Zumix
Encyclopedia
ZUMIX is a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to using the arts, particularly music, to build community, foster cultural understanding, and encourage self-expression among youth in the diverse neighborhood of East Boston. ZUMIX works primarily with low-income or at-risk youth, ranging in age from 8 to 18.
. Addressing the problems of escalating violence, substance abuse
and mortality, and the growing underserved youth population of East Boston, ZUMIX sought to provide alternative ways for youth to deal with frustration, anger and fear. Local academic and athletic programming was well-supported in the area; however, East Boston youth had virtually no access to arts programming. ZUMIX is now located at 260 Sumner Street, near Maverick Square
, and serves approximately 350 youth per year in after-school and summer programs.
scene. The ZUMIX philosophy draws from the punk values of challenging the status quo, and of the social and political empowerment of youth through music.
residents along with significant growth in African-American residents. According to the 2000 Census, Latinos now comprise 39% of the East Boston community, compared with 14% of Boston as a whole. Most East Boston Latinos are Salvadoran (39%) and Colombian
(24%). In fact, the transformation of East Boston’s population has been more rapid and dramatic than that of any other part of the city during this period. One quarter of East Boston children live in poverty - more among minority children. The median per capita income in East Boston is $15,168. The poverty rate is nearly 20% - and 40% for female-headed households with children under age 18. Most of the young people we serve come from families headed by single mothers, many from immigrant families where the language spoken at home is not English
(in most cases Spanish
).
Participation in our programs reflects these local demographics. We serve a mixture of 42% Latino/a; 30% White; 20% Black, and 8% Asian youth. Seventy percent of ZUMIX youth live in East Boston, 25% live in other Boston
neighborhoods, and 5% live in adjacent communities. Participants in our programs range in age from 5 to 25. Some ZUMIX participants are court involved, roughly 20% live in public housing and 40% receive public assistance. Ninety-five percent are low or moderate income by HUD
standards.
HANDS-ON Youth Development Programs
HANDS-ON offers award winning music and technology programs with an emphasis on personal guidance, self-assessment and leadership development. HANDS-ON involves at-risk youth in a series of linked programs designed to help participants articulate their dreams, examine their obstacles, and navigate successfully from adolescence to young adulthood.
Our core HANDS-ON Youth Development programs focus on 1) songwriting and performance, 2) instrumental music and 3) creative technology. HANDS-ON includes: the Summer Street Program, where participants write and perform original songs with strong, positive messages; StreetWise, an after-school songwriting and recording program, offering young songwriters an opportunity to explore personal and social issues as they develop musically; the Warmth Program, in which young people learn popular songs from the past, performing them at nursing homes and long-term care facilities during February vacation; Adventures in Music, offering private and group music lessons to students of all ages and abilities throughout the year; Z-TECH, a year-round technical training program in audio and computer technologies, giving participants job skills and the opportunity to work; ZUMIX RADIO, a low-powered radio station training young people to produce and host their own radio shows on our new low-powered, community radio station, thereby sharing their views (through music and dialogue) with a broad listening audience; and, The Village, where ZUMIX staff, participants and friends discuss music, pop-culture, current events, and social issues.
COMMUNITY ARTS Access and Exposure Program
As part of our COMMUNITY ARTS program we have taken a leadership role in making arts and culture a more accessible and vital part of local life. COMMUNITY ARTS programs are designed to engage local artists with the community, and provide a context for our work with young people, helping them connect with local organizing efforts and serve as assets for many local agencies. ZUMIX runs two large-scale community festivals and participates in many others. We work on special collaborative art projects like East Boston Open Studios, and present two outdoor summer music series dedicated to celebrating the diversity of our neighborhood and connecting East Boston to its greatest physical asset, the waterfront. By working together with residents and small business owners who provide us with in-kind products and services, arts based economic development has caught on here!
Mission statement
The mission of ZUMIX is empowered youth who use music to make strong positive change in their lives, their communities, and the world.History
ZUMIX was founded in 1991 as a tiny operation run out of the homes of co-founders Madeleine Steczynski and Bob Grove. It was their response to a growing number of homicides—-many of them among youth—-in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Addressing the problems of escalating violence, substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
and mortality, and the growing underserved youth population of East Boston, ZUMIX sought to provide alternative ways for youth to deal with frustration, anger and fear. Local academic and athletic programming was well-supported in the area; however, East Boston youth had virtually no access to arts programming. ZUMIX is now located at 260 Sumner Street, near Maverick Square
Maverick Square
Maverick Square is a business district in the Boston neighborhood of East Boston that is intersected by several thoroughfares, most notably Chelsea Street and Meridian Street. It is the location of a station on the Blue Line of the MBTA...
