ANAHEIM, CA – For seven years, the nonprofit Project RYTMO (Reaching Youth Through Music Opportunities) has been getting promising young people (aged 14-22) the opportunity to develop their musical, technical, and/or business potential in the arts.
The after-school program, partly funded by the state and federal governments, has served more than 350 at-risk youth, including some who have been homeless or have had experience in the juvenile justice system.
"As a company, we take pride in giving back to the community," says Shure President and CEO Sandy LaMantia. "These kids have shown great promise, and we couldn't be more pleased to lend our support to this program, which is helping them fulfill their artistic and professional potential."
Project RYTMO offers nine-week sessions, with classes including songwriting, digital recording, music history, and live audio production. Students are also taught life skills such as goal-setting, project planning, leadership and professionalism.
Most importantly, according to Project RYTMO founder and executive director Joey Arreguin, the program gives youth in at-risk environments a positive outlet for their energy and creativity.
"Music is the tool we use to engage our young people during those critical hours of the day when they wouldn't otherwise have something to do," Arreguin explains. "We give them a positive, creative outlet where they can express themselves."
One of the program's big challenges is finding professional-quality gear for the students to use in class. When Project RYTMO first began, said Arreguin, there was a lack of quality in the students' performances and recording. Without professional audio gear, the students were getting muffled and distorted results. Shure was one of several manufacturers that Arreguin's team reached out to for assistance, and while it might not seem like much, a few SM58 microphones have gone a long way toward improving the quality of the kids' projects.
"The Shure products are vital to the success of our program," said Arreguin. "Our students are hungry to learn how to operate professional gear. We're using the Shure mics for student performances and recording in the studio, and we're consistently impressed with the sonic quality and clarity. Shure microphones epitomize the high quality that we want RYTMO students to strive for in class and in life."
Many Project RYTMO graduates have gone on to start their own record labels, video and audio companies, perform live shows, or produce music for themselves or other artists. Arreguin is now looking to expand Project RYTMO into other parts of California and has just entered into a partnership with the Berklee School of Music in Boston that will enable eligible young people to participate in online learning and even apply for music scholarships.
For more information, please visit www.shure.com and www.rytmo.org .
