County—Public Library 1 Turns the Tables DJ Lab and Concert Series

TURNS THE TABLES DJ LAB AND CONCERT SERIES NACo 2018 Achievement Award Nomination Submission

CATEGORY: Libraries

CONTACT: Yolanda De Ramus Chief Deputy Director LA County Library 7400 E. Imperial Hwy. Downey, CA 90242 [email protected] (562) 940-8412

1. ABSTRACT OF THE PROGRAM

LA County Library's Turns the Tables series is a free 9-week DJ lab for beginners, age 15 to 21. Participants learn essential DJ skills and receive small business training from a professional instructor, utilizing STEAM and developing digital and musical literacies, in a safe, collaborative environment. A free community concert concludes the course; students showcase their skills and receive feedback from industry DJs.

Launched in Compton in February 2017, the program intended to counteract stigmas of violence and poverty faced by the community, offering young residents an opportunity to create art through music while increasing their job opportunities. Following this successful debut, the program expanded to South Whittier (September 2017), San Fernando (January 2018), and East Los Angeles (May 2018), with additional locations coming soon. The series aims to inspire a future generation of creators, providing the skills necessary to launch successful careers.

In addition to providing classroom learning opportunities, the Library has booked program graduates to perform at library and local arts events, providing paid work experiences. Some students have purchased turntable sets, to begin practicing professionally. Due to positive reception, the Library has received funding to expand to new locations, including its mobile maker spaces, creating a DJ-lab-on-the-go.

2. THE PROBLEM OR NEED FOR THE PROGRAM

The Turns the Tables series emerged as a solution to multiple community needs. First, during the Library’s Community Visioning Sessions held in 2016, both parents and students consistently voiced their desire for more hands-on STEAM programs and learning opportunities, ideally in an after school environment. Second, studies show that teens are not learning in school all the essential career skills they need to succeed in adulthood. The 2011 U.S.

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Department of Labor Study “Skills to Pay the Bills" found that 75 percent of employers felt high school graduates were not properly prepared for the workforce.

Finally, LA County Library has locations in communities that cover a vast socioeconomic range. Like many cities in the County, Compton struggles with poverty, with approximately 27 percent living below the poverty line, and violence, although crime is declining. Simultaneously, though, its population is young—a median age of 29—and it was recently designated an “Entrepreneurial Hot Spot” by research firm, Cognetics. Looking at Compton’s challenges and strengths, in conjunction with the desire for increased STEAM learning and the need to improve career readiness, the Library was able to harness Compton’s creative spirit and rich musical history, while making entrepreneurship attractive to young adults. Compton Turns the Tables was born.

Considering the program’s potential for success on a larger scale, the Library’s grant proposal included plans to replicate the program in the future, to meet similar STEAM learning and career development needs throughout the County, including in areas that might be facing similar socioeconomic challenges.

3. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM

LA County Library strives to be a safe place to learn and create, providing platforms for both traditional learning and unexpected collisions of creativity. Strategic plan initiatives include affirming the Library as a center for learning, developing library libraries as centers for community engagement, and cultivating the community’s creativity. The Turns the Tables series address these strategic goals by responding to local community's learning and literacy needs with events, classes, experiences, and technology that provide an outlet for artistic expression and content creation.

Development of the program began when the Library applied for $75,000 in funding via State Library’s Library Services and Technology (LSTA) Pitch-an-Idea Grant for Compton Turns the Tables: The DJ Lab in March 2016. Funding was received in June 2016, and the program had to be implemented by August 31, 2017. The DJ Lab for beginners was designed for young adults age 15-21. While the main focus is teaching essential DJ skills for free, something that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive to youth, the program simultaneously teaches STEAM skills in a hands-on environment—a desire the community expressed during Visioning Sessions the Library held in 2016. Today’s DJs must rely upon many STEAM-related skills: they use laptops and software to create and mix music; when they transition between tracks, they use a skill called “beatmatching” which involves counting the bars and beats of songs and combining them in a crowd-pleasing way; DJs analyze the tempo of songs by beats per minute; DJs are sound engineers, mathematicians, and computer gurus on top of being musical artists. These are transferable skills that can be applied to multiple other career paths and vocations. In addition to teaching these skills, the course makes entrepreneurship attractive to young adults by providing basic business training—to meet the societal need of

Los Angeles County—Public Library 3 Turns the Tables DJ Lab and Concert Series

preparing young adults to enter the workforce, and support LA County’s strategic plan goal, “Make Investments that Transform Lives.” By offering classes in the library on a weekday afternoon, the courses also provide a safe afterschool space, and teach soft skills via creative collaboration with peers.

