Piece Description

Every Friday afternoon, teenagers trickle into a place called Spy Hop Productions in downtown Salt Lake City, and settle into a cozy recording studio.  They come to make music…setting their personal story to verse and beat, and in some cases finding a brief respite from an otherwise confusing and even dangerous life. And it’s all free. Open Mic is one of many programs at SpyHop, an arts organization that empowers young people by teaching them video, photography, website and audio skills.  Spy Hop instructors and students mentor kids as they craft their songs…everything from rap…to jazz…to acoustic.  Their backgrounds are equally diverse…everything from East African refugees, to kids with disabilities, to suburban kids aspiring for a career in the music business.  Many of their songs are powerful, and often represent a breakthrough… emotionally as well as musically. The Western Folkife Center's Taki Telonidis reports on a transformational program that has, for the past six years, allowed young mostly at-risk youth to find their voice and record it.