Genuine Voices

Jamie- CASA and EDCO

2011-12-19T01:33:00.000-08:00

I am so glad that I was able to volunteer with Genuine Voices. The kids were overall very respectful and excited to learn music from us and the Genuine Voices members were kind, encouraging, and enthusiastic. It was great to see how much the kids appreciated us coming to teach them music and their desire for us to return. I would love to continue volunteering next semester.

Vitti Thitivongse (CASA&EDCO)

2011-12-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

Both places, CASA and EDCO, were a good experience for me. Even though i didn't help that much for CASA because it was about rap project and everything was settled down. just did some comments and had some talk with the kids there. It was fun. For EDCO, I liked this place. I did some jammin with one kid there and we did some improvisation. Totally great. Moreover, i think it is not only to get new experinece but also this helped me to develop my interpersonal skill and how communicate with others. Thank you

Aaron Lawson

2011-12-13T21:36:00.000-08:00

I just got back from CASA the second time. I have realized that this is a great opportunity given to us as students to help others and really connect with people outside of our school. I personally went to EDCO and CASA. CASA was amazing because us as the students really got to interact with the kids. One of my favorite parts of going to the different locations is being able to watch how others are inspired by music and are inspired to make their own music. Being a musician its always inspiring to listen and watch others create beautiful music. Each individual is so talented and in my opinion are better than some of the modern musicians we hear and listen to today. I want to thank Genuine Voices for giving us the opportunity to work with these individuals.

Casa

2011-12-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

Casa was such a great experience for me! I really connected with one of the kids in particular. He was playing guitar and asked me if I could show him a few things. I was more than happy to help him out and show him a few things that would help him out! We were into the same exact type of music so we obviously hit it off immediately and I taught him a few songs that he loved by Nirvana. He just wanted to know the opening intro of smells like teen spirit but then we laughed as I explained to him that the intro was basically the rest of the song structure. All of the other kids were listening to an instrumental rap beat and writing down lyrics to rap and record. We actually had a bit of a jam going towards the end of our visit at Casa. We had someone play bass and drums as I played guitar and it sounded really good! I could tell that certain kids had the natural feel for music inside them. Overall, the visit went really well despite the bad weather we had a great time and a successful lesson as well!

Emma Hern

2011-12-08T20:39:00.000-08:00

My time at Genuine Voices was fantastic. It was so wonderful to have the chance to reach out to the community and connect through music. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with all the kids. It was refreshing to see their excitement about music. As a musician, it is always inspiring when you are able to connect with others through the power of music. It was a great experience.

Sara Webster (CASA)

2011-12-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

My experience with Genuine Voices has been an incredible learning experience for me. I was nervous about going at first, because I didn't know what to expect, but all of the staff and teens in the facility are great. It was amazing to see how talented the boys were and how much they truly enjoyed getting the opportunity to record their songs. As someone who wants to major in Music Education, this was a wonderful opportunity to get, and I am so glad that I can participate.

Casa

2011-11-20T16:48:00.000-08:00

Wayne Redden

My time at Casa was truly remarkable, I've never had an experience quite like it. It was unbelievable to have the opportunity to reach out to so many great kids with music. Getting to know a few of the kids and hear their story definitely taught me to not be so quick to judge. I wish that every student at Berklee knew about this wonderful program that Genuine Voices has! I hope to stay involved in the program in my time here. Thank you to Hannah, Krystal, Juri, and Ellen for making this all possible.

Adia Oshikoya (CASA)

2011-11-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

My experience so far with this program has been excellent.
The beginning was very challenging knowing that my group was chosen to attend a volunteer organization at a very unusual facility. But as each week goes by I have been able to experience a great deal of change in the boys we have been working with at this facility. With our continued appearance and persistence in teaching them diverse ways to express themselves with music especially as rappers with a lot of heart and harsh backgrounds. I have definetly seen them step out their boundaries and are more comfortable working with us and hearing our ideas as musicians.

I have enjoyed my time so far and I have been planning on continuing this program even as our class ends this semsester.

Jack Underkofler

2011-11-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

The people of EDCO are awesome. They genuinely care about their students and love when people from outside, like us, come and help willingly. They have a great program going on; I think the new music software coming in will encourage students even more to stay after and discover new talents and passions. Hopefully, my group will get a chance to go again and experience teaching these students and learn from them because I'm sure they have just as much to teach us.

Emma Hern

2011-11-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

The staff at EDCO was great. I am thoroughly enjoying my time working with Genuine Voices. It is so comforting to know that their are people using their gifts to better their community. Genuine Voices has embraced the power of music, which is a very powerful thing. It allows us to connect with people and situations that we normally wouldn't be able to connect with. Genuine Voices is helping kids to realize their worth through music. The community should be proud that they have a group like Genuine Voices.

Elisabeth Nevolo

2011-11-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Visiting EDCO was great. The staff was very welcoming, friendly, and helpful, which was nice since we were all visiting a new place. Each of us made a video talking about how we got into music, and we worked on music software that the school would start using soon. Unfortunately none of the students signed up, but I am looking forward to CASA next week to be able to work with people.

Pilgrim

2011-10-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

Jake Feingold
As I stepped into Pilgrim, I noticed a variety of posters and colors on the inner walls of the building. The environment was calmer than I had expected. The kids there, a little younger than I am, at first didn't talk to me, but after some time their interest began to show. They asked me about Berklee and my experience there, what kind of classes I take, and how much practice time I put into my instrument daily- and I gladly answered. While they all had very different tastes, they would ask me if I knew a song and I would hastily try to pull the song together on guitar. They definitely challenged my repertoire. The instrument they all wanted to learn the most was bass, because they said it was probably easier to start learning on 4 strings and not 6. I know that every musician starts with just a spark of an interest and a half-learned song, but that's what eventually develops into a passion, and I am thankful for the experience of enstilling that artistic curiosity in a few people.

