Enrique Chi has spent his career making music. As the frontman of Kansas City band Making Movies, he knows from firsthand experience what a caring mentor can do for a young artist. Without those people in his corner, he says, none of his success would have happened. That’s what inspired him to found Art as Mentorship in 2017.
Jeremy sat down with Enrique to hear about the nonprofit, which has now reached over a thousand young people across Kansas City.
The idea
Art as Mentorship empowers young people to write their own success stories. Enrique and his band founded the organization around one guiding question: what would have made the difference for kids like us?
The band, made up of immigrant musicians and artists from across different backgrounds, is committed to providing the mentorship they wished had existed when they first entered the scene.
Art as Mentorship develops young artists personally and professionally through mentorship, mental health support, creative workforce pipelines, and community care. And at the center of all of it is a belief that arts participation is part of our overall health and that music connects to something in us that is healing.
Enrique puts it simply: “Being in a small community, being able to be vulnerable, being able to put your emotions and thoughts outside of yourself through music, that process can be therapeutic.”
The Rebel Song Academy
The centerpiece of Art as Mentorship is the Rebel Song Academy. Over 12 weeks, young people learn to write original songs, working 1:1 with professional mentors, including Grammy-recognized artists and industry veterans. The program is grounded in art therapy principles, with a curriculum developed alongside licensed art therapist Sherry Jacobs.
Students work through creativity, leadership development, and self-expression, then get to come into The Lab, a professional recording studio, to record their song with professional audio engineers.
Every Art as Mentorship program is free for kids.
Show your support
Art as Mentorship’s sustaining membership program is called The Soundboard. For as little as $10 a month, supporters help keep all programming free for students and keep the community thriving. You can also make a one-time donation on their website here.
Band of Angels Day Party
Art as Mentorship will also be at this year’s Crossroads Music Festival during the Band of Angels Day Party on September 12th on the new Rock Island Bridge from 12:00 – 3:00 PM. Their set will feature young alumni songwriters from the program performing their original music.
The best part? The Day Party is FREE to all thanks to Community Lending of America!
Join us over at Rock Island Bridge & enjoy a day of fun with the whole family.
Day Party lineup:
• Noon – 12:40 | Future Jazz Ensemble
• 1p – 1:40p | Art as Mentorship’s Rebel Song Academy
• 2p – 2:45p | Frankie Lynn Shorez & Mercy Fire
• 2:45p – 3p | Sass-A-Brass marching to Lemonade Park