It couldn’t have gone over more seamlessly if we had planned it. Within seconds, our students showed their collective strength and capacity to problem-solve. Most importantly, they showed an unparalleled belief in each other - an expe- rience which can be monumental for group culture. We were sure to celebrate the effort and lightning-fast thinking of the band in our next rehearsal.
I bring up this anecdote because of the impact I know it had on our students’ self-concept as musicians. Since that moment on stage in December 2015, students in our program have performed upwards of a dozen times in and out of school, and been spotlighted for their work on multiple Chicago news platforms. Tey’ve visited and laid tracks in a professional recording studio, and created a music video documenting the experience. Tey’ve taken a private tour of Chicago’s House of Blues, and marveled at the names of renowned entertainers etched onto its storied green room walls.
In class, we created our own practice protocols and a set of values we want to live by; we challenged ourselves to try new things, take risks, and learn new songs in record-time; we identified section leaders and engaged in peer-to-peer practice; we tackled the songwriting process, performed and taught one another original music; we set goals, shattered some with ease, came up short and learned from others; we emphasized the habits that make better musicians and better people, and it showed, as 88% of our students cited that time spent playing music in a community had helped them become more self-aware and stronger decision-makers. According to one student: “Being part of the Guitars Over Guns program has helped me realize how talented my friends are, and it’s helped me appreciate my own talents. I always look forward to coming aſter school.”
More than anything else, we became vulnerable and willing to grow. I’m convinced that experience in the Evergreen Acade- my gym was a catalyst for that.
What type of lessons/instruction is given?
Our approach to instruction offers a unique balance between National Arts & Social-Emotional Learning standards that we believe is is critical to positive youth development. We apply skill-based instruction across many settings depend- ing on the needs our unique partner sites. In Chicago alone, we’ve built large aſter-school ensembles at two public schools; we serve as the primary music instructors at an alternative school; and we operate a faith-based community center and recording studio open to all youth. While the set-up at each site may look different, the desired outcome is the same: to create a generation of young people who use music as a weap- on for self-determination, leadership and empathy.
Because exposure is a great teacher, we also offer our stu- dents a variety of music-related experiences to broaden their horizons; for example, each school site engages in an annual music video project focused on an issue that matters to them, a live session day in a professional recording studio, tours of famous venues, and multiple live performance opportunities. No matter the setting, a common thread in the fabric of our approach involves teaching how music affects our environ- ment: from self-concept, to interpersonal and community relations. Tis empowers students to translate musical skills learned in our classrooms to the other stages of their lives.
What is the typical background of the instructors?
Our mentors typically identify as musicians first - many of them play professionally in their resident cities and have ac- cumulated notable opportunities to appear on television, tour with some of the biggest names in music, and publicly release their own artistic material. We also have a group of men- tors who identify as educators first, coming from careers in teaching, counseling, and social services, who have a desire to use music as an avenue for reaching young people. We’ve seen incredibly positive results when these two camps of people work together in service of our students.
Given my experience as a classroom teacher and a musician, I’m fortunate enough to be on a mentor team with another member of my own band here in Chicago, Te Shades. Over the past year and a half, we’ve shared unique experiences and offered an additional layer of chemistry to our students that in turn, makes US better musicians and bandmates. With our debut EP due to release in the Spring of 2017, we’re excited to share in the moment with our kids, and hope to put together a music video project in the coming months that features them.
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