Garden Pathways’ Modern Band mentorship guides student achievement
Support from the KDA Creative Corps enables the social service organization Garden Pathways to impact student lives positively. Through training, mentorship and life coaching for students living in one of the lowest quartiles of the California Healthy Places Index, Garden Pathways is improving life for youth through arts initiatives.
Modern Band, the official program title of Garden Pathways’ project, consists of high school students mentored by successful professional musicians such as Modern Band Artistic Director Amy Adams from “American Idol” and Jim Ranger from “The Voice.” The program teaches students how to form a band, enhance their musical skills and work cohesively as a team. The band performs at public events and captivates audiences with energy and talent.
Photos courtesy of Garden Pathways.
Mentoring young people through music has many benefits beyond developing musical skills. It provides a creative outlet for emotional expression and coping, fosters confidence and self-esteem, promotes social skills like teamwork and communication, enhances cognitive abilities, encourages cultural and career exploration, and instills valuable life skills such as discipline and perseverance.
The final showcase of 2024 will be held at Stars Theater in Bakersfield at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 29. It will feature students from Mira Monte and North High Schools.
“We are truly grateful for our time on campus and working with young artists in our community,” said Adams. “They have all worked so hard! This will be the time we share the video of their work through the project, some of the magical moments we shared, and live performances from them and our Modern Band Mentors.”
Garden Pathways aims to help students facing suspension, expulsion, truancy, academic struggles and antisocial behaviors. Further broadening students’ horizons and focusing on healthy perspectives and opportunities for youth, they provide individualized one-on-one mentoring and group mentoring sessions for middle and high school students. The sessions are designed to be trauma-informed and provide emotional support, healing, and resilience building for participants over the course of a school period.
The organization believes you can guide young children and adults with tools like art toward a healthy direction.
About the Organization:
Garden Pathways is a non-profit in Bakersfield, Calif., offering diverse mentorship and educational programs. These programs aim to uplift families by fostering educational advancement, employment opportunities, stability, self-sufficiency, and overall well-being, as well as by collaborating with community agencies, service groups, and volunteers. The non-profit offers a range of mentoring, training, and education services, including arts programs, by focusing on individual core values and fostering personal growth. Garden Pathways seeks to create community transformation, positively impacting personal and communal life.