, and serves approximately 350 youth per year in after-school and summer programs.
Inspiration
The original inspiration for ZUMIX came from ZUMIX director and cofounder Madeleine Steczynski’s involvement in the punkPunk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
scene. The ZUMIX philosophy draws from the punk values of challenging the status quo, and of the social and political empowerment of youth through music.
Demographic
Over the past decade, East Boston has seen a huge increase in LatinoLatino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
residents along with significant growth in African-American residents. According to the 2000 Census, Latinos now comprise 39% of the East Boston community, compared with 14% of Boston as a whole. Most East Boston Latinos are Salvadoran (39%) and Colombian
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
(24%). In fact, the transformation of East Boston’s population has been more rapid and dramatic than that of any other part of the city during this period. One quarter of East Boston children live in poverty - more among minority children. The median per capita income in East Boston is $15,168. The poverty rate is nearly 20% - and 40% for female-headed households with children under age 18. Most of the young people we serve come from families headed by single mothers, many from immigrant families where the language spoken at home is not English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(in most cases Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
).
Participation in our programs reflects these local demographics. We serve a mixture of 42% Latino/a; 30% White; 20% Black, and 8% Asian youth. Seventy percent of ZUMIX youth live in East Boston, 25% live in other Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
neighborhoods, and 5% live in adjacent communities. Participants in our programs range in age from 5 to 25. Some ZUMIX participants are court involved, roughly 20% live in public housing and 40% receive public assistance. Ninety-five percent are low or moderate income by HUD
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
standards.
Programs
ZUMIX believes that arts and cultural opportunities are fundamental to human progress and are the most powerful means to building community. To this end, ZUMIX offers two types of programs, HANDS-ON Youth Development Programs, and COMMUNITY ARTS Access & Exposure Programs.HANDS-ON Youth Development Programs
HANDS-ON offers award winning music and technology programs with an emphasis on personal guidance, self-assessment and leadership development. HANDS-ON involves at-risk youth in a series of linked programs designed to help participants articulate their dreams, examine their obstacles, and navigate successfully from adolescence to young adulthood.
Our core HANDS-ON Youth Development programs focus on 1) songwriting and performance, 2) instrumental music and 3) creative technology. HANDS-ON includes: the Summer Street Program, where participants write and perform original songs with strong, positive messages; StreetWise, an after-school songwriting and recording program, offering young songwriters an opportunity to explore personal and social issues as they develop musically; the Warmth Program, in which young people learn popular songs from the past, performing them at nursing homes and long-term care facilities during February vacation; Adventures in Music, offering private and group music lessons to students of all ages and abilities throughout the year; Z-TECH, a year-round technical training program in audio and computer technologies, giving participants job skills and the opportunity to work; ZUMIX RADIO, a low-powered radio station training young people to produce and host their own radio shows on our new low-powered, community radio station, thereby sharing their views (through music and dialogue) with a broad listening audience; and, The Village, where ZUMIX staff, participants and friends discuss music, pop-culture, current events, and social issues.
COMMUNITY ARTS Access and Exposure Program
As part of our COMMUNITY ARTS program we have taken a leadership role in making arts and culture a more accessible and vital part of local life. COMMUNITY ARTS programs are designed to engage local artists with the community, and provide a context for our work with young people, helping them connect with local organizing efforts and serve as assets for many local agencies. ZUMIX runs two large-scale community festivals and participates in many others. We work on special collaborative art projects like East Boston Open Studios, and present two outdoor summer music series dedicated to celebrating the diversity of our neighborhood and connecting East Boston to its greatest physical asset, the waterfront. By working together with residents and small business owners who provide us with in-kind products and services, arts based economic development has caught on here!
ZUMIX graduates
- Justin Zullo (a.k.a. Conundrum) went on to study audio engineering at the New England Institute of ArtNew England Institute of ArtThe New England Institute of Art is a for-profit applied arts college that offers year-round education, located in Brookline, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1952 as the Norm Prescott School of Broadcasting and is now one of the 45 Art Institutes in North America. The school offers ten...
. He then landed a full-time job at Soundscape Studio recording and editing academic books on tape. in 2006 Justin received a full four-year scholarship to Brandeis UniversityBrandeis UniversityBrandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. He is continuing his education, while working part-time at Soundscape. He is also lead vocalist in the Hip Hop band Zullo. They play live in local Boston clubs. - Inesha Travis received a full four-year scholarship to Boston CollegeBoston CollegeBoston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
. She is in her first year, and often visits ZUMIX to share stories of college life - Latoria Boyd went to the Berklee SYSTEM 5 summer program, where she received a full-four-year scholarship to attend Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
. She is a first year vocal performance student.