Our Covid-19 Response
Statement of Adaptability
When we had to close the doors to our five after-school programs in March 2020 (McMurray, Wright, Creswell, Antioch Middle, and The Hispanic Family Foundation), our 55 afterschool students were devastated to no longer have access to the safe space they had come to feel so empowered in. Our programs provide all four of the Positive Childhood Experiences a student can receive outside of their home (participating in community traditions, feeling a sense of belonging at school, support from peers, having at least one adult who to takes a genuine interest in them) that can foster resiliency in the face of trauma experienced from Adverse Childhood Experiences. We knew that now, more than ever, we needed to show the youth in our community that they belong, and their voice matters.
We moved all of our after-school programs, as well as our mentorship program to online zoom rooms, and the response was incredible! Students were getting out of bed to engage in their creative process. They found comfort in seeing their friends and adult allies. They were able to continue the journey of building self-confidence by continuing to set (and reach!) goals and take vulnerable risks. We hired one of our teen participants, who is a prolific producer, to lead “production from your phone” workshops using the acclaimed free production program Bandlab for Education, s o students could still participate in the life-changing experience of developing their songs from any device. We even had kids who had originally dropped out of the in-person after-school programs due to transportation issues re-join!
This powerful response from our students inspired us to invest our time and funds into launching all-gender classes free of cost to MNPS students in grades K-12, under our all-gender wing of programming Loudmouth Community Music. We partnered with Music Makes Us and our school district to provide intentional inclusive outreach to the students who need us most, bringing 65 more public school students (50% of whom attend Title I schools in underserved regions of our city) into our creative community.
We are proud to be able to offer what we believe is truly the most accessible and inclusive virtual music education program to students across the socio-economic spectrum.
As we face ongoing uncertainty, we are prepared to continue to adapt to fit the needs of our community.