Last spring I had the privilege of spending a week at the King County Juvenile Detention Center in Seattle with an amazing group of youth and teaching artists from Seattle & LA. Together we wrote three songs utilizing a collective songwriting process developed by Mayan indigenous communities in Chiapas, Mexico and Chican@ artivistas in East LA. Big ups to the youth & staff at Juvi, Martha Gonzalez, Ph.D., Quetzal Flores, Stephany Hazelrigg, Teresa Bazan, and Scott Macklin (who created this beautiful video). Please check it out and if you like share far & wide …

This project, called Sounds Beyond Barriers, was made possible with support from the Jubilation Foundation and the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.