sent so that I could prepare my students better!”
