Before they all sang “Happy,” by Pharrell Williams, musician Traiveon Dunlap reminded the elementary schoolers seated in a circle in front of him at 825 Arts of their parts in the song.
The whole group will sing the first verse together. Esme will take the first chorus, he said; Summer will sing the next one. Dunlap will clap the beat and cue the ad-libs and “yeah!” shouts. You ready?
This is ComMUSICation, a youth music program centered in Frogtown that runs a variety of after-school programming, including elementary, middle and high school choirs and other music classes focusing on topics like drumming, ukulele, songwriting and cultural music.
Student participants in ComMUSICation, a youth-development program that aims to build life skills through music performance, sing on July 27, 2024. With a focus on making music accessible, ComMUSICation’s after-school programming is all free and snacks or meals are provided at each rehearsal. (Courtesy of ComMUSICation)
Programming is led by professional musicians, like Dunlap, and student groups have previously performed with Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera and VocalEssence and alongside Broadway actor Leslie Odom, Jr. at Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis in 2018. But ComMUSICation is not exactly a music school, per se: The organization’s primary aim is to build access to music so kids can learn the life skills that ensemble music performance can provide: confidence, teamwork, reliability, collaboration, peer leadership.
“It’s not only about singing; it’s about how we use the singing to help facilitate that learning,” said Georgina Chinchilla Gonzalez, ComMUSICation’s executive director. “A lot of what they learn through music (is), ‘This seems really hard, how am I going to do this?’ — and then they figure it out. And that ripples out into school and into communities.”
Performing with ComMUSICation offers a space where you can sing without judgment and feel supported in taking risks, said Angel, a 5th-grader in the elementary choir.
“You think you’re going to be scared, and you could be — but once you get up there, for me, you know you’ve gotta do it,” she said. “And it’s better because you’re not alone.”
ComMUSICation students from a variety of the organization’s choirs and programs are presenting a spring showcase at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at 825 Arts on University Avenue. Free tickets can be reserved online. The following week, the high school Soar choir is also planning and staging its own cabaret-style show, at 5 p.m. Friday, May 2, also at 825 Arts; free to attend with a pay-what-you-can bake sale.
‘Skills to be successful’
The 3rd, 4th and 5th graders rehearsing with Dunlap on a recent afternoon were not singing “Happy” because adult leaders had chosen their repertoire: The participants themselves, even the elementary schoolers, take the lead on choosing their own music.
“The young people are the ones making decisions,” Gonzalez said — which, like in adulthood, also carries responsibilities. At each rehearsal, students can also be assigned jobs: “techie,” who runs the screen that displays the lyrics; secretary, who chooses the order in which they’ll rehearse the songs; time keeper; materials manager. (I asked Esme, a third-grader, what that particular job’s responsibilities include. “They manage the materials,” she told me. Gotcha.)
Younger ComMUSICation participants do tend to pick more popular karaoke-style songs, said Carey Shunskis, the music and program director. But as they get older, she said, it’s gratifying to watch them willingly challenge themselves with more ambitious music.
And in addition to life skills, participants do come away with solid musical chops.
Take Mahogany Robinson, for example. She initially joined ComMUSICation more than a decade ago during its first years in operation, when she was in second grade at St. Paul City School. She returned to the organization as a high schooler, and now is a teaching fellow with ComMUSICation and a freshman music student at the University of Minnesota.
Now, by working with the kids who are sitting where she once did, she said, she is able to help show them that music, even classical performance, is not monolithic and contains many avenues for self-expression.
Student participants in ComMUSICation’s Soar choir, comprised of 9th through 12th graders, jump for a photo in front of the Minnesota State Capitol after performing there March 28, 2025. The group sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as part of Black Youth Mental Health Day. (Courtesy of ComMUSICation)
“I got into the University of Minnesota for vocal performance, which I would credit almost 100 percent to ComMUSICation,” she said. “There are so many barriers to music education…and there’s so much of the musical world that (young people) might not know about because it’s inaccessible.”
ComMUSICation, as Robinson and Gonzalez both explained, is specifically oriented toward making the musical world accessible: All the programs are offered at no cost, free transportation is provided, and snacks or meals are served at every rehearsal.
“We want humans who feel valued and loved and appreciated, and who have the skills to be successful in whatever they choose to do with their lives, whether or not that’s music,” Gonzalez said.
‘Sing your heart out here’
During that recent rehearsal, Shunskis pulled a few kids out into a side room for a brief interview. As one might expect for a group of performative elementary schoolers, things quickly went off the rails.
For example: What would each kid say to someone else in their grade about why they should consider joining ComMUSICation?
Angel, 5th grade: “If you ever wanted to become a singer, then this would be the place. Not a comedian, not a firefighter, not a dance class. But — if you become a celebrity and you don’t know how to dance, then social media is going to eat you, so…”
Shunskis: I think we’ve lost the plot.
Summer, 4th grade: “You can meet new friends. You’ll probably like it because it looks like an old building. And you can sing your heart out here.”
Esme, 3rd grade: “Because we need the money.”
Shunskis: Esme, y’all don’t pay for this program. We don’t get money from you, it’s free for you!
Esme: “Oh. Well in that case, then because it’s free. (Long pause) And because there are a lot of nice teachers, and it’s just really fun. And snack is, like, the best part.”
If You Go
What: ComMUSICation’s Spring Showcase and Cabaret, highlighting the work of the local youth-driven music performance organization
When: 6 p.m. April 24 (youth showcase) and 5 p.m. May 2 (high-school cabaret)
Where: 825 Arts; 825 W. University Ave.
Tickets: Free; reserve tickets for the showcase in advance online. More info at commusicationmn.org.
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