News
September 22, 2020Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area Celebrates Mobile Lyricism Studio Launch
On Thursday, September 17th, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area (BGCCA) was joined by public figures and community members to celebrate BGCCA’s launch of the Mobile Lyricism Program.
In 2018, BGCCA introduced their Lyricism 101 Program which is designed to cultivate and amplify the powerful voices of teens by providing them with an opportunity to tell their stories, build community, and express their artistic visions through music. The program started in 2018 and grew to serve over 50 active teens as they wrote, recorded, and produced over 150 songs. Youth participated in video production workshops, live performance field trips and produced their own music videos. Not only does this program provide an outlet for teen and youth voices to be heard, Lyricism increases participants’ skills in the following areas: creative writing, business practice, music production, studio engineering, video production, and language development. Lyricism 101 also builds self-esteem and provides a safe place for youth to express their ideas.
Discussing the impact this program has on youth, BGCCA Board member Judge Helena Heath states, “this is such a valuable program that engages our teens and let’s them know we care about their interests and support them in their growth in creativity and positive social interaction with the community.”
Starting off with just a single microphone, speaker, computer and volunteer program facilitator, Lyricism’s needs quickly grew. The Club responded to these needs by building a new recording studio within their Delaware Avenue Clubhouse. This upgraded recording studio provides the Club with the necessary capacity to serve teens from both Albany and Rensselaer County. In October 2019, David Gordon, a local music teacher and audio engineer was brought in to coordinate the program. David has been instrumental in securing donations and developing a fully equipped indoor recording studio.
BGCCA realized that delivering enriching activities to youth looks extremely different in the wake of COVID-19. Continuing with this thinking, BGCCA decided to focus their efforts on making the Lyricism 101 Program mobile in order to reach more youth. Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan participated in the event, stating “the Lyricism Mobile Studio is an innovative approach to reaching the youth who need us most.” Thanks to a generous contribution from the Touhey Family Foundation along with support from our committed donors, City of Albany, Albany Housing Authority, United Way of the Greater Capital Region, Seymour Fox Foundation and SEFCU, BGCCA was able to purchase and transform an RV into a traveling studio. This traveling program will bring the recording studio directly to the youth in the community, offering opportunities where they live and go to school. Executive Director Chiquita D’Arbeau of Albany Housing Authority gladly shares, “Lyricism 101 will bring a vibrant, unmatched energy to our neighborhoods. We are honored to support this dynamic program.”
“We should never stop searching for new ways to provide our children and young people with opportunities to have fun in a safe way, and opportunities to succeed in life. Lyricism 101 is a unique program that will actually do both, and I’m proud Albany County could work with United Way of the Greater Capital Region to deliver $15,000 towards the cause,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “Creative writing, music production and studio engineering are all skills that participants will learn that can lead to well-paying jobs and careers, and I commend the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Capital Area for their vision on this.”
While the Lyricism Mobile location schedule (Albany, Troy, Rensselaer) is yet to be determined, the indoor recording studio at 21 Delaware Avenue is open during the following times:
Tuesday and Thursday 11:00am-3:00pm and 5:00pm-8:00pm
