How and when did you get involved with ZUMIX?
I’ve always loved to sing and act, and when I was growing up, a family friend of mine – my friend Julianna Quiroz’s mom – was involved with arts programming in Chelsea and East Boston. I signed up for everything she was doing. My first class at ZUMIX was a Sprouts theater class, and I ended up being one of Laura Macias’ first students. I heard that ZUMIX also had music classes. From there, it’s a blur!
I took private lessons, and I participated in DiverCity Band with Leo Colon and Mr. Ed [Meradith]. I made a bunch of friends there. I also remember doing Streetwise and Street Program with Corey [Depina]. He was my first songwriting teacher. I also took bass lessons with Dan Fox. I just did everything I could fit into my schedule!
At the time, there was a lot of hip-hop programming at ZUMIX–for example, Street Program was focused on hip-hop. There weren’t as many rock-centered ensembles.
Madeleine told us, You can make it what you want it to be. I wanted to learn about the history of rock, and play those songs. That was how Rock Ed started! It’s still going strong, and it’s one of the most popular programs at ZUMIX.
We had a Rock Ed instructor named Sam, who was super spunky and cool. He was that young, hip mentor we all looked up to. We wrote a bunch of original songs together, and performed them at the Middle East in Cambridge and different venues around town. We got to have some really cool moments as a group. Sam taught us the history of The Who and other bands that he was really into.
How did you grow as a musician and as a leader at ZUMIX?
I eventually started my own band with Omar Sosa and a few other ZUMIX people, called Feedback. We recorded our first song in the ZUMIX recording studio, but we existed independently from ZUMIX. All of us were in DiverCity Band together. And now, I have the same position Omar used to have at ZUMIX.
ZUMIX also gave me one of my first jobs, as we were getting ready to build and design the Firehouse. I was part of the youth team that helped design the space and choose paint colors. I sat in on meetings with the designers. We would visit other organizations and take notes. I was also the first performer at the Firehouse! We had a bucket brigade to move stuff from the old ZUMIX to the new, and to inaugurate the new stage, I performed a song that day.
How did you get involved with Walk for Music?
I heard about Walk for Music as a young person participating at ZUMIX. Madeleine introduced me to fundraising. She would talk about it at the showcases every year. (Side note: I did showcases as a young person, and now I plan them!)
At any event we did, at any time, Madeleine would pass around the bucket for donations and talk about fundraising, and mention the Walk for Music. She would get the young people really excited about it – telling us we could help raise money for the thing we loved.
I remember doing my own fundraising for Walk for Music: asking my teachers and my mom’s friends to give. I remember people giving and saying they loved the cause, and rallying around what ZUMIX was doing.
It brought me a lot of purpose to show up on the day of the Walk, knowing there were people who had chosen to support this mission. I always had the sense that I wasn’t only representing ZUMIX, but representing those people, and their belief in what we do. Even as a young person, I really believed the Walk was mine.
Do you have a favorite Walk for Music memory?
Some of the years and events blur together for me! More recently, last year’s Walk for Music happened about a month after I started working here. Not everyone knew me yet, or knew the deep attachment I have to this space. But being in the staff band was really a sweet memory for me–like a full circle moment. I loved getting to build that joy and excitement in the room before we went out to walk. That was really special.
I’ve always loved the fun of Walk for Music, too. As a young person, it’s so fun to walk with your friends and bandmates, and be silly and enjoy it together. I remember one year, we had bright green t-shirts with a blue Z on them. We got to take a picture, wear the matching T-shirts, paint our faces–it’s such a fun day.
Fundraising as a staff person feels really powerful, and it brings a lot of purpose to the work we do. The Walk feels just as powerful as it did back then, and I’m so glad to get to be a part of supporting the organization through my position. That one day brings it all together.
Why do you Walk for Music?
I walk for music because I know it changes lives–it has completely changed my life. I walk for music to support the work we do at ZUMIX every day. And I walk for music because music brings joy to our community and our students, and I want them to carry that joy for the rest of their lives.
Jen Aldana is a singer-songwriter, a ZUMIX alumna, and the Instrumental Music Manager at ZUMIX.