EDCO

2011-10-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

After my trip to EDCO, I learned so much about not only others, but myself as well. As I walked in, I immediately came into contact with a kid that looked about my age. He was holding a guitar. He told me he needed help tuning it so I gladly helped him out and got it tuned up for him. After a few minutes, we went into a little practice room that had a piano some chairs in it. He showed me some of the songs he already knew and it turned out that he liked the same music as me! He was really into Nirvana who are a huge icon and inspiration to me. We started talking about all the artists we like and we eventually got into a little bit of music theory. He didn’t know very much, but neither did I so we actually related very well with that topic and how difficult it was for us to fathom.

At some point in the lesson, he was actually teaching me a few songs that I didn’t know and we were having so much fun with it. He eventually had to leave to go take care of something involving work so I just walked around and met a few more people at the school. I met a girl who was very friendly and extremely nice. That is when everything hit me at once. I started to think about these kids and how much they have gone through and how very lucky I am to have what I have. To have a mom and dad waiting for me at hope and paying for my education is such an incredible privilege that I know I don’t appreciate enough.

Overall, the experience made me a better person and musician. I am really glad I had the chance to work with these kids and I know my partner Wayne feels the same.

EDCO Visits

2011-10-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Wayne Redden

My time at EDCO was great. All of the staff there were so kind, and I felt welcomed right from the beginning. I'm glad to say that I helped set up the computers with the software and equipment they need so that the students can record and make music. It was a little troublesome at times, and Hannah and I definitely had to do some troubleshooting to get everything up and running, but it finally got all straightened out. At least a few of the computers will be setup with Mixcraft, I think it is exactly what they need. It's user-friendly and has good audio quality.

I hope that one day I can come back to EDCO and hear what the students are creating. Thank you Hannah, and everyone at Genuine Voices for making my experience truly unforgettable so far. I can't wait to go to Casa next week!

Updates from Casa Isla

2011-09-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Steve Wilkinson

It's been a few weeks since I've posted because things have been super busy, not for a lack of activity at Casa Isla. Every week has been different and great, and I've lost track at this point of which visit was which now that I have been involved for over two months. But I am enjoying myself more than ever, so I'll do my best to summarize my past few visits since my last post.

Now that Oliver has moved on, I've been doing visits regularly on my own, so I've had to divide my time between working in the booth producing beats and recording raps and teaching drums. On the instrumental side of things, some days the kids want to play drums and so I give lessons, and those have been going well. Other days, the kids want to watch me play and so I do more of a clinic for them, or they want to play guitar, bass and piano along with me playing the drums, and so we jam. One time, however, I had enough drummers who were competent to sit down and lay down steady beats on the drums that I actually played bass and guitar to round out the jam. I was extremely impressed that the kids were able to jam (and sound good!) with such limited formal training. The music that they naturally have in them is awesome to get to see and work with.

Most of the time since Oliver left, however, I've been in the booth with the kids. They're usually more interested in making beats, writing raps, and getting it all recorded than playing instruments, and they're talents in this area do certainly exceed those on the instruments. Now that I've been doing several of these sessions alone, I'm catering my time to what the kids want to do the most, and so I've been learning my way around the recording and producing equipment more, which is what Oliver used to do while I was in the instrument room. I must say I've gotten pretty good at producing beats. I've discovered a new side of myself, or perhaps reconnected with one that I've been out of touch with for awhile, but either way I'm thinking of possibly pursuing hip-hop producing outside of these sessions as a piece of my career. I love hip-hop, always have, but nothing has brought me closer in touch with it than working with these kids at Casa. Their passion for it and what it means to them to use their voices and create something that's their own, a vessel for them to express themselves and rise above their unfortunate circumstances, keeps them motivated and positive. A couple of them in particular write very impressive lyrics. Their raps rival a lot of what's on the radio. The two most advanced writers plan on taking what they've recorded in prison and continuing with it to make their own mixtapes for when they get out. They're committed to music keeping them on the right track and getting them where they want to go.

One of the kids performed at the Boston Green Fest on Friday, August 19th. He had both verses of his rap memorized and did a great job delivering them to a beat he had produced himself. Sixteen years old. If he stays on this path, the sky's the limit for him, and his peers who were allowed to get a day pass as well to come support him, were so proud and enthusiastic after he got done performing. Yesterday, my most recent visit, I recorded a seven-minute track with five of the kids each laying down verses, and two of these verses made me do a double take. I listen to a ton of hip-hop, and my standards are high. If a verse is weak, I obviously say nothing. All that matters at the end of the day is that these kids feel like they've achieved something, ride on that high for as long as possible, use that to motivate them to continue being creative and expressive, and feel confident in their abilities to do so. These verses, however, truly blew me away, and these kids knew how real they were as soon as they were laid down. The energy in the room was incredible, and I almost didn't want to leave. Prison.

GREENFEST!

2011-08-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

Krystal Bloom

Friday, August 19th - Work was tough to get through. I was so excited because Friday marked the day when all of our hard work was going to be shown to the public. Three of our students from three different centers had been working for a month (or longer!) putting together their own raps to perform at Boston GreenFest in Government Center.

And then it rained. And rained. And hailed. And rained some more, complete with strong winds, thunder and lightening and GreenFest was all outside under tents. Oh goodness, what an experience.

The equipment that we needed to use got wet, despite the awesome attempts of the GreenFest staff and sound team to keep it dry. It looked like our students would not be able to perform, even though two of them were able to make it. One center was even able to bring some of our other students so they could watch the performance. It would have been so disappointing for many people if the show was cancelled.

Thankfully, it wasn't! One of the sound guys found enough dry equipment for us to use, and the show went on thanks to bicycle power run by three of our students. Despite some nervous feelings, both of the students who performed did so well! I can not accurately describe the pride and joy I felt when I heard their finished products. I felt like we had given them a great opportunity and hope that there will be more opportunities like this in the future.

Here are a couple of pictures of our performers! The student on the right was there for moral support. =)

Latest At Casa Isla

2011-08-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

Steve Wilkinson

This past visit to Casa was different from my other visits in that almost the entire two-hour block was focused on one kid as opposed to many. I did teach a couple of quick lessons at the very beginning, and there was some more good progress considering the shortness of each lesson, but on this particular day less kids were up and about than usual. I guess I can't expect every visit to be hopping with energy. These kids certainly have the right to be tired, whether it's on the days that we show up or not.

