Our programs for incarcerated youth combine live performance with arts integrated education during transformative residencies at juvenile detention centers in California, Virginia and Washington D.C. Our three day “Use Your Voice” residencies focuses on youth development by providing opportunities to increase self-confidence and overcome traumatic events. Each residency culminates in a joint performance - fusing the youth's words and musical creations with Sound Impact’s live music.
Sound Impact's work with incarcerated youth has shown us firsthand the deeply rooted injustices so many people face, especially pervasive within communities of color. The youth show tremendous courage and resiliency in expressing their stories which are riddled with unimaginable challenges. This has strengthened our resolve as an organization to continue to connect, engage and empower young people around the globe.
We dedicate this video to all the youth who have bravely shared their stories with us and look forward to the day we can be together in person.
Use Your Voice Residencies at Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center
Sound Impact partners with the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center in Alexandria, VA to bring musical engagement and mindfulness practices to JDC scholars. This program is made possible thanks to support from Alexandria Office of the Arts.
National Orchestral Institute + Festival
In June 2019, SI established a multi-year partnership with the NOI+F. Our initial project focused on training the pre-professional Adelphi Quartet to work with incarcerated youth. Through the framework of the “Use Your Voice” residency at DYRS in Washington, D.C., SI worked with the Adelphi Quartet to customize a new curriculum that empowered incarcerated teenagers to find healthy channels to express their voices and expand their perspectives during a three day residency.
Code Listen
In April 2019, SI partnered with Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Shaw Pong Liu in performances with her unique ensemble Code Listen at the Kennedy Center and DYRS, bringing together Boston Police Department officers and family members surviving homicide in a powerful musical performance and dialogue. This was a unique opportunity to see how music builds bridges and what is possible when we work together towards systemic change in the justice system.
“They way they see me is black and uneducated
They blame me without a hesitation
But some people call it discrimination
They said she ain’t nothing but a black little girl that’s a criminal
I see myself as a black intelligent young girl who will get on the right path and wants to make something out of life than being in the hood as they say the streets don’t love you.”