Creative Music Multimedia Classes and Workforce Development

Access to tech and creative industry employment

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

According to a 2023 study conducted by the McKinsey Global Institute, 30% of the hours currently worked across the US economy could be automated by 2030. The Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that those most likely to be impacted by automation will be in occupations requiring the least amount of education and training. Due to systemic racism and the inequitable distribution of resources and educational opportunities, these occupations are overwhelmingly held by people of color, especially youth, and those impacted by the justice system. 91% of residents in our service area are Latinx, and 6% are Black. Racial inequities are directly related to economic inequities. Unsurprisingly, 40% of households are extremely low income, 35% very low income, and 20% low income. In short, a system already stacked against marginalized and economically disadvantaged populations is on track to create greater, and quite possibly impenetrable barriers to success for people in the communities we serve.

We deliver tuition-free, weekly music and media arts classes directly to 5,200+ underserved students, removing systemic geographic and economic barriers that would otherwise likely impeded participation. In-school programs nurture creative self-expression and utilize music making and media technologies that provide foundational skills. To expand and deepen programing, the YMF Center for Music and Creative Technologies in Historic South Central LA was completed in January. It features a state-of-the-art media arts lab, audio/video recording studio, and soundstage. Tuition-free classes, open to the community, include filmmaking, video and audio production, songwriting, and instrumental music.
We plan to launch a media arts workforce development program. This is a paid internship program that will provide hands-on experience in all aspects of media production. Our Advisory Council, composed of professionals from companies including Sony, Catchlight Studios, Crewvie.com, Capitol Records, and Riot Games advises on program content, mentors trainees, and opens doors to employment opportunities at their respective companies.
Studies state that creative jobs will not be significantly threatened by Generative AI and automation. In fact, they will become more democratized as jobs that require highly specialized skills and intensive training will be replaced by new technologies, placing a premium originality and creative vision, like those who complete our programs

We hope to serve significantly more in-school students and YMF Center-based participants. We hope to add CCP classes in video animation and television studio production, while also deepening our current roster of classes so students can progress to greater levels of skill acquisition and creative expression. We hope to double the number of workforce development trainees, from 12 to 24.
We hope to become a haven where successful futures begin and a center for restorative justice through equal access to the arts and workforce training. Next year, we plan to reach 6,000 under-resourced systems-impacted youth. We will expand our community impact by providing up to 350 community members with tuition-free CCP classes, workshops, concerts and workforce training. With our healing-based curricular approach, we will build community-wide mental health and wellness, create opportunities for success in future life, and remove the barriers to full participation in civic life.

YMF utilizes pre- and post-assessments designed to measure knowledge in core Visual and Performing Arts Standards. Assessments are delivered at the start and end of programs; data is then aggregated and used to measure change by class, grade, and school site. YMF uses grade-level appropriate Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) core standards to measure impact. The assessment tools help guide Teaching Artists in the intentional implementation of student music skills objectives into lesson planning. These include formative and summative assessments of musical technique and performance; and surveys of parents, teachers, and teaching artists. Our newest assessment tool is an adapted form of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Developed by the University of Warwick in the UK, the scale consists of 14 positively worded items, designed to measure both the feelings and functioning aspects of positive mental well-being, providing a more holistic and accurate assessments.