Hear Our Voices: Songwriting with at-risk youth

‘Hear our Voices’, an innovative music therapy project aimed at promoting healthy attitudes and behaviors in at-risk youth through the use of a 14-week structured songwriting program, is supported by a $3000 grant from the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association. Music therapists are running this after-school program at the Hancock St. John (H & S) Learning Center, located in the Kensington South area in Philadelphia.  The H & S Learning Center offers after school programming to a culturally diverse student body comprised of African Americans, Arabs, Albanians, Latinos and European Americans.  The songwriting program uses a theme-centered approach aimed at providing the children with a creative outlet for exploration and expression of issues relevant to their lives (violence, gangsterism, family situation, drug use, anger management, school, and peer pressure) and opportunity to collaboratively create strategies for personal safety and success.  At the end of the first 14-week cycle, a CD with the children songs was made and a CD release party was held at the H&S Learning Center.  This exciting event was covered by ABC news and CBS news.

The program ran again at the H&S Learning Center from January 2008 until June 2008. The goal is to replicate this songwriting program in regional community centers that serve at-risk youth.