Anyway, one kid in particular was interested in jamming with Oliver and me. Oliver played guitar, I played the drums, and this kid played the piano. He didn't have much background on the piano and no knowledge of theory, but his ears were good and he was able to pluck out melodies and form patterns that Oliver and I could latch onto. It created this loose yet organized jam that kept cycling into new material and lasted for practically the entire session. Oliver and I were both very impressed with this kid's raw musicality, and we both had a ton of fun playing with him. He had a lot of fun too, and seemed surprised with our reaction to his ability to come up with these little melodies, some fairly complex, although he didn't know the difference. It was all music to him; he wasn't thinking analytically about it, and that was cool in itself. He didn't think there was anything special about what he had been doing, but Oliver and I told him that many people out there can't do what he had just done, and plenty practice for years trying. This definitely gave him a well-deserved confidence boost, and I hope it will drive him to keep playing, and more with us too!

Another Visit to Casa Isla

2011-08-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

Steve Wilkinson

This past Tuesday I returned to Casa. Although this visit was not quite as eventful as the last one with the road race and all, there were some new students and some more great progress on the drums. My advanced student sat down and immediately started playing the new beat I had given him the week before correctly. I was amazed. One week, and he had it already. We worked on speeding it up, and I gave him more to practice. Clearly he's been practicing and not just playing when I'm there, and I'm very encouraged to see that that is the case. Such enthusiasm to learn and move forward is awesome to see, especially at a place like Casa.

I met a new student who had a lot of energy that needed to be channeled. He told me he's a football player who has some experience on the snare drum from having done marching band when he was younger. He had never played a beat on the drum kit before, so I finally got him to sit down and learn a basic beginner's beat. He had pretty good inherent time, and he knew how to hold the sticks better than most of the kids, but his confidence was pretty low. He felt in his element with football and out of his element with the drums, but I could tell he wanted to be able to play a beat. It took him a bit to put it all together, but he got it and started having fun with it.

Another student who I had met during my last visit sat down and started to play. I had not heard him play the week before; I had only seen him freestyle. He was surprisingly good, and I knew immediately he'd be fun to teach. He had all sorts of rhythm down, he held the sticks well, and he could play several different beats with ease. A diamond in the rough. We jumped right into advanced foot technique, and I taught him a swung gospel/hip-hop beat that involved double strokes on the bass drum with the right foot. We had finally found something that challenged him. He meticulously worked at it at different speeds until he got it, and continued the repetitions, doing the exercises I gave him to make his foot be able to do the double strokes. I was extremely impressed by his patience and persistence. He had one of the most mature attitudes toward learning something hard that I've seen yet. I look forward to seeing where he's gotten with it tomorrow, and to giving him more material.

After finishing up the drum lessons, I got in the booth and helped one of the more advanced rappers with a beat he'd been working on. I rearranged some things and added a bass line, and he started coming up with possible hooks for it. I look forward to picking back up on that project with him; it has the potential to be a club banger. I am truly impressed with all the talent in this facility. One would never guess, and that's the problem. I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with these kids, and the respect seems mutual. When I came in at the beginning of the day, most of them knew me and gave me handshakes, happy to see me again, and the staff too. I feel at home when I go over there, and it only took a few short weeks.

More Beats and Good Times At Casa Isla

2011-08-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Steve Wilkinson

Last Thursday I went over to Casa for my third time. When I got to the pass-go, the police officer told me the bridge was closed from 6:15-8:30 for a road race that was going on. It was 6:15 when he told me this. He gave me the option of continuing since the race hadn't started yet, but he told me I would have to stay probably about 45 minutes late to allow the race to finish before I could leave. I guess since I usually do Tuesdays I didn't get the memo, but everyone else had been called off for this day because of the race and the bridge closing, so I was heading in alone for my first time. I was excited; I had no idea what to expect.

I got there and the kids seemed pretty happy to see me, the ones I knew at least. I was a little late from traffic and then the bridge business, and I guess they had been prepared for no one from Genuine Voices to be there due to the race, so my arrival was unexpected and a pleasant surprise for the kids. I gave one kid a CD of instrumentals that he had requested from last week, and he was very appreciative. I then got right into teaching drums. Since no one was there to do rap sessions, I offered to divide my time between the drums and the booth, but no one could find the key to unlock the safe that had the laptop in it with Garageband and all their projects. Since that was no longer an option, everyone crowded into the music room and I began the biggest drum lesson I had ever taught. Everyone was engaged and wanted to try learning a beat, so I worked with them all switching off and taking turns. While waiting to sit down at the kit, the kids would watch whoever was currently playing, observing how he did the exercises I gave him and how to put the beat together step-by-step, so that when their turn came they would have an idea where to start. They all were picking it up fairly fast; they seemed to really benefit from watching each other. Everyone was involved, learning from each other, feeding off each other's drive, and each making tangible progress, especially my more advanced student from the two times before. I thought that my being alone and still the new guy there might result in a chaotic situation; there was definitely the possibility of little work getting done and things getting out of control. Instead, it was one of the most productive and positive experiences I had encountered there so far. The kids were all having a blast, and each one I worked with was effectively learning to play drums.

Then it turned up yet another notch. The runners in the race started to round the bend down into the courtyard outside the music room and right past the windows where the kids could look out and see them. All the windows were open, and we all had a clear and close view at the runners passing by. I then had an idea to get a drum circle going to provide motivational music to hype up the runners as they passed. I got a tribal beat going on the kit, and I got more and more kids to join in with percussion. It turned into a party. There was a huge response outside; all the runners and people standing on the sides cheering could hear our beat and were looking over at us. They were loving it. Runners started pumping their fists and waving to the kids inside as they passed, and onlookers were dancing. Some of the kids were freestyling, some were cheering and dancing, and others were playing, but all were involved. All people on either side of the prison walls were connected by the beat, and for a few moments, it seemed as though all separation disappeared. It was one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences I've had with music so far.

