MVM Studios in East Portland
My Voice Music is in the process of constructing a brand new headquarters in East Portland (at SE 89th and Stark Street). MVM program staff will collaborate with community leaders and organizations to provide songwriting, recording, and performance groups, mentorship, and job opportunities to youth ages 8 – 24. All programs will be pay-what-you-can (no documentation required). With a state-of-the-art recording studio, rehearsal rooms and event space, MVM Studios East promises to be a gathering spot for emerging songwriters, musicians, beat makers, and poets. The new location will also help ensure that MVM’s programs are accessible to youth in East Portland, a part of the city that has the most kids, from the most diverse backgrounds, with the least amount of resources provided.
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MVM STUDIOS EAST
My Voice Music’s Founder/ Executive Director Emeritus, Ian Mouser, had big dreams for MVM. His biggest priority was to move MVM Studios from our rented space in the Sunnyside Neighborhood to a building with custom made studios and gathering spaces where youth of all backgrounds could come together to write, record and release their music.
After five years of building community connections and working with MVM’s board and staff to design the dream headquarters, we’re nearly there! We have the plans, a contractor, and 75% of the funds in hand to build a state-of-the-art youth music center in East Portland.
MVM Studios East will house MVM’s nationally recognized programs which combine music skills with personal development. All classes will be pay-what-you-can-afford, no questions asked. These programs and facilities will be a vital resource in a historically underserved part of Portland.
With your support we can reach the finish line and realize Ian’s dream.
TOGETHER, WE CAN...
Build MVM’s long term headquarters with state-of-the-art recording facilities, community space, and administrative offices.
Bring free, accessible music instruction to East Portland, a historically under resourced part of the city
Provide inspiring music programs and long term mentorship to hundreds of youth each year
Create a youth music community hub where other youth music organizations can headquarter.
Triple the number of youth served at MVM Studios
WHY EAST PORTLAND?
Simply put: this area is where the greatest amount of youth in Portland live, with the least amount of services provided to them. According to data from the City of Portland, East Portland has:
40% of Portland’s youth
36% Higher rates of poverty
39% More residents of color
Higher concentrations of immigrants and refugees
90% of students in the center of East Portland qualify for free or reduced lunch
STATE OF THE ART FACILITY
In 2018, a family of supporters purchased a building in East Portland with the vision that MVM would become a long term tenant. Located on a transit corridor at 89th & SE Stark St, MVM Studios East will triple the number of young people MVM Studios can serve annually.
Over 3,500 square feet, the space includes a state-of-the-art recording studio, mixing and recording lab, three rehearsal/lesson rooms, five mobile music workstations, a community lounge/event room, storage, and administrative offices.
FUNDING
The total budget to build our new studio space is $717,334. Thanks to a combination of local, regional and national support we have raised 79% of the funds needed to bring this youth music hub to life. We hope you will consider a donation to help us raise the final 21% needed to bring this center for youth music and mentorship to life.
LONG TERM MENTORSHIPS
Our vision for MVM Studios East programs are informed by input from youth and their families, as well as community partners. Over the past five years we have hosted several roundtables and solicited feedback from youth/families about their needs. This process has resulted in the development of several programs that will be cornerstones of MVM Studios East, including an afterschool drop in program and a transition age program for youth ages 18-24 who have lost their social safety net and need support as they establish independence.
MVM has also actively collaborated and facilitated conversations with youth organizations in East Portland. Through formal convenings with members of East Portland Youth Alliance and informal conversations we learned about the community's strengths and challenges, and the significant work already being done for, and by, area residents. These partnerships ensure that we are not duplicating services, and will help us bring high quality arts experiences to the community together.
Most important, this new space will be the catalyst to creating new points of engagement that create long-term relationships with young people and caring adults.
“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. ”
A HUB FOR YOUTH MUSIC
In addition to MVM’s programs, MVM Studios East will serve as an incubator for other youth music organizations that share our common mission to amplfiy 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 East will expand opportunities for all youth who come through our doors and multiply our collective impact on the youth we all serve.
“As another youth based music non-profit in Portland, Friends of Noise is thrilled to support My Voice Music in any enhancement of their already impactful music programming. 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 NE 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.”
MISSION AND HISTORY
My Voice Music (MVM) is a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon that amplifies young voices and ignites self-discovery through music and performance. The goal of each MVM program is to help students to cope, heal, and thrive through musical exploration.
Since our founding in 2008, My Voice Music has used the songwriting process to listen, share stories, collaborate, and build relationships with over 13,000 young people. We prioritize helping youth with behavioral, emotional and economic challenges discover their artistic and individual gifts.
MVM serves 1,500 youth each year in the Portland area with a progression of music instruction that nurtures a lifelong love of music and hones leadership skills.
MVM PROGRAMS
MVM STUDIOS
MVM Studios is MVM’s home base where youth, ages 9-24 — from partner programs and the general public — find and share their voice through writing, recording and performing music. Equipped with a full recording studio, MVM Studios offers small group classes, week-long rock camps, individual recording sessions, youth leadership opportunities, and long-term music mentorship with professional musicians.
COMMUNITY SATELLITE PROGRAMS
MVM’s Satellite Programs bring all the instruments and instruction needed to run music groups and recording sessions onsite (or virtually) at mental health treatment centers, juvenile justice facilities, refugee resettlement centers, and social service agencies throughout Oregon. From weekly lessons to multi-month drop-in sessions, MVM tailors programs and workshops to meet the needs and abilities of all participants.
ROCK CAMPS
Rock camps at MVM Studios are awesome! Our rockers not only get hands-on experience playing music, forming a band, and performing, but they also write their own songs, record them and get their own CD. These week-long camps in Portland are for kids ages 9-13 and open to youth of all backgrounds.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
We believe youth thrive when they have the opportunity to be seen for their best selves rather than for their challenges, and that:
Music is able to connect with people in a unique and universal manner.
Music helps people access and express emotions, as well as create community.
Music experiences can be used to help youth develop essential social and emotional skills used to create positive relationships, cope with difficult circumstances, and develop resiliency*.
Setting and working toward goals helps individuals take pride in themselves and their work.
Once someone learns to play music, they have a positive way to develop friendships and express emotions no matter where they go (very significant to youth in foster care, residential treatment, experiencing homelessness and other transient situations).
THEORY OF CHANGE
All our work is guided by our Theory of Change model which guides young people through finding their voice, developing self and community confidence, and entering adulthood with the skills for a healthy and fulfilled life.
The process of crafting an original song, sharing and refining it with peers, recording it in the studio and releasing it to the public helps students from all backgrounds grow as artists, and as leaders.
IMPACT
65% Youth served in foster care and mental health treatment centers
1500 Youth Served Each Year
82% Students received scholarships. All MVM programs are pay-what-you-can-afford
10,000 songs recorded by MVM youth
25% of MVM’s staff are former students who moved from student to Student Leader to Program Leader