Category Archives: News

How to Create a Cheap, Battery-Powered Production Workstation (article by Reverb.com)

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Original article published April 01, 2020 by Joel Handley at Reverb.com

Article re-printed with permission from Reverb.com

If you work at an after-school music program, maybe this dilemma will sound familiar: Your students want to learn how to make music, but maybe not the kind they find in their school’s classical, marching band, or choral curricula.

The Music & Youth Initiative came up with a cost-effective way to get powerful, contemporary music-making tools into the hands of students. The battery-powered workstation the group devised has everything students need to create modern pop, hip-hop, R&B, or other current music, and it will cost just about $1,000 total.

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Reverb Gives Donates $2,500-Worth of Musical Instruments to Music & Youth Initiative

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Boston, MA (June 2019) — Music & Youth Initiative is excited to announce that it has received a $2,500 grant from Reverb Gives, the charitable arm of Reverb.com, the online marketplace for musicians to buy, sell, and learn about new and used musical instruments. Thanks to Reverb Gives, Music & Youth will be able to put more instruments into the hands of youth in the Music Clubhouse program.

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“Groovey” Camp for Youth in Foster Care

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With the help of a compassionate music mentor and the Music Impact Network, underserved youth have transformative musical experience

When professional bass player, Geena Spigarelli, considered what she might do while on break from touring this summer, she considered a number of things. Then she recalled how fulfilled she felt when she was a music mentor with Kids in a New Groove (KING), an Austin-based organization that provides free, private music instruction to youth living in foster care.

“I reached out to KING Executive Director, Laura Wood,” Geena says, “And we came up with the idea for a brand new Summer Music Camp.”

It was sure to be a success— if only Geena could figure out what to do for whole a whole week with 20 kids, many who were living in a group home and had no prior music experience.

That’s where Music Impact Network came in. Continue reading →

Teen’s Workforce Experience Builds Path to Success

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Bank of America Awards $25K Grant to Music & Youth Initiative’s Youth Leader Program

Boston MA, July 19, 2018— The Music & Youth Initiative’s Youth Leader Program, which provides workforce development opportunities for teens who have demonstrated excellence and leadership potential in their after-school Music Clubhouse programs, recently received a $25,000 grant from Bank of America. With this generous support from Bank of America, teens are getting opportunities to mentor younger members while gaining valuable work experience, including organizational, administrative, and professional skills.

High school senior and recent Youth Leader, Monte, is one outstanding recipient of this opportunity. Monte was thrilled to find out recently that he earned his spot at Berklee College of Music – full tuition paid for. Those who know him well aren’t at all surprised: Monte is the complete package. Not only does he have musical expertise, but he has shown exceptional character and maturity in his position as Youth Leader at the Boys & Girls Club.

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Clubhouse Transformed: An Interview with HSTF’s Celina Miranda

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Celina Miranda, Executive Director of Hyde Square Task Force

Music & Youth has proudly partnered with the Hyde Square Task Force, a leading community organization in Jamaica Plain, Boston, for over 10 years. In their own words: “Our work is guided by our mission: to develop the skills of youth and their families, so they are empowered to enhance their own lives and build a strong and vibrant community.”

Recently, the Hyde Square Task Force Music Clubhouse underwent a major renovation, doubling its size! Gary Eichhorn caught up with Celina Miranda, Executive Director of Hyde Square Task Force, to find out how this renovation is making a difference in the lives of the youth HSTF serves.

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AARP 2017 Purpose Prize Fellow: Gary Eichhorn, CEO, Music & Youth Initiative

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“It’s really not about the music. It’s about the kids and their development and their growth. Music is what gets them in.”

By JON MARCUS, , 2018

It’s a typical afternoon at West End House, a Boys & Girls Club in Boston, where a cacophony of drumbeats competes with the sound of dribbling basketballs and fitness classes. “This is a relief of stress for me,” a 17-year-old enthuses over the din. Rapping and performing on the drums, bass guitar and keyboard “is how I express my feelings and get everything out. It gives you that confidence that you can do whatever you want to do.”

That’s the idea behind this Music Clubhouse and 17 additional ones in Massachusetts, Texas and Georgia. They’re part of a network being built by a retired tech executive and amatuer jazz guitarist as a way to draw in teenagers vulnerable to other temptations, who often drift away from youth centers like West End House and the other services they offer. “It’s really not about the music. It’s about the kids and their development and their growth. Music is what gets them in,” says Gary Eichhorn, that former CEO.

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