When designing the pilot course in Compton, the Library had longevity in mind, and set out to create a sustainable program. All professional-quality turntables and equipment purchased was intended for reuse, and to be easily portable. A large 200-item collection of books, periodicals, and other materials on DJing was purchased for circulation throughout the Library System. When Library staff hired a professional instructor, in addition to teaching ten classes, expectations were outlined that this individual would help design a replicable curriculum including the historical and social context of DJ culture and a comprehensive introduction to DJ skills that could be used in full or scaled and customized according to need. Topics covered in the classes would include history, basic theory, techniques, developing a DJ business plan, and marketing and promotion of DJ services. Classes would allow participants hands-on experience and practice with professional DJ equipment. The instructor also trained library staff so that they could become in-house experts; they participated in the DJ Lab along with the students, familiarizing themselves with the equipment and curriculum. Finally, promotion of the program—including the creation of a reusable logo, print and radio advertisements, and live concert events—aimed to increase awareness of non-traditional library programs, increase engagement with local communities, and develop local partnerships.

Compton Turns the Tables (CTTT) launched in February 2017. It was taught by Lynnée Denise Bonner, a professional DJ with over 20 years of experience, who is also a professor at California State University, and has more than 20 years experience as an educator and DJ instructor. Sixteen students enrolled in the course, which was initially 10 weeks, two hours a class. Students were given homework assignment both in class and by email, and also had the option to visit the Compton Library and practice skills learned in class on equipment set up in the meeting room, on scheduled days and one hour before scheduled classes. Attendance fluctuated, and after a few weeks there was a core group of eight. The course was intended to be hands-on, and the small class size worked to the students' advantage, offering more one-on-one time with the instructor. But DJing can't be learned exclusively behind closed doors; a crucial component of training is to get new DJs get in front of a live audience, so they can gain experience performing. To conclude the Lab, the Library held a free, live concert on May 6, 2017, during which each DJ student performed a 5-10 minute set. The concert—planned by the Library's marketing team—was intended to mimic a professional performance. Local radio personality, Lon McQ from KJLH 102.3 FM, hosted the event, which offered special performances from legendary hip-hop artist Yo-Yo, and R&B performers Kay Dee, Anthony Lewis and Lee Laamaj. Celebrity panelists Mandell Frazier, Dawnn Lewis, Elvin Ross, and Rayan from Mindless Behavior, provided valuable constructive feedback to students after each set. To add to students’ business training, they were provided the opportunity to experience elements of a professional concert, including a green room, sound check, and a red-carpet interview with invited media. The Library’s marketing team promoted

Los Angeles County—Public Library 4 Turns the Tables DJ Lab and Concert Series

the event widely via billboards, bus shelters and radio advertisements, to both raise awareness of the new program and all non-traditional programs held at LA County Library, and to encourage the community to come out and celebrate the DJ students’ accomplishments. In addition to interacting with celebrities, media, and professional musicians, the DJ students were able to test out their skills on an enthusiastic crowd of more than 300. The concert also provided an opportunity to partner with local and Countywide resources. The Grammy Museum donated VIP passes to the students. The LA County Department of Parks and Recreation was instrumental in assisting with the distribution of promotional information, as were local high schools and community collges. The Department of Public Works offered free bus shelter ads in relevant zip codes. The City of Compton covered the costs of two outdoor billboards along a local freeway, and provided free parking for the concert. Local eateries, such as Wing Stop, Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, Earle's Restaurant, Alma’s Cookies and Company, Marble Cakes, and San Antonio Bakery, provided free food for the students, artists and community.

