San Diego CA— U.S. Bank has awarded $5,000 to the San Diego Center for Children’s Music Enrichment Program. The music program empowers youth with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders to overcome the challenges they are experiencing and the obstacles that keep them from achieving their greatest potential. The music program impacts the lives of more than 300 youth served each year on the Center’s main campus in Linda Vista, and this grant will allow the Center’s Academy to continue offering this important curriculum to each student enrolled during the 2018-2019 school year.
The music program is an integral piece to the Center’s holistic therapeutic approach, utilizing music as a tool to promote emotional health, confidence and self-belief, and overall well-being through creative expression. Music activities further allow youth to learn and practice skills critical for everyday life in a fun and supportive environment, such as listening, following directions, taking turns, participating with others, and understanding cause and effect.
Educational opportunities are also a part of the music program curriculum, teaching students about music through lessons in choir and instruments such as drums, ukuleles and xylophones. Students increase their knowledge about music, how instruments work, how to play them, how they can be used as a coping tool and help build emotional intelligence. Music theory can be explored, based on their level of interest and ability. Further, the Center’s Digital Recording Lab allows students to take music production and recording classes for school credit and also creates additional opportunities to discover new interests and talents through music exploration and expression.
Additional components include the evidence-based program, HealthRHYTHMS, which uses drumming as a therapeutic and socialization strategy, fostering support and camaraderie through this outlet of communication and creative expression; and Blues Thursday, a cornerstone activity within the music program, is offered as an “open mic” one-hour session each Thursday, giving students an opportunity to sing, dance, read poetry, and other performance types, in front of a supportive audience of their peers.
Students benefiting from this grant and the Music Enrichment Program attend the Center’s Academy, ages 6-21, who are referred by local school districts because their mental health challenges have impeded their ability to succeed academically. Each student enrolled at the Center’s WASC accredited K-12 nonpublic school has a tailored Individualized Education Program outlining academic and behavioral/emotional goals, along with strategies to promote individual success in identified areas of need.
The San Diego Center for Children’s mission is to protect the joy of childhood, prevent emotional suffering, and incite change.