Building Partnerships, Creating Outcomes
Over the past three years, MusicianCorps has developed and deepened relationships with the Bay Area communities we serve. Working with school teachers and administrators, local residents, and elected officials, we have learned ‘it takes a village’ of invested, committed individuals to produce successful student outcomes.
Jeff Steeno, an Inclusion Specialist with a passion for urban youth development (and a musician himself), has been a great champion for MusicianCorps at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 (BVHM) in San Francisco. A 10 year veteran of SFUSD public schools, "Steeno" – as he's known in the neighborhood – helped from early on to integrate the program into the school’s culture.
Steeno says, “I identified and rounded up the kids I knew would either be good at this and wanted to do music, and those who I knew needed a boost in self-esteem and would be good at music once they let themselves be open to it." Steeno worked closely with MusicianCorps Fellow Alex Pinto. “We were both new, figuring things out and enjoying the excitement of not being quite sure what to do, but doing it and doing it well anyway.”
Three years later, with a different MusicianCorps Fellow, Hernando Buitrago, Steeno can easily see how the program is making a difference for students. In a recent letter, he wrote:
“During his two-year tenure here at [BVHM], Hernando has done consistently amazing work. Creative, flexible, and able to connect with unpredictable middle-schoolers from all backgrounds, Hernando thinks outside the fret to share his knowledge and love of music with the students.”
The letter concludes:
“By helping students find their own creative voice