Making Mind-Builders: John M.
From Summer Job to Stage Leader: How One Student Found His Voice
John M. walked into Mind-Builders in the summer of 2023 through the Summer Youth Employment Program, expecting just another summer job. What he found instead was something far more transformative: a place that helped him find his voice, lead with confidence, and belong.
John started by joining the Mind-Builders Stage Band, which led him to take private lessons in guitar, voice, and music theory. "I got the guitar lessons and music theory to get better at the band," he explains. "But I think I learned more being in the Stage Band and not wanting to look like I don't know what I am doing."
When John first picked up a guitar, his world was small. "All I knew was to push down on a string and make a sound," he remembers. He'd spend hours copying YouTube videos, mimicking movements without understanding the music behind them. But with determination and dedication to his classes, he began reading sheet music and truly understanding the guitar, how chords are built and why they move the heart.
Instead of imitating, I am creating.
"Instead of imitating, I am creating," he says with quiet pride. "I learned to speak with the guitar instead of making sounds. Learned to have an emotion instead of just playing."
I would have never called myself a musician until I came to Mind-Builders.
Today, John reads sheet music fluently and plays multiple instruments. He credits his teachers and the Stage Band itself for pushing him to grow. "All thanks to Chris and the band, my guitar teachers Eric and Andy too." The transformation still amazes him. "I would have never called myself a musician until I came to Mind-Builders."
John's connection to Mind-Builders deepened when he began interning in the music department under Waldo Chavez, Mind-Builders' Music Director. Waldo saw potential in John and invited him to help at gigs the band was performing. That experience led to Production Corps, Mind-Builders' internship program, where John discovered he could do more than play music. He could create entire experiences.
This past summer, he and his fellow interns produced a full show, weaving together dancers, musicians, and theater students into something beautiful. "We took what the dancers had, and our minds worked together," John recalls, his eyes lighting up at the memory. "It all came together in the end."
Working behind the scenes gave John a new perspective on performance and leadership. "Working gave me a sense of professionalism. Understanding the industry." That experience has also given him confidence for the future: "If I run a show elsewhere, I'll have the experience and knowledge to do so from what I've learned at Mind-Builders."
But beyond the musical and production skills, John found something unexpected: a tribe. After months of walking through Mind-Builders' doors, feeling the warmth of mentors who believed in him and friends who became family, John found himself changed.
It's a nice little home, far away from home.
"Studying at Mind-Builders has led me to meet a lot of musicians, some of the greatest friends of mine. Every time I walk into the building, I have to give Liza a hug," he says, describing the ritual that marks his arrival. "It's a nice little home, far away from home." That sense of belonging, of being seen and valued, transformed a summer job into a calling.
The moment everything crystallized came during a Kwanzaa performance. John's day had been brutal, with a final exam and doctor's appointment leaving him exhausted and stressed. But when he got up to perform and his solo began, something broke free. "It was my best solo. It was a nice release of everything." In that moment, all the practice, all the growth, all the community support flowed through his fingers into the music. The audience felt it. John felt it. This was why he was here.
Now balancing college classes, John still makes the journey back to Stage Band every week. He can't stay away. His time backstage during Production Corps changed how he sees everything. "Being the chair of the performer and being backstage makes me want to assist more," he reflects. "It makes me think I wish someone had done this for me." He's becoming the mentor he once needed, completing the circle.
I just want people to laugh and dance.
When asked about his purpose, John's answer cuts straight to the heart: "I just want people to laugh and dance. You don't have too much time, so might as well enjoy the time you've got." He pauses, thinking about the world outside Mind-Builders' walls. "There's so much bad news in the world. When you do these things that are fun, that takes away everything. Nothing exists but what's right there."
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