Bayview Opera House
4705 Third StreetSan FranciscoCA94124415-824-0386415-824-7124

Program: Community Recording Studio Year Started: 1993 Focus: Music Youth Served: 21 Ages: 13-17 Budget: $37,500 The Bayview Opera House, the oldest theater in San Francisco, is the host site for the Community Recording Studio. Youth from the community and in the juvenile justice system come after school to the Recording Studio to create their own music. They work with the two instructors; one focuses on music, and the other, on lyrics. By creating their own pieces, mostly rap music, students learn about keyboards, music composition and lyric writing. The students produced a compilation tape, which is being used to teach them about the music industry, marketing and distribution. Students also learn about producing a successful public performance, including advertising, preparation, technical and staff requirements. "Instructors have dropped the theoretical approach to teaching in favor of a more experiential curriculum which encourages students to develop and utilize their critical thinking skills, become more self-disciplined, develop academically (writing in particular) and learn how to work cooperatively," explains Steve Cohn, a consultant on the project. The program was launched by funding and equipment from the popular rock music band The Grateful Dead. Youth also can participate in the Bayview Opera House Dance Troupe and the Young and Gifted Choir, which sometimes performs with the Zaccho Dance Theatre. The visual arts program at the Bayview Opera House takes the notion of neighborhood beautification to heart. Murals created and executed by professional artists and elementary school children dot the community. Funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Neighborhood Beautification Fund, these murals foster neighborhood pride and intergenerational participation.