After all the runners had passed, the festive jam ended and we got back to lessons until the kids were tired out. For the remainder of my time there waiting for clearance to leave after the bridge opened up again, I gave the kids more instrumentals that I had brought in for them to work with for next week (today). We discussed hip hop and traded views on style and flow, and I bonded with several of them, seeing for the first time the line of teacher and friend being slightly blurred. These kids are amazing, and it's a privilege to work with them. What a blessing that that cop let me through after the bridge had closed. I had no idea what was waiting for me on the other side, and I'm glad I didn't turn around when he gave me the option. To see music actually break down barriers as it had that day made a cliche a reality for me, and I can't wait to see what today has in store for me and these kids when I return.

Woodwinds at Pilgrim

2011-08-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Krystal Bloom

July 18th - This was my first Monday returning to the Genuine Voices program after taking two weeks off, and my first Monday returning to Pilgrim Center to teach tenor sax and clarinet to a very bright young man incredibly interested in learning "as much as he could about every instrument." I will refer to him as M.A.

I first met M.A. near the beginning of summer and we started right away with clarinet lessons. Clarinet is a tricky instrument - you have to make sure your fingers are in the right places and that they cover all the holes. You also have the challenge of trying to make a sound on the mouthpiece, which requires attention to how your mouth is positioned. While the clarinet was challenging, M.A. was persistent and focused and was able to play a simple melody (at this point I forget exactly what that was) by the end of the session, without pausing between notes - though he did have some intonation problems which are typical for people just starting out on a reed instrument.

The next week, I brought in a tenor sax. As soon as I brought it out of the case and handed it to him and helped him put it together, his face lit up and he looked very eager to try it. Tenor sax is quite a bit different than clarinet (easier, perhaps, as you have no holes to cover with your fingers) and M.A. found it quite challenging to adjust. We started to work on the Star Wars theme and, while a challenging selection, M.A. worked through the first few measures until he could play them without causing the notes to squeak or crack.

During another session, we took a bit of a side trip and talked about books. It turns out, M.A. and I read and enjoy the same genre and have read many of the same books! It was quite a special experience to be able to have something to talk about outside of music, to show that we could relate to one another in more than just notes and rhythm.

Fast forward to July 18th. I had only had the opportunity to work with M.A. twice more after the time I first brought the sax in, because some days were just off days for him and he did not feel like attending a music lesson. But on July 18th, we were able to work more on the tenor sax.

M.A. showed quite an interest in how the keys on the sax worked together. He played around with keys and observed which ones went down when he pressed only one key and how the rods moved when certain keys were pressed. It was endearing to see how much interest he had in the mechanical side of the instrument.

We worked more on Star Wars and M.A. did not have as many problems as he was having in the beginning. While it took some time to work out the transitions between notes, he was able to adjust faster and fix the squeaks and cracks more efficiently. For the next time I see him, I have plans to work on intonation and how to listen for correct tuning.

More Progress On the Drums At Casa Isla

2011-07-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

Steve Wilkinson

I returned to Casa Isla this past Tuesday to continue teaching drums, this time meeting Ali and Oliver there now that I knew the way. I arrived right before the hall filled up with kids. When they came in, I saw some familiar faces and greeted them by name. I was happy that they recognized me too and gave me a variety of handshakes. I met some new kids since last time as well, and a couple were inclined toward the drums. The energy level was high this time, and you could tell our work was cut out for us. Kids were coming and going fairly quickly, enthusiastic about participating but not staying focused for too long. It took a bit to rein them in, but once a couple of kids got focused I was able to teach them each a lesson. Each one really got what I was demonstrating for them and connected with the concepts. They each went in one lesson from aimlessly messing around out of time to playing a steady, consistent beat incorporating multiple limbs all at once. I was proud of them. One of the students in particular kept getting mad at himself when he couldn't quite do it or when he almost had it then messed up. I reassured him that most people take a lot longer to learn this kind of thing, that it doesn't happen right away, and that he's doing really well. These words of encouragement helped him relax, then he finally got it. He was so happy when it clicked, and I could see the anger drain out of him completely. This big guy was as happy and harmless in that moment as anyone could possibly be, and it felt great to see that transformation. I really look forward to working more with him.

A lot of the kids this time wanted to work on their raps and beats in the booth with Oliver, so I joined him in there when there were no kids interested in playing drums. I got to see a couple of really talented rappers and give them input, either on the production aspect or on the lyrics and flow. One kid in particular had a piece of a great hook written and was looking to complete it. I was really impressed with the rhythmic complexity of his writing. It was some advanced stuff, and it just come naturally to him. I look forward to hearing more of him and hopefully getting a chance to work more on the beat; there's some serious potential there, and he's a great kid. My advanced drum student from last week was having some trouble focusing in the booth with his rapping and was stuck on darker, more negative lyrics, which are discouraged. He finally had to leave the booth to make room for other rappers who were going to be more productive and positive.

When he got out, he came into the music room with me and started venting his frustrations. He was very agitated, a bit of a loose cannon, and I knew I had to take his mind off the rap session fast before he got out of control. So I got him to sit down at the drums and pick up where we left off last week. He started by not really trying, still angry and fixated on not getting to rap what he wanted to rap. He finally focused on the drums, and we got back to the syncopation hump we were trying to get over last week. I gave him a couple of angles to come at it from, and we found the one that worked. He was all of a sudden doing the one thing he couldn't do last week, and he was doing it steadily and consistently. I was extremely impressed with the speed of his progress, and his success here took his mind off the disappointment of earlier in the booth, two birds one stone. When I left, he was in much higher spirits, and I felt like the day had been a great success despite some stress and chaos. I can't wait to see what happens this coming week, and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to work with these kids.

First Drum Lesson for Genuine Voices at Casa Isla

2011-07-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

Steve Wilkinson

This past Tuesday was my first time teaching for Genuine voices. I went with Oliver to Casa Isla to teach drums and met some of the kids that he had been working with. Some were playing cards, some were watching TV, and some were eager to play music as soon as we arrived. I was quite impressed with the bonds Oliver had formed with several of these kids; they were truly happy, even excited, to see him. I looked forward to getting to know them myself, by helping them as Oliver had been doing and continues to do. For now though, I was the new guy, and I tried to be as open and friendly as I could be as Oliver introduced me to everyone. I was a little shy at first, but it didn't take long for me to adjust and get comfortable.

