Fund Musical Resilience for At-Risk Youth!

Dear Supporters,

Thanks to your help with this project, GITC has been able to cover a shortfall in district funding  for our guitar residencies in the continuation and alternative high schools in Los Angeles Unified this winter.  We couldn't have done it without you. This included getting new guitars to both high schools so new groups of students could participate this semester.

The most recent development is that we were asked to participate in a special meeting in which John Hope High School underwent a review to make the grade for official accreditation.  We didn't know what to expect when when we zoomed in.  Schools can become highly stressed when they are under WASC review. But John Hope's inspired leadership looked at this as a communication opportunity. By inviting us into the conversation, it turned the discussion to creating a more meaningful, engaging and relevant educational approach by integrating music for teens in crisis.

The accreditors were so creative, compassionate and interested in how music is helping kids boost their social emotional well being. They were immensely inspired by the relevance for BIPOC students of teaching Blues guitar and songwriting with a focus on the life and music of Muddy Waters. 

So rather than talking about grades and test scores, they started generating lesson ideas and asked us to send them information about our charitable work because they think more high schools need access.Their emphasis on the importance of supporting student identity, resilience, and well-being, especially in light of the impact of the pandemic, is so encouraging.

Thank you for taking a moment to celebrate with us this new sign of good things to come.

With gratitude,

Jess

Links:

• Our website