Internal Creations, Inc.

I am a firm believer now that "It is not what we obtain in the process, but who are we becoming?" as I have been on this journey with Internal Creations. Over the years I have dreamed of providing guitar education programs, masterclasses, mentorship, community concerts, equipment and that has become reality over the past 7 years with a budget that was less than $60k annually. 

The Elevate Prize would help our mission tremendously by allowing us to offer and expand more impactful programming to each of our 5 boroughs in NYC. One of these ways by creating new programming initiatives such as instrument luthiers/instrument technicians, music therapy and so much more. The prize will also help Internal Creations establish a solid organizational infrastructure that will create sustainability for generations to continue inspiring positive change and as the Elevate Prize teams says "make good famous". With the guidance and leadership of the Elevate prize staff, we know we can continue to make positive social change through music, together and continue to inspire generations of good together. 

I am a young Latino man of Honduran descent, who was born and raised in NYC (first generation in the US), specifically, Washington Heights, Manhattan. Growing up mediocre and undisciplined led me to hanging in the streets and participating in unproductive behaviors. In the effort to keep me on track, my mother forced me into a group guitar class along with other programs in Riverbank State Park in Harlem and I hated it. 

Looking back, it was because the guitar program had no structure with a high turnover rate. I gave up and did not go back. After hearing a song on the radio, my interest in guitar rose. I went to a music high school where there was no guitar program. This caused lack of discipline and mediocrity which almost cost me getting kicked out of my college music program, twice!

After college, I came back to NYC with the vision to create a guitar program that will actually teach habits of success while learning a popular and accessible instrument. I found my purpose in life to be helping people through music and that comes developing conscious kids that make for better people. A purpose for generations to come. 

We are here to develop leadership, self-sufficiency and life skills through learning the classical guitar by providing free- of- charge guitar programs in NYC. We noticed two pain points in music education, inefficient musical and technical technique on the guitar AND the cognition to understand how to approach and overcome challenges they faced in music and their personal lives. We work to address social and emotional understanding, equity and access, and a well-rounded education to all students in response to music programming being cut from the public school system here in NYC, which is now accelerated from the pandemic with a cut of 11% for Arts and Culture for 2021. 

In our under-resourced neighborhoods and families of color, we (myself included), ideas and creativity are normally not supported or developed by families or guardians, which studies have shown, develop a correlation to intellectual disabilities such as lack of confidence, anxiety, behavior issues and depressions. (Jacobs, Mazzone, Simon, & Nader-Grosbois, 2019;Rodas, Chavira, & Baker, 2017; Rodas, Zeedyk, & Baker, 2016), a common thread in these types of communities which causes limited beliefs that are taught to our youth to believe and create a vicious cycle of misinformation about our potential/abilities. 

Our method of teaching dives deep into self-development in relation to learning guitar by focusing on the steps to reach milestones in their musical training. We piece together the micro steps in their practice that help students learn and retain skills, such as, solving problems with various approaches and perspectives, slow practice techniques, understanding productive vs unproductive practice and developing self-awareness of the body and mind at all times during their practice for positive results. 

This binds other life-skills such as listening, time management, confidence building, teamwork, understanding micro vs. macro, self-discipline and many more that are natural to music learning, but often overlooked in the classroom. Techniques to build and reinforce those habits are taught by having lessons on time management, For listening; what is active listening vs. passive listening, how to communicate without words. How to practice efficiently, what is the difference between focused practice vs. unfocused practice. What is confidence and how to work on overcoming nerves, what triggers nervousness and anxiety?  How to see a big picture in the macro and break it down into smaller steps in the micro that are attainable to reach the vision. Communication skills, and developing self-discipline to retain positive behaviors.

Oftentimes we encounter youth and adults who do not recognize concepts of social/emotional understanding and the perspective of patience, persistence, perseverance, and self-confidence; key life-skills that help people find their happiness and proactivity in their personal lives, career or life path they choose.

Music is a universal language that naturally promotes unity, awareness, healing and mental stimulation. Music having natural developmental properties, we add to the process by providing a mentor who guides the students development in the program and even when they have graduated school. We consider our staff and students family and we work with them as an older brother and sister would as we continue our journey in life. 

Students take these musical/life lessons and teach their colleagues who join the class to create a family-based community that is nurtured by support. Sometimes, the consistent and positive experience of learning through Internal Creation’s music immersion is oftentimes the only reliable and nurturing experience that is available to them.

The students themselves tell you how we are having an impact on humanity with these 3 videos: Aiding Therapy through Guitar Education, Public School Principal Speaks on Internal Creations in his school, and Music Teaches Us...