California Audio Roots Project (CARP) Reveals Storytelling is Still Popular
Modesto Sound is excited to announce a successful start to its latest local community audio outreach program called the California Audio Roots Project. The goal of the California Audio Roots Project, or CARP for short, is to create local media content to distribute to radio stations and other outlets with the participation of local everyday citizens. Area supporters include newspapers and radio stations, Friends of the Public Library, the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation, and the Bright Family Foundation. A grant through the California Arts Council, called the Arts & Public Media grant, helped jump-start the project with an initial grant. As of January 10, 2018, five thirty-minute shows have been completed at Modesto Sound’s recording studio; in the shows, each participant is sharing their story, one has music, and one includes a poem. Producers of the shows are Lucky Lew and Stella Beratlis. The participation thus far indicates that storytelling is an appealing opportunity to locals.
The mission of the project is to encourage people to come to the studio and record their experiences of living in California and their life stories, through music, poetry and storytelling. Modesto Sound is fully equipped to record music and has been doing so since 2005 when it first opened in the house of audio engineer and entrepreneur Brenda Francis. Today, after over ten years of community service, including teaching and facilities at local high schools, Modesto Sound has grown into a non-profit one-stop educational facility, in a public media building off of Yosemite Boulevard, that provides both recording and live sound services.
Early publicity regarding the California Audio Roots Project advertised that the time commitment required several days. However, Modesto Sound has found that project participation can be flexible on days and times. Furthermore, the project is also mobile and can accommodate for people that cannot make it to the studio by coming to them. Grants and donations for CARP are earmarked to reach out to low-income participants; thus, low-income participants are given priority in project participation, but all members of the community are welcome to inquire about the chance to share their story.
For the public’s enjoyment, please mark your calendars to attend our free showcasing of completed shows, including the attendance of media representatives, producers, engineers, and participants of the project. The showcase will be held Saturday, June 23, 2018, from 2p.m.-4p.m. at the Stanislaus County Library in downtown Modesto. Come mingle, enjoy refreshments, hear the stories from CARP participants, and more!
To listen to completed shows right now, please visit modestosound.org. Modesto Sound welcomes new sponsors to become involved, to partner with us in assuring that everyone who wants to participate in the California Audio Roots Project by sharing their story will have the opportunity to do so! For information on participating in the project, call Program Director Janet Seay, at 209-573-0533 or email Modesto Sound staff at studio@modestosound.org.
Brenda Francis
Founder & Marketing Director
Modesto Sound
Recording, Live Sound, & Education
Empowering youth with real-world job skills to create music and artistic media.
http://www.modestosound.org
https://www.facebook.com/modestosound/
