Everything that Beyond the Bars has built from its beginning was through the leadership of our youth. When we were only teaching in jail our youth advocated that there needed to be community based programming for their siblings other young people. When we began running community based programming our youth built our culture and made our space warm and inviting for other youth to join. Their leadership did not end there as they advocated for the need to have more accessible musical spaces across the city where youth could learn and write music. The student tech team worked to build out our music labs and as the labs were built many of our youth expressed a desire to help launch these programs and support teaching there. They advocated for a Student Teacher Program where they could learn how to teach and mentor others with music
The Student Teacher Program
Each year we work to support a cohort of 15-25 students in how to not just grow as an artist but learn how to teach using social emotional learning and create trauma informed spaces as well as engage in peer mediation. Students in this program come from all over a programs and range in locations from schools to shelters and everything with the main factor being their desire to support others and grow as a leader in their community. Students go through a 9 month course (Spring, Summer, Fall) where they learn how to play instruments, write, record, produce and perform their own songs as well as how to teach others using SEL and trauma informed practices. For their training they receive their own instrument, macbook and recording software and then are paid for a 20 hr a week training throughout the summer. Upon their graduation they begin “student teaching” where they receive after school jobs supporting teachers in running programs for middle and high school youth at programs across the city.
Transitioning from Student to Student Teacher to Adult Teacher
The goal of our Ecosystem of Support Model is to meet youth wherever they are at, bring them into a supportive musical community and then provide platforms for both their leadership and for them to grow towards their goals. We have had student teachers be former students who we met in locations ranging from rec centers, to schools to shelters and everything in between. Student Teachers in our program have been incredible mentors and leaders in our city and many have moved on to become adult teachers and leaders in Beyond the Bars.
Starting Music Programs Where There Were None
