A NOTE FROM ENRIQUE

Hello!

In my family, when hard times hit, we say “aquí no se gana, pero se goza.” It’s a way to make light of the challenges we’re facing. And like so many immigrants who came before us, after we have a little laugh about it, we get to work doing what we can to make things better for ourselves and our community.

The same is true for our team. As professional musicians, we’re no strangers to hard work, and community is everything. So together we weathered the storm that 2020 brought, laughed a little along the way, and kept doing what we’ve set out to do since 2011 — lift up the voices of historically underrepresented youth.

I’m proud to share the results of our work (three big new projects!) and to say that for Art as Mentorship, along with the hardest parts, 2020 was a year of growth. Now, as we find ourselves in an active youth mental health crisis, Art as Mentorship is beginning a second stage fundraising campaign so that we can continue to grow our impact.

I guess what we are saying is we need you. Would you join us in meeting this need for our youth?

All the best,

Enrique Chi

Founder
Art as Mentorship

DIVERSITY MAKES US STRONGER

We are intentional about working with nationally-renowned industry professionals that reflect our young artists’ racial, cultural and gender identities.

Working directly with a diverse group of industry professionals gives our students special access to knowledge held only by those who’ve had success in the music industry.

We care deeply about our students’ physical and mental well-being. Working to make the Art as Mentorship community caring, inclusive and empathetic to all is a top priority of the organization.

  83% of students say AM helped ease stress and anxiety.

 100% said AM has help them feel more confident about their personal creative process.

 100% gained the confidence to publicly showcase their art.

 100% have gained a sense of community through AM.

Help us broaden our artistic horizons!

THE LAB: SMALL SPACE, BIG POTENTIAL

Equipped with professional tools to help young artists gain real-world skills and synthesize their own path to success.

Most young artists don’t have access to professional resources to develop their songwriting in a studio setting. So in 2020, we got to work building The Lab, a music studio in the InterUrban Arthouse in downtown Overland Park, Kansas. The principles behind The Lab are guided by our C.A.R.E. method for empowering students to synthesize their own path to creative and professional success. The Lab will be equipped with professional tools to help young artists gain real-world skills.

The construction is being guided by Scott McEwen, an experienced studio builder who collaborated with the city of Memphis to build Memphis Magnetic studios. The six-hundred square foot space will serve as a proof of concept to demonstrate what a full Art as Mentorship production studio and media lab could do for young artists.

In 2020, Art as Mentorship raised $27,000 toward The Lab, reaching more than 25% of the goal required to complete it. The Lab is scheduled to be completed April 1, 2021 and will begin to host in-person sessions and demonstrations when it is safe to do so.

In the meantime, we offered young artists use of a virtual recording space, where they wrote and performed 14 songs!

OUR APPROACH

Art as Mentorship takes an innovative approach to exploring young artists’ full potential through creativity, mentorship opportunities, and fostering their inherent sense of exploration and achievement.

Our curriculums guide participants through the entire artistic process, building life and career skills as we collaborate through music writing, recording, producing, and promoting — all consistent with modern industry practices. It’s our vision that these skills will project the next generation forward on their personal path to write their own success story.

We C.A.R.E. Deeply

From the initial creative spark, to sharing their art with the world, young artists need a village of mentors and peers to help them find individual success. Art as Mentorship has designed The C.A.R.E. Method to deconstruct the entire creative process in music to include:

 Creation – Harness the fundamental creative spark.

 Alchemy – Find the right elements to make magic.

 Release – Design an intentional plan to share your creation.

 Experiment – Enter the life-long journey of building authentic audiences.

The C.A.R.E. Method is at the heart of all we do as an organization to empower young people, through music, to write their own success story.

We Make W.A.V.E.S.

We are all mentors and students.

Art is imperfect, progress is perfection.

Vulnerability is powerful and to be celebrated.

Encourage those around you.

Self discovery is a worthwhile journey.

Despite the pandemic, our Rebel Song Academy expanded its production in 2020, offering 27 shows/programs for students from across the country. The evolution of our Rebel Song Academy has been bolstered by our ability to virtually connect students directly with a variety of internationally recognized mentors. Our student body grew to more than 263 individuals with 53 of those being out-of-state students. During 2020, fourteen songs were written, performed and recorded in various studios and through virtual recording tools.