I was introduced to one kid in particular who had a knack for music and especially the drums. Oliver persuaded him to come take a drum lesson with me in the music room after I had a chance to fix up the drum set a bit. We shook hands and I asked him to play something for me. He replied by asking me to demonstrate something on the kit first. I tried to tell him it wasn't about me but rather about him and I wanted to see where he was on the drums, but he insisted so I sat down and played a little bit. When I finished, he remarked that he couldn't do any of that, and I told him that was fine. I just wanted to see what he could do, and we'd take it from there. He played a fairly simple beat, but with solid, inherent time. I was impressed that with no musical training he was able to put a whole beat together and keep the time steady. I was also able to observe his limitations at the same time and identify some areas we could work on for him to improve and move forward. I complimented him on his time and he modestly tried to deflect the compliment. I could tell he wasn't used to words of encouragement much outside this program, and that saddened me. So much potential, but no one there to nurture it, to support it. It only made me more eager to work with him, and with others too. It was in that moment that I fully realized how important it was for me to be there, and how important a program Genuine Voices truly is.

I sat back down at the kit and showed him a new rhythm and how to put it to a beat. He sat down and was able to mimic it really well. There were certain coordination limitations that are lifted only through time practicing the drums, and often training, which prevented him from playing all the parts of the beat simultaneously. He was able to make his own beat out of that rhythm, however, and he was able to keep it steady enough to provide the time for a jam with Oliver on guitar and another kid on bass. I was very impressed with how the kids were listening to each other and cooperating to make music together. They were really engaging, and with great enthusiasm. I grabbed a djembe and kept the beat going while my newest drum student tried some drum fills. There was one moment where he did an awesome fill all the way around the kit, ending on a big crash cymbal hit, and then resumed the beat right in time, without skipping a beat. I let out a "Yeah man!" while looking at him, and this giant smile lit up his face. It was the first time I saw him smile like that, the first display of confidence and enjoyment in what he was doing. That made the whole day worthwhile, and that made me so excited to continue and return the following week.

After a more in-depth lesson in syncopation and hand-foot coordination with him and before I left, I got a chance to meet some other kids and see them drum as well as play piano and learn guitar and singing with Ali, who was also great with the kids, keeping them engaged and focused. I got the chance to meet another kid who Oliver was working with to help produce a beat on Garageband for his rap, which was really good. He may even perform it at the Boston Greenfest, we'll see. I can't wait to come back on Tuesday and continue working with these kids. This first experience was an awesome one, a window into all the hidden potential behind those walls. All they need is for someone to believe in them and care enough to help, and that's where Genuine Voices steps in.

Spring Break Visit to Genuine Voices

2011-03-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

This spring break, a friend and I organized a trip to Boston to learn more about music therapy and how music can be used as a medium to effect medical and social change. This was a civic engagement trip sponsored by Princeton University where a group of 8 of us visited various hospitals, universities, and community organizations and learned about the subject or did volunteer work. During this trip, we had the opportunity to visit Genuine Voices facilities around Boston and observe and participate in these sessions.

On Tuesday, two of our group members and I went to the Casa Ilsa revocation facility for released juvenile offenders with Oliver. Before any music therapy session even began, I was struck by the bond that Oliver had with the boys at Casa Ilsa, as he greeted by name and chatted with every boy playing basketball at the entrance.

There were three boys with whom which Oliver had been working closely over the last few months. One of them was a boy who was very much into rapping. Oliver told us about how rapping gave him an outlet to express the troubles he had no way of expressing before, and how their relationship had changed over the months as he became more and more open. That night, Oliver was working with him to prepare for a recording of all the work they had collaborated on. Oliver also taught another boy the fundamentals of using a drum set, which the boy found really intriguing to play with. I noticed that these boys had more confidence in their speech than others, as Oliver described to us earlier.

When a third boy entered the room, I asked him if he wanted to play some piano, and he was quite eager to. We taught him the right hand of Amazing Grace, offering him key and fingering help, and lots of encouragement on the way. I was surprised at how fast he was able to learn Amazing Grace, especially with no musical background prior to Genuine Voices. Moreover, I was amazed at the degree of concentration he had when it came to the piano. He was able to sit a full hour at the piano, attending to the repeated motor movements and intent on perfecting the piece. Not once did he mention any negative comment or even gaze away. We helped him work on his Fur Elise, which became markedly better as the hour went by. I could sense that learning these songs over the weeks had some effect on their self esteem and allowed them to feel a sense of self-accomplishment. Later, I also started teaching the beginning of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. We kept on going until it was time to leave. I was surprised that two hours had passed so quickly, and was quite disappointed to have to say bye to him.

I wish I could have gone to more Genuine Voices sessions so that I could work more closely with the boys over a longer time period, but it was a pity that scheduling issues made it not work out. Genuine Voices is an incredible program for these youth, and I hope that it will have opportunities to expand to post-DYS programs in the coming years.

- Ruey Hu

DYS Experience

2010-12-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

Samm Singer-

I had a lot of fun teaching with Genuine Voices. I feel like I did something important with my first semester at Berklee. I realize I only taught these boys 4 times, but seeing how happy it made them made me really happy too. I’ve done community service before and I’ve felt accomplished because I helped my community. But I’ve never helped people one on one. It’s a different kind of feeling because I know I’ve personally affected someone’s life in a positive way. The last time i went was sort of bittersweet. I knew going into it that it would be my last time going. I couldn’t decide whether or not to tell whichever boy we were teaching. I decided I wouldn’t and I’d just see how the lesson went. One of the boys we taught had said he’d been learning “Boston” (kind of ironic) by a band called Augustana. He played it for us and it sounded really good. One of the staff there told me that every time he walked by the piano that day he sat down and played until someone told him he had to get up. That was really nice to hear. It was nice to know that he wanted to learn and practice in his free time. I decided to teach him one last song before i left. He learned it pretty fast and we practiced together. He seemed so interested in learning quickly so he could learn the whole thing. Time was up and we had to leave, I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know if I should tell him we wouldn’t be seeing him again or if that would make him angry or feel something else. I think I thought he’d feel like we were abandoning him and everyone or that we were only there because we had to be. But I was there because I wanted to be, we all had the choice to not go. I wanted to help, and I feel like I did. It was a really good experience and I’d do it again. I’m glad I did it.

