In a school where students from across the globe speak a total of 32 languages, this unique program isn’t about understanding the lyrics. It’s about building a community through music.
Over the next few minutes, Ricky Cuadra, an 11th-grader from Nicaragua, sits beside the bright blue drum set. Carlos Roberto Cuz Bol, a 9th-grader from Guatemala, grabs a guitar. And Edwin Corto Tule, an 11th-grader from Mexico, picks up a black bass.
“I moved a lot growing up, and music was always the most stable part of my life,” said Kanozik, who leads the program through the nonprofitevery Friday afternoon. “Music has the ability to mute the pain from a transition, and to build a community at the same time.” Those barriers increased with the COVID-19 pandemic, Shahal said. Many students left school to go to work — and some haven’t come back. In the 2019-2020 academic year, nearly 400 students attended Oakland International. Last year, that number had shrunk to 274, a 30% decrease in just two years. On top of that, only one-fifth of the school’s students are making progress toward English language proficiency, according to the California Department of Education.
Edwin Corto Tule practices the bass guitar during practice in the ARTogether program at Oakland International High School in Oakland, CA on Friday, January 27, 2023. ARTogether Music and Artistic Director Nick Kanozik, second left, demonstrates bass guitar positions to Edwin Corto Tule, second right, during practice in the ARTogether program at Oakland International High School in Oakland, CA on Friday, January 27, 2023.