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| Anthony, age 8, in Violin Exploration Camp! |
Orientation Writing Prompt
DFMW Writing Prompts
What is your vision statement for your major project?
A vivid website for the youth violin program & everyone else in the world who is interested Detroit, youth, music, youth-made media, music lessons or teaching violin.
What ideas do you have for your major project?
Building a website to support youth from the Capuchin Soup Kitchen participating in the violin
program.
The site would:
*be a fundraising tool for the program
*allow youth to see images of themselves & media content that they helped create on a fancy website
*allow international & local audience to see black youth from Detroit's east side doing positive things-
-creating fine art, playing shows that support social justice community projects, working together,
working hard etc.
*promotes connections between violin group & community organizations that would like to enhance
their events with a performance. Can also connect the group with local musicians or artists that would
like to partner with us.
*supports community economics & an earned income strategy:
1) Youth can advertise services of event performances or workshops to teach people about violin.
2) They can also sell music or media-themed posters/clothing. These could be designed by youth
and/or local artists could create designs and share the profits with us.
*be a resource for youth in the program & anyone learning violin by providing videos that teach violin
skills/recordings of Group Class & Private Lessons. Violin teachers training in the Suzuki Method can
watch these videos; teachers must watch 8 hours of violin lessons observations in order to graduate.
This page may turn into being just a link to a YouTube channel?
*allow an option to expand videos on the site beyond violin to the youth providing How-To media-
making video lessons. Example: "How We Made This Video of our Group Violin Class"
*include a page with links to other Detroit youth organizations (Detroit Youth Media Network &
beyond)
*include a page of links/videos/photos of inspirational musicians such as the group Black Violin that
will specifically support the youth in embracing the identity of being a violinist that can make art as
well as money with her instrument!
*create a forum for people to talk about the vision of economically-challenged youth receiving the
education needed to make money & support community projects through musical performance and
media-making. This may include a teacher forum for those doing this work in other places with
students & cities in similar situations. Teacher, parents, youth and anyone else can share ideas for how
to create & sustain effective programs.
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| Violin & violists from Rosa Parks Youth Program (Conner Capuchin Soup Kitchen) play w/ Invincible, DJ Sicari & Diana Nucera @ Detroit Youth Media Network's December 2011 gathering. |
What are you planning to investigate and how does it support your vision of Detroit’s Future?
I'm planning to investigate other organizations that are trying to make effective music lessons truly accessible to low-income youth (in urban areas). I want to see how their logistic work.
=How do these org.s support parents in getting the students to lessons so that attendance is consistent?
=Does it include organizing free transportation for parents & students?
=Is it possible to implement alternative pedagogies in the context of logistical complications created by lack of funds by the families taking lessons?
=Does anyone have earned-income strategies in which the youth are paid for performances or providing workshops etc.?
=are people using specific teaching methods? (Suzuki method)
=Who in Detroit cares about making sure low-income youth have access to violin lessons?
=Who knows how to provide lessons that result in more opportunities for youth to sustain themselves economically while at the same time getting them involved in the community=supporting and benefiting from an interdependent community-based economics
=strategies to make sure violin lessons feed youths souls with positive learning environments, chances to develop their own personal artistry and being involved in teamwork...
One part of my vision for Detroit includes youth being fully empowered in being able to make money using their violin (or any art), media-making and (event) organizing skills.
What media skills do you need/want for to complete your major project?
=website building
=better knowledge of imovie so i can support youth more in creating videos they can upload to the site. I can also post videos of group & private lessons for the benefit of students, parents and for other teachers to observe.
=knowledge to upload the videos or create a youtube channel
=graphic design knowledge to make a logo (or support from someone else)
=knowledge to have a twitter stream on the site and a blog for students/parents