Lessons at DYS

2010-12-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

Ryan Jordan

I was not able to attend the first session at DYS because my form had not gone through yet, but I was able to go the second time. When we arrived to teach, we got all of the instruments out of the locker, not knowing how many boys would be there or what they would want to play. When they got there, there were several boys present. At first we participated in a drum circle for about five minutes, and then each student broke off to learn their own instrument of choice. One of the boys wanted to work on a laptop with some beats that he had previously made. I helped pick different sound effects for the beat, and when he found a problem with one of the sections, I helped him change it. After this session, the rest of the teaching sessions took a different route, and we usually taught one child per session. The lesson was a lot more laid back too, and we went between call-and-response jams, free jams, and playing on a song that one of the boys knew. Some of the time I played piano on top of the drums that the boys were playing, and some of the time I played the hand drums over one of the boys playing piano. Whether we were teaching or just jamming, I found all of the sessions to be productive.

teaching at DYS

2010-12-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

First time I wen to DYS with Mathilda and Francisco.Hanna also were at this place so she showed us and explained everything.There were three boys probably of the same age as I am.All the time we spent together with Mathilda.Before the class we put all our stuff into one of the rooms and the guy who was working there closed it.Then we brought all the instruments into a teaching room(there are 3 small rooms,something like that)-guitars,keyboard and drums.Then all the boys came in.First of all we got to know each other.Then we started to teach.Two of the boys stayed with Francisco at this room ,playing drums(veryyyyyy loud).Mathilda and I stayed with the other guy teaching him piano.He got everything pretty fast.Time flew very fast so after an hour of teaching we left and another group came in.

Second time I went to DYS with Hannah.It was very different from the first time.First of all because we were teaching just one guy.He composed a song and wrote down the chords with the red marker on the white paper. He showed it to us. And he decided to practice a little bit more ,because after that we went to record it in garage band. Hannah helped him a lot with the transitions as a piano player,so after a couple of minutes we started to work with the computer.Before the practicing we asked him what instrument he prefers keyboard or piano.He chose the piano,saying that he loves the real sound. I left after an hour and Hannah stayed for some more time.

Anastasia

Great Experiences at DYS

2010-12-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

The first time at DYS Taylor and I entered the room led by Hannah and in it were Oliver and Francisco. Oliver was teaching this kid about our age guitar. And in the corner were these two boys about the same age working on a song on garage band on a laptop with a midi keyboard. We quickly introduced ourselves and then just started helping them with their project. They wanted to add a drum beat to the song so I jumped right in and helped them. Then I taught them how to quantize the whole song so it would sound more on time. Hannah then took us in the other room to show us the locker and office. I was considering putting my phone in the locker, but I didn’t feel threatened so I held on to it, but it on silent so that the boys wouldn’t hear it and maybe hurt their feelings. We then went to the kitchen to get some water and then this woman who worked their made us a whole pitcher to bring in to the room for everyone. Next we went back into the room and Taylor and I helped add a bass line to recording while Francisco and Oliver jammed with the one boy. Hannah took one of the boys working on the garage band song to learn some piano in the other room. A man came in to give out chips to the boys. They seemed delighted. Soon Oliver and Francisco left so Taylor and I took over. The two boys working on the garage band song went into the other room with Hannah to add some live rap recording to the song. Taylor tried teaching the one boy some guitar parts while I watched and kept tempo with a drum from time to time. I also chimed in with Taylor when the boy got something right and would help encourage him. Then I went to watch the two guys recording their rap. When I walked in they were spitting curse words left and right which I thought wasn’t aloud, but I guess it was ok cause it was a song. Then it was time to pack up and the boys fought a bit with Hannah cause they wanted to finish the song. She gave them 5 more minutes and then I helped them pack up. When I went into the other room I saw the boy Taylor and I had worked with, arguing with the head of the center. He had taken an extra bag of chips without asking. His argument was that he had done more community service than everyone else that past week so he deserved it. I felt bad about the situation, but noticed that he was so relaxed when we were teaching him until it was time for him to go back to his room.

The next time I went, Taylor wasn’t there to help me work with the same boy, but I came somewhat prepared with the first page out of a drum rudiment book. He took some time to figure out each one (fairly easy stuff to grasp), but seemed to gain some confidence from each one so that was successful. After he wanted to mess around with the midi keyboard in garage band in the other room on the laptop. It took Hannah and I took a few minutes to figure out how to get the keyboard working. The boy would become uninterested here and there, but once we figured it out he started messing around. Before I knew it, it was time to go.

The week after we got there and Francisco and Oliver were teaching the boy drums. Then they left and I started teaching him some more drums. I brought him some reading material. One page was of some harder stickings and then two pages out of a reading book. I was hoping to get him to learn a duet on the 2^nd page of reading that I brought. I will have to try again next week because after about 10 minutes he got tired of drums and wanted Jairus to teach him Violin. I sat aside and watched as he quickly picked up “Twinkle twinkle little star”. Shortly after learning the song, the boy wanted me to learn the song. The best part about it was as he handed me the violin and bow he was showing me how to do everything and how to play the song! Just five minutes ago he was learning how to hold a violin and play a song, but now he became the teacher. He was really stoked about being able to play it that he went into the other room to show Hannah. She was proud of him and played along with him on piano. Soon after that it was time to go.