Due to the success of the series, additional funding was secured from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ First, Third, Fourth and Fifth District Offices to expand the series to libraries in their districts, and to the Library’s MākMō Maker Mobiles, to create a DJ-Lab-on-the-go. The program expansion began with South Whittier Turns the Tables (SWTTT), which started its course in September 2017. DJ equipment purchased for CTTT was transferred to the South Whittier Library and remained onsite for the duration of the course. DJ Lynnée Denise returned as instructor, and 24 students enrolled in the first class. Again, attendance fluctuated, and a core group of 13 came to the majority of the classes. SWTTT was modeled after CTTT with minor modifications, including offering nine weeks of class and a scaled down concert for this and future iterations of the program, due to budgetary constraints. The Board of Supervisors’ funding covered the cost for a DJ instructor and the smaller student concert, held November 18, 2017, with 9 of the 13 students performing. Costs covered an MC, and local industry DJs to provide feedback on performances. San Fernando Turns the Tables (SFTTT) started classes in January 2018, and again offered nine classes. The Library brought on a new instructor for this Lab, DJ Moni Vargas, voted one of the best DJ in New York City. Again, equipment was transferred to the new location. Twelve students attended the first class, and six have attended the majority of the workshops. The free community concert will be held on March 10, 2018, and will be similar in scale to the South Whittier concert. East LA Turns the Tables will soon begin in May 2018, and the Library is planning another DJ workshop in the Antelope Valley area in the fall. The Library has also begun to roll out DJ labs through its MākMō maker mobiles, which travel to many library and community events around the County.

The Library is working to continually promote its Student DJs. Staff have booked six of the graduates— DJ Sol, DJ Pricetag, DJ Paige, DJ Kidd Spirit, DJ Rye, and DJ Runaway – for a variety of events, some as solo performers and some in small groups, including the Library’s All Staff Training Day, Library Grand Openings, and local arts events like a special feature at the Ford Theatres, opening for the New Year’s Eve celebration, and, coming soon, performances at the Natural History Museum’s Summer Nights in the Garden series. Student DJs are paid for these performances. Due to their success thus far, the parents of multiple

Los Angeles County—Public Library 5 Turns the Tables DJ Lab and Concert Series

students have purchased turntables for them to start their own businesses as they improve their skills.

4. RESPONDING TO ECONOMIC DOWNTURN (OPTIONAL)

Part of LA County Library’s mission is to serve socioeconomically-challenged communities. As such, when possible, the Library’s TTT series has focused on locations with higher poverty rates and lower median ages, giving “Turns the Tables” more than one meaning. As the pilot program for the series, Compton Turns the Tables helped bring awareness and entrepreneurial opportunities to the city, despite the blight it has faced over the years. The Library hopes to continue this trend, when feasible, as the program expands.

The federal poverty rate is approximately 14%, with a median age of 38. Compton, the initial location for the series, has a comparatively high poverty rate of 27%, with a median age of 29. South Whittier is fairly in line with the federal rate, but has a slightly younger population at 33 median age. San Fernando has a rate of 19% with a median age of 32. And East Los Angeles, the upcoming location for the series, matches Compton at a 27% poverty rate, with a similarly young population, median age 30. (All based on DataUSA profiles.) Focusing on locations with higher-than-average poverty levels is in line with the Library’s goal of eliminating barriers to services by offering non-traditional programs such as a DJ lab to customers in these communities.

Additionally, the program addressed County budget constraints by developing a sustainable program that was primarily funded with a grant investment, the purchases from which could be used to replicate the program again and again. While funding is still needed to cover essential expenses like teacher fees and concert setup, each 9-week program and concert costs, on average, $10,000 per event as compared to $75,000 plus additional expenses for the initial CTTT event, making the program sustainable at a fraction of the cost.

5. THE COST OF THE PROGRAM

LA County Library was awarded a $75,000 grant from California State Library’s Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Pitch-an-Idea Grant, for the budget period of July 1, 2016 to August 31, 2017, to develop and implement Compton Turns the Tables, which was used as follows:

Reusable Infrastructure $21,813 DJ Supplies, Equipment, Storage carts and cases: Turntables, digital DJ systems, mixers, headphones, microphones, DJ decks, mixers, speakers, surge suppressor, flash drives, hard drives, laptops, subwoofer, storage boxes and all-terrain carts. $14,303 Laptops and charging carts (10) $4,891 DJing Books & Materials (qty: 277), for circulation throughout Library system Staffing & Services

Los Angeles County—Public Library 6 Turns the Tables DJ Lab and Concert Series

$10,475 DJ Instructor Consultant Fees: Create curriculum; Teach 10 classes; Provide consultation on equipment selection and setup; Provide staff training, including MākMō Librarians. Promotional & Printing $2,025 Graphic Artist: Design logo and layout for informational materials, including webpage, flyers and posters ($75/hour). $21,487 Promotional: Includes collateral printing, videography, and radio station commercials. $74,994 TOTAL

In addition to the above, supplemental costs for event planning and promotion were covered by the Library’s organizational marketing budget specifically for the CTTT concert, totaling $9,703, including payments for celebrity performances and panelists, the red carpet host, merchandise and T-shirts, and on-site banners and step-and-repeats.

