My Voice Music is Moving

We’re Opening a Youth Music Center in East Portland

The new MVM Studios will provide accessible music programs to youth and young adults in East Portland

It’s finally happening! After nearly 6 years of planning, fundraising, building community connections, and working to design our dream headquarters, we are opening the doors to MVM’s long-term home. MVM Studios will move from a rented space in the Sunnyside neighborhood to a building in the Montavilla neighborhood with custom-made studios and gathering spaces where youth of all backgrounds can come together to write, record and release their music. We are excited to open our new studio to the public this October at 8911 SE Stark. Registration is live for fall artist mentorship programs. Join us for a sneak peek at our Open House on September 21st!

MVM Studios will house our nationally-recognized artist mentorship programs combining music skills with personal development to amplify youth voices while promoting social and emotional skills. MVM Studios will provide songwriting, recording, and performance groups, mentorship, and job opportunities to youth and young adults ages 8 – 24. All programs will be pay-what-you-can (no questions asked). With a state-of-the-art recording studio, rehearsal rooms and event space, the new MVM Studios promises to be a gathering spot for emerging songwriters, musicians, beat makers, and poets.

Open House September 21st

We hope you will stop by the MVM Studios Open House on September 21st from 5-7PM to celebrate the dawn of a new era of musical exploration for youth and young adults at MVM. Get a sneak peek of our new facility before programs launch in October. Tour the building, meet our staff, enjoy light snacks, and get down with live performances from Talilo Marfil and [E]mpress! This event is free and open to the public. Drop-in anytime between 5-7PM!

“Programs at MVM Studios East will be an incredible resource for the youth we serve, as well as the broader community. As any number of social workers, teachers, and youth advocates in East Portland can attest, this part of the city needs financially accessible arts programs that provide long-term creative development and unconditional support”

— Rachel Pearl, Former Chief Program Officer, Friends of the Children

Why East Portland?

Located on a transit corridor at 89th & SE Stark St, programs at MVM Studios will be a vital resource in an historically underserved part of Portland. Before he died from a tragic cycling car crash in 2021, MVM founder Ian Mouser’s vision and biggest priority was to move MVM Studios from our rented space in the Sunnyside Neighborhood to a building where our programs are accessible to the part of the city that has the most kids, from the most diverse backgrounds, with the least amount of resources provided.

“MVM holding space for multiple programs that prioritize mentorship and artistic expression has the potential to be a strong force of inspiration in our city. The East Side of Portland has been a hub for high crime, violence, and poverty. It is more than needed to have a brave space where our youth and young adults from East Portland can go and begin to heal through positive outlets.”

— Talilo Marfil, Co-Founder of Ascending Flow and Recording Artist

About the Building

In 2017, a family of supporters purchased a building in East Portland with the vision that MVM would become a long-term tenant, creating stability for an arts organization in honor of their mother who was involved in arts organizations and community building since the 1960’s.

At over 4,500 square feet, the space includes a state-of-the-art recording studio with interfaces and microphones generously provided by industry-leading professional audio manufacturers Universal Audio and Audix, multiple rehearsal/lesson rooms, mobile music workstations, an event space/community lounge, storage, and administrative offices.

There are two practice spaces, the blue room, and the green room, and a third practice space that doubles as a live room where musicians will lay down their tracks for recording sessions. All rooms are wired up to the enormous control room and vocal isolation booth. Every one of these spaces has special acoustic treatment built into the design right down to the framing. These rooms are so large we will be able to do a lot with them, like performances, workshops, meetings, group therapy, and community hangouts.

The blue room will double as a creative therapy space for our licensed therapist and Satellite Programs Director, Monica Metzler, who offers accessible sliding scale individual and family therapy to the MVM community regardless of income or background.

The outside of the building is getting an upgrade with new siding, new paint color, front steps, new doors, and an ADA ramp. There will also be a new sidewalk, new trees, and a patio.

“Congratulations and welcome to My Voice Music students, staff and community! We are thrilled to see the results of our work with you– the new MVM Studios. We come from a family of artists, arts lovers and active supporters of arts organizations and we purchased this unique patchworked building with a plan to transform it into a long-term, stable home for an arts organization. When our niece Benna introduced us to MVM, we knew they shared our belief in the power of art and music to transform lives and to build community. Ian hooked us with his passionate vision and Amy brought her energy and experience to help us complete the very long process of planning, permitting and funding. We’re excited to help MVM turn it up to 11– amplifying the voices of thousands of young people as they discover their passions and navigate their places in the world. We expect 8911 SE Stark to have a long life as a center of energy, creativity and community. ”

— Building owners Andra Georges and Daniel Georges

A Hub for Youth Music

In addition to MVM’s programs, the new MVM Studios will serve as an incubator for other youth music organizations that share our common mission to amplify youth voices. We will do this by sharing our space/building deepening partnerships with organizations that we have existing relationships with, and new friends and allies that share our common goals. MVM Studios will expand opportunities for all youth who come through our doors and multiply our collective impact on the youth we all serve.

“The location of their new building is a victory for our community because they’ve made the benefits of creating music even more accessible to underserved youth in Portland. Our ongoing partnership with My Voice Music means that any growth for their organization is a mutual benefit to the youth our organization serves as well. My Voice Music is a vibrant presence in our community and we look forward to collaborating more in the future.”

— Andre Middleton, Executive Director, Friends of Noise

The Road Ahead

As we look to the future of My Voice Music, this building is the next step in our journey. We are - as we have been so many times in the last two years - reminded of the words of our dear friend and founder, Ian, who, departing for his greatest and last journey, encouraged us all to:

“TRUST YOURSELF.

Trust your ability to adapt to changes. Trust your intellect and your intuition. You have earned your own trust. Believe you are capable more than you believe you aren’t.”
- MVM Founder Ian Mouser

Ian has continued to guide us from afar as we have navigated uncertainty, grief, change, and hope. At every crossroad - and this building is perhaps the largest - we remind ourselves that we are capable; We are able. Together. We are grateful to you all for going on this journey with us and look forward to where it takes us next.

We miss you, Ian, and we are so excited to bring your vision to life - it’s finally happening!

What Can You Do?

Now that we have the building of our dreams, we need to ensure that it is sustainable, that it is equipped to meet our demands and growth, and to spread the word so that youth and young adults can utilize the opportunities our community has made possible.

DONATE MONTHLY
Become an MVM “Amplifier” by donating monthly to sustain us year-round.
DONATE GEAR
While we have some really amazing new gear from some of the best manufacturers, we still have a hefty gear wish list to get MVM Studios the best that it can be.
TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS
Young people can’t access a free music studio if they don’t know about it! Grab a printable or digital flyer from our MVM Studios Outreach Toolkit and drop one off at your local coffee shop, your social media platform of choice, or share the link to this very post! Tag us at @myvoicemusic.
COME TO OUR OPEN HOUSE!
September 21st, 5-7PM. 8911 SE Stark