Center for Music National Service

On Monday, January 17th, students, parents and community members from all over the Bay Area took “a day on, not a day off” to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. with The Center for Music National Service (MNS).  Volunteers of a wide variety of ages and backgrounds came to Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) to make music, paint murals and celebrate diversity. Participants honored the spirit of MLK Day with a group performance of the classic Bill Withers soul song, “Lean On Me.” Volunteers from Unity Care’s Hip Hop 360, Youth Movement Records, Youth Uprising, Jazz Mafia, The Music Connection @ UC Berkeley, ServeNext.org, Jump Associates and Shell Oil united to show the power of music, artistic expression and shared community. KGO-TV’s Lyanne Melendez was on hand to cover the event.  Check out her story here.  Also documenting the day of service were students from OSA’s Visual Arts Department and our own crew led by AmeriCorps*VISTA Chris Howarth.

The day kicked off with a welcoming ceremony with a statement from Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s office and opening remarks from OSA Executive Director Donn Harris and MNS CEO and Founder Kiff Gallagher. The morning festivities were followed by workshops in percussion, piano, guitar, bass and vocals led by volunteer musicians.  While some practiced their melodies, other volunteers worked on painting a four-panel MLK-inspired mural.  The mural, designed by Eduardo Valadez, Amaryllis DeJesus-Moleski and Taylor Franklin, was premiered at the afternoon performance and will be displayed in local schools.

After a morning full group rehearsal, members of Jazz Mafia’s brass section (Brass Mafia) led a procession to the cafeteria for a lunch hosted by OSA’s Association of Parents and Teachers. While participants enjoyed sandwiches, Demone Carter of Hip Hop 360 led an open mic featuring students from local schools singing, rapping, playing instruments and breakdancing.

After lunch, participants returned to their workshop for final rehearsals. The day culminated in a collaborative performance of “Lean On Me” in OSA’s Black Box Theater underneath the freshly painted MLK-themed mural.  Participants truly lifted every voice to sing as a diverse community united through music to rock the Black Box.