When we got there on our last day, Oliver was working with one kid on bass and Hannah was working with another boy on piano. She was teaching him the song “Boston” by Augustana. He got it down pretty tight so we decided to all jam as one big group. I got on a djembe, Oliver on bass, the one boy on keyboard, Taylor on guitar, Jairus on Violin, and Brian on a snare drum. We started off rough, but eventually got it going pretty well. Soon the boy we have been teaching weekly walked in and followed along on a drum. After going through the song, some people switched up instruments. Oliver left so Jairus played bass and Taylor sang, while the boy played guitar. At one point the boy started playing “Play that funky music” which Taylor had taught to him the first time we ever met. Finally it was time to go. When we were packing up the boy was trying to play paradiddles on a drum. He eventually figured it out and got it really tight and fast. In the end he learned a lot from us and was very grateful for visits.

-Sander Bryce

Voicings with Genuine Voices

2010-12-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

I went to the DYS facility for four sessions, teaching music to a couple of different boys. We went on the T outbound on the orange line to the brick house where the DYS facility was. Normally we started the sessions with just talking to the boys. We talked about anything, of how their day had been or what their favorite music was. Mostly the focus was on them; they did not ask too many questions about us. When we started it always took a little while before the boys fully could concentrate. Although, it normally got better after a while. The first two sessions we taught more than one boy at a time. This resulted in the boys having a hard time concentrating. Often they commented on how the others were doing regards playing their instruments, which created a charged atmosphere. Except for this it was nice playing with more than one boy at a time. With more we could create more sound and have more fun together.

When teaching someone new to the subject it is very important that you as a teacher are considerate, respectful and understanding that everyone learns at different paces. My classmates broke the instruction to pieces, going though these at a slow tempo, so that the boys clearly could understand all the parts. Once an instructor tried to teach one of the boys a chord progression of four chords. The boy got three of them perfectly, but had trouble getting the last chord. After a little while of struggling, the instructor just exchanged the chord to another one that the boy understood. This resulted in the boy not feeling that he had failed, which was good. The boys in general were very positive and engaged conducing to a good creative environment.

I am very happy that I got the chance of working with these boys through Genuine Voices. I has given me a lot, and I hope that I have given the boys something!

Mathilda Karlsson

DYS visits

2010-12-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

Brian Plautz
I'm proud to have had the opportunity to teach these music lessons. I started with an observation session. I watched as students at the Elliot facility made beats on garage band and recorded rapping over the instrumentals. The next visit was essentially a jam session. All of the visiting Berklee students manned their instruments and we simply played what we felt with the student present. During this visit we did some call and response, exercising rhythms and aural memory. The final visit was similar to the second. One student was on piano. The other was on various drums. We collectively played the song 'Boston' and other pop songs. There was a lot of communication going on musically.

Great Experience In DYS

2010-11-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

Su Jin Lee

First of all, I have to say this "Yes, I was nervous and had no idea what to do as much as you." I appreciate to my teacher who gave us a chance to observe teaching before we started. We had one observing session. We observed the other Berklee students who have had a teaching experience there. They showed us how to teach the kids. Then, I got an idea and confidence how to deal with it. After the observing session, my group, which has two more class mates taught the kids. Sometimes we taught only one kid, but sometimes we had to teach four. There is no plan who gonna be taught. Of course, it is hard to prepare teaching materials, but you would enjoy the random students. In my second teaching session, the student wanted to learn how to play piano for the song "If I ain't got you" by Alicia Keys, but I could not teach him. I did not know how to play it with piano. I am a singer. I can play piano and guitar a little bit, but I am not a great player. We just played different song instead of it on that day. I felt bad to him, so I practiced the song as soon as I got back home for the next session. Next week, I was excited to teach the song, but I could not see him. It happens. However, I met other students and played around with different kinds of instruments : Guitar, Bass, Piano, and Percussion. It was really fun. Before I started to teach, I was worrying a lot. However, it is not like formal teaching. It is more casual. More like playing. In my last session, there were six teachers and one student. We played all together and made beautiful music. That is the magic of the music. We did not prepare anything. We did not play a particular song. We just created music and communicated with music.

Our amazing Genuine Voices Crew!

2010-10-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Juri. I am so thankful for Genuine Voices crew!
I am right now 38 week pregnant and taking things easy, but GV crew are all volunteer based
yet working much harder than any paid employees in the world!!

I thank every one of our crew to help out the growth of Genuine Voices.

Sometimes it is hard to measure if our hard work is getting paid off or not.
But I am certain every one of GV crew who commit their time tirelessly
and contribute their time and effort to help community through GV are making
a huge difference in a community in a long run!

Bigger achievement is harder to major in short period of time but I have a faith
someday Genuine Voices work will be recognized and be able to touch more youths who
need our love and attention through music!

10/16 (Sat) 2:30-3:15 PM Passages Conference at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA

Oliver Jacobson, Hannah Slater and Eileen Esposito presented their paper.

A Music Therapy Approach to Music Mentoring with Incarcerated Youth in Juvenile Detention

Presented by

Oliver Jacobson, Hannah Slater and Eileen Esposito

Drawing from their work with "Genuine Voices", Oliver Jacobson, Hannah Slater and Eileen Esposito

share their experiences teaching music in various Bostonian Juvenile detention facilities, and how music therapy techniques, evaluations, and assessment tools have been integrated into the program to foster positive musical and behavioral change.

2010-08-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Eating with Jennifer in the Caf. one day a girl next to us said “Hey Hannah, I know a woman who’s teaching music in the Detention Center.Would you want to help?” I can’t really describe what I felt when she said that. Other than a sense of happy urgency, as though something so meant for me, so menat for me that it was almost myself, was calling me to come and I needed to listen. Three days later Jennifer and I were waiting for Juri Ify in Starbucks across from the 150. Eight years ago, as a student in Berklee, Juri started a collaboration between Berklee and the Boys and Girl’s clubs in which students went to teach the kids music. Last month they celebrated the installation of a 60K dollar recording studio and a finished music facility. Juri began programs like this throughout Boston and even in Washington State. On the side Juri models, plays piano for the Boston Ballet, is the music director for a Boston Theatre company, accompanies for a local choir, teaches 100 private students weekly lessons through a music studio, makes and sells jewelry, knits while doing sit ups, and that’s all I can remember right now. However, this wasn’t enough for her so she decided to start a non-profit organization called Genuine Voices.

