| Anthropos Arts Teaches Kids More Than Music |
| Written by Chelsea Wallace | |
 Anthropos performing at ACL Fest (Jose at far right) His heart pounding out of his chest, his breath heavy as the audience awaits those first few notes, José, a trumpet player, sits on the infamous stage at Stubb’s in front of a few hundred people. As he begins to play, his nerves subside. As he completes the last note of a stirring solo, the audience explodes into applause. And he hadn’t even graduated high school yet. Local organization Anthropos Arts has been providing this monumental experience for underprivileged middle and high schoolers for a decade now. With the support of the community and the city of Austin, they will continue to fill this need in the Austin landscape for years to come. Anthropos Arts, a name cleverly derived from the root anthro, meaning humanity, ensures that children from low-income families receive high-quality music education in Austin schools through private lessons and workshops. “Even more than the lessons, it’s the experiences, like playing at Stubb’s,” says José, who graduated high school this past May shortly after the annual Anthropos Arts Student/Teacher Concert. “It’s given me the confidence to stand up in front of people.” It all started as a spark in one local musician’s mind. Dylan Jones, a professional bass player, performed at local Austin schools with his band in his spare time and noticed something was missing. “Dylan quickly realized there was this gap, which unfortunately still persists today, between this amazing Austin live music scene and the music [education] kids get in schools,” says Brent Lyles, executive director for the organization. “Especially East Austin schools, especially when compared with their wealthier counterparts. And the funding has only been going down.”  Student/Teacher Concert at Stubb's In the nine East Austin campuses Anthropos is already serving this year, students must endure a qualification process in order to receive these valuable music lessons. Within the first few weeks of class each semester, the band directors at participating schools identify students who obviously have a great deal of musical potential, but are struggling amongst the sea of band members in class. Prospective students must also come from an economically disadvantaged family that could not otherwise afford private music lessons. The highest priority isn’t necessarily musical talent. “Kids who are interested, who are enthusiastic, and who could really benefit from this program: that’s what we’re really looking for,” says Lyles. Anthropos Arts then chooses approximately ten lucky students at each campus after an interview process, and each student receives ten to twelve private lessons from a mentor over the course of the semester during their regular band class period. “The lessons occur at school during the school day,” says Lyles. “And the reason we don’t do this after school is because, although after school programs are great in many ways, kids in these areas may have transportation issues, they may have a job, or they may need to take care of their little brother or sister after school. This aspect really sets us apart from other programs.” In addition to these private lessons, Anthropos Arts also conducts large (entire grade) and small (30 to 60 students) school-based workshops around Austin. These workshops, separate from the individual lessons, center on one of three subjects: Latin music, American jazz or the mathematics of rhythm. The workshops have been led by luminaries such as local jazz drummer extraordinaire Brannen Temple (who has played in touring bands for Janet Jackson, Prince, and Eric Johnson) and New Orleans’ iconic Rebirth Brass Band. This level of talent is matched in the individual mentor program. The group of mentors who provide these lessons are all professional, gigging musicians in the Austin area. “We have Grammy winners, we have professors of music, we have people who have played for everyone on the roster,” says Lyles. “It’s sort of humbling, actually.”  One notable name is Michael Longoria, a mentor for Anthropos Arts as well as the percussionist for Patty Griffin. He also conducts the Latin workshops for large school groups, differentiating Latin music from Spain and Mexico. Isaac Peña, a local musician and teacher at the Recording Conservatory of Austin, got re-involved with Anthropos Arts upon moving back to the area.“About seven years ago, when Anthropos was a lot newer, Dylan Jones asked me to get involved and teach trumpet lessons to middle school kids,” says Peña. “I enjoyed it so much, when I got back into town, I contacted him.” Peña speaks to the benefits of being a mentor musician for the organization. “It’s helping out others, helping out young people. I kind of have a soft spot for the underdog, and we’re dealing with students that are in lower income schools for the most part. They wouldn’t have this opportunity otherwise, so that really motivates me.” Being a mentor for these students’ lives means much more than just providing musical knowledge. “It’s a stable adult in a young person’s life who believes in them and nurtures their talents,” notes Lyles. Additionally, 90 percent of the students participating are Black or Latino, and 70 percent of the mentors are Black or Latino as well. “It adds that extra layer of bonding,” says Lyles. “The idea is that if you’re going into a school with a significant student Latin population, you’re providing insight into socio-cultural traditions that are significant to them and academically relevant, too.” |
“It is the kids on stage with their mentors, and they improvise solos,” explains Lyles. “As we’re teaching them, it’s not just to learn how to play. It’s about understanding the context of the music, and to be able to understand chord progressions and actually create solos. So we make every kid take a solo at Stubb’s, and they freak out. And we make them do it anyway.”Login Form
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