Although the grant only funded the pilot program at Compton Library, the substantial investment allowed for the purchase of equipment that could be reused for future courses, and the building of a curriculum that could be taught again, making the program fairly self- sustaining. When the program expanded to additional libraries, funding for the South Whittier, San Fernando and East Los Angeles TTT programs was provided by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors First, Fourth and Fifth Districts in the amount of $30,000, giving each of the three DJ labs a budget of $10,000. Exact spending of this budget has varied by location, but generally the largest portion (approximately $7,000 to $8,000) is allocated for the professional instructor. Instructor costs were at the higher end of the range for San Fernando Library, as the Instructor was also asked to provide Spanish translation for curriculum and coursework. Remaining funds were used to plan the concert (e.g. set up stage, hire MC and DJ panel, for example). Marketing costs were absorbed into the annual marketing budget.

The grant also funded the development of a Mobile DJ Lab, allowing the Library to outfit its MākMō Maker Mobiles with turntables at no additional cost, and to use trained staff to lead pop-up events. Other libraries and community events will continue to benefit from this service.

6. THE RESULTS/SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM

The first Turns the Tables showcase concert held in Compton was intended both to raise awareness of the program and to promote non-traditional programs held at LA County Library. The extensive marketing push provided measurable impact in terms of reach. Radio promotions reached an estimated 10.46 million users on 94.7 The Wave, 2.3 million users via Power 106, and 542,000 users via KJLH. Two digital billboards off Interstate 105 reached an estimated 100,000 daily, per billboard. 33 bus shelter ads provided an estimated 2 million impressions. The community was enthusiastically supportive, with 300 plus people attending the live concert. Within six weeks following the showcase event, Compton Library re-engaged 4.06% of infrequent users who had not utilized the library service in the previous three months, and saw

Los Angeles County—Public Library 7 Turns the Tables DJ Lab and Concert Series

a 12.39% increase for utilization of services and activities among teen users. System-wide, 2.43% of infrequent users re-engaged in library use, an increase from the previous three months, and there was a 5.3% increase specifically among teen users of services and activities.

The Library succeeded in meeting its sustainability objective by developing a program that could be replicated and customized beyond the life of the grant. The substantial grant funding was used to purchase state-of-the-art equipment that could be used for years and will not need to be repurchased, and to develop a standard curriculum with assistance from a professional DJ. This strategy has allowed the program to expand to new locations, continuously reusing equipment and curriculum. Thirteen staff members have been trained to both use the DJ equipment and teach the curriculum, either to students or to other staff, as needed. LA County Library will start offering Mobile DJ Labs using it's MākMō maker mobiles, offering pop-up training in addition to the 9-week Turns the Tables courses. One of these pop-ups was offered at a County event at Dockweiler State Beach, with much positive feedback. In the month of April, multiple pop-up events will be offered at A C Bilbrew Library. Additional funding received from the LA County Board of Supervisors to expand the DJ programs in this way is another measure of success—a testament to the positive experiences of the students and concert attendees, and to the fact that the library is fulfilling its strategic objectives with the program.

Focusing on longer-term learning over a 9-week period allowed for deeper engagement with students, and more extensive learning of STEAM skills, another program objective. 27 students have completed or are scheduled to complete the 3 courses offered thus far, for an average of 9 students a class, allowing for one-on-one, hands-on learning. For CTTT, a pre- and post- program survey was conducted. Upon course completion, 100% of students stated they were very comfortable with using current technology, very confident in starting their own DJ business, and had learned a lot about the history and culture of music. Comparatively, at the start of the course, 40% felt only "average" about using technology, 50% said they knew nothing or very little about music history and culture, and 40% were a little or not at all confident in starting a business, indicating that the course was successful in its learning objectives. Some of the most dramatic outcomes could not be captured by a survey, as they pertain to changes in students' skills and attitudes. One objective stated in the initial grant application was that participants would "enjoy a collaborative creative experience with their peers;" it was very apparent to staff that this objective was successful, based on observation. Each class session brought a new level of skills, confidence, and sense of comradery within the group. Midway through the classes, students were staying after class to talk to each