That’s where I come in.

When this tiny little Japanese woman arrived and sat at the table with us my life changed. Her passion beamed soberly from her eyes and I wondered if I could really be of any help to her. I wondered what it was like in the Juvi, and what the boys were like. She told me about how she’d worked in maximum security teaching groups of 10 boys and how it’d become so stressful was vomiting blood and had to stop. She told me precious stories of changed lives and her love for the boys. I told her I wanted to go, wondering what in the world I was doing.

A couple days later I was on the T (the subway) headed to the “other” part of town. Juri met me at the station and walked me across the street to the massive building of brick.

We walked to a black metal door and pushed a button on an intercom. A creeky stairwell met us inside and we climbed it to another locked door. The second floor is the school area which is surprisingly warm and inviting. As soon as I stepped inside the nervousness was gone and I sat with a little boy. A tiny little boy stuck in a sixteen year old body, and topped with a 3 foot afro. I’ve met most of the 20 resdents now and have yet to meet one that’s not a little boy inside. When I’m with them I wonder about their mothers and how it can be that I am the one allowed to be with them right then. I wonder how in the world such a rotten thing could have taken place. I get angry at evil and at whatever led to a childhood spent in such a place. I hate to be let out of those latched doors and see them knock on the little window from inside and wave, peering out of their 40,000 sq. feet of reality, into a forbidden world. Stepping onto the sidewalk is a privilege they don’t have. It’s so strange. But the center is a wonderful place. There are so many amazing staff personnel there and I’ve been deeply touched time and time again by watching their interactions. It’s beautiful. I respect them so deeply and love them for what they do. My first few visits to Eliot, (the Center) I spent giving private piano lessons.

t was amazing to see the talent in some of these boys and I slowly became addicted to the moments of enlightenment and victory, particularly with the ones who were easily angered or discouraged.

Since then my time there has evolved into 2, two hour, group sessions every week which I lead with a fellow student named Oliver. We’re easy to point out of the chaos there, I’m the homeschooled blondy, and he’s the little vegan “Cracker.”

(Above is: Ai - who will be helping us in the spring, Juri, Me and Oliver, waiting for his Veggie Burger...

which was well worth the wait)

Here are some stories:

Harrison: Harrison is 16 years old and was convicted for armed robbery. He caries a large wispy afro that rocks with his stride. The other boys show clear respect for him, although he’s not as big as most of them. He often talks about his family and his grandfather who died recently. This has thrown him through some hard times, being stuck “inside” through that process.

Big Jimmy: Big Jimmy is about 250 pounds of bulk reaching over 6 feet high and looking out over the world from a gentle baby-face. He’s slow to speak and usually quiet when he does. His ambition is to become an airplane steward so he can see the world. One day I told him there was a beautiful sun beam in the hallway. It had to come through the directors office and to the hall through a small window, but it was warm and a fiery orange. He came and stood in it with his eyes closed and we just enjoyed it for a moment. I wondered how long it'd been since he'd been outside.

With his thick hands I don’t know how he’s been able to play piano but he’s picked it up with unprecedented endurance, and over just 4 months is reading chord symbols. He started out with an attention span of what felt like 2 seconds and has wound up spending hours on the piano working on just one phrase. When he improvises his phrases have a beautiful melodic couture. Here are some quotes from a note he wrote to me:

“You have opened my perspective on life and shown me that there is more to life than hanging out and getting in trouble. Thank you for your gratitude and patience in teaching me.”

S: S is a broad shouldered bright eyed young man with a beaming smile and good eye contact. S’s ambition in life is to become a social worker and work with troubled youth. He’s attending the Bible studies at the prison and is very respectful and open. S played saxophone in middle school because his brother had one, but he wished he could play the violin. S is remarkably musically inclined in percussion, guitar and bass. He picks up instructions quickly and respectfully responds to our authority. Oliver brought in a violin for him to try and within the first hour he was playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He’ll be released back into society while I’m on break so Oliver is working to start an After DYS music program so we can keep in touch with him. I think he was teary when I said it was my last time to be there with him.

Oliver and I are the only ones working at Eliot right now but we are to begin scheduling other students to come in and help us. We hope to be teaching at more facilities in the Spring. Juri titled me Director of Outreach for Genuine Voices and I’m responsible for bringing groups in to share with the boys. My first act as took place last Friday. It was a bitter night and I walked down Massachusetts Ave with a trail of 17 Berklee students close behind me. The excitement and joy and gratitude I felt for those students and in anticipation of the night was almost sacred. The students were members of the Berklee Concert Choir, and the Woman of Peace choir, which is composed of 50 women from 42 countries and sings songs from various cultures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4mNnSyAPa4

The members of the choirs sacrificed almost 3 hours of their Friday night the week before finals to come and minister to these boys in a strange, scary place. When we arrived at the center, they sang their souls out for, and with the boys, breaking out into spontaneous hymns and carols. One of the staff members said “I’ve never seen some of these boys light up like this! It’s almost scary!”

To wrap up the semester we wanted to put on a performance as a band.When we arrived and started preparing they were mumbling “I aint doin none of that performance shit!” (excuse my language) and I argued for a few minutes with Big Baby about weather or not he’d do it. I felt like a proud mom when those boys played the whole way through the form in front of their peers and the staff. After we played two rhythmic pieces we just jammed on different progressions. I can’t believe they’ve gotten to the point that we can jam!

~Hannah Slater, Genuine Voices Program Director

Welcome to the Genuine Voices Blog!

2010-08-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Our mission is to teach music, musical composition, and computer-based music “sequencing” to youths in juvenile detention centers and other educational and institutional settings across the United States and Worldwide.

We believe that by fostering their musical abilities and skills we can assist youths in their ability to make positive life decisions.

Our program aims to provide youth with the experience of planning and creating finished music productions. We also wish to help juveniles discover the world through participation in cultural events, travel and by inviting musicians to perform.

Please leave a comment about our organization, we'd love to hear your thoughts.