Music Arts Program
Our music workshops include classes in guitar, keyboards, drums and other percussion instruments, as well as music appreciation, record engineering and producing. The young artists are guided in their careers as their original music is developed. We bring them to professional recording studios where they can create demos of their songs. Also, through music mentoring, Create Now is able to match aspiring young musicians with professionals, opening new doors for troubled youth.
Featured Program: Rockin' to a New Beat
Bayfront Youth & Family Services´ residential program in Long Beach provides an intensively structured rehabilitative environment for those adolescents aged 11-17 who have not been able to be treated in existing community care facilities within Los Angeles County, as well as other counties outside of Los Angeles. This program services those emotionally-disturbed adolescents identified by the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, Children and Youth Services Bureau as needing an intensive mental health treatment setting.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Redducs Foundation, Create Now has brought a 12-session Guitar Workshop to selected Bayfront youth.
Mike Madariaga, guitar instructor with The Music Factory of Orange County and an MIT graduate, jumped on board to teach the workshop. He had always wanted to work with youth who may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn. "Music has changed my life. I feel it is important, and for a long time its been one of my goals to 'give back' and teach music to those in need."
Create Now took eight of our electric guitars inside their cases to Bayfront where Mike gathered for the first meeting. The youth delighted in opening the cases, each clutching the guitars for the first time. "Mine is blue!" declared Andrea. She has continued the program enthusiastically. "Andrea will do great," according to Brandon Harrison, Activities Counselor/Rehabilitation Therapist at Bayfront. "She takes the guitar to the room and practices."
Featured Program: Strumming From the Heart
Since 1856, Maryvale in Rosemead has been serving abused, neglected, abandoned and orphaned girls, ages 6-17. Placed here by the courts and government agencies, these children are in desperate need of intensive residential-based services. Many of them often suffer from the effects of numerous failed placements in foster and other group home facilities.
Thanks to the Redducs Family Foundation, Create Now teaching artist Kalla Vavra works one-on-one with four Maryvale girls, helping them to learn acoustic guitar. Kalla has been playing acoustic and electric guitar for 12 years. She is also an accomplished saxophone, drum, bass, piano, and saxophone player. She graduated with a degree in Music Theory/Composition from Whitman College.
During our 12-week Guitar Workshop, the girls are becoming skilled in playing chords and developing songs. They're also preparing to go into the Create Now Recording Studio next month. Some of the songs they have in mind are "The Show" by Lenka and Coldplay's "Yellow." Even more ambitiously, they are writing their own songs!
Read About Some of Our Previous Featured Music Programs
Jazzing Up the Lives of Troubled Kids
Mentoring Through Music
Music Days with Mark Schulman
Music Days at Upward Bound House
A Beat of their Own at Upward Bound House
Guitar Workshop at Optimist Group Home
Special thanks to the sponsors of our music program:
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Northrop Grumman Foundation and the Good News for Kids Foundation. We're very grateful to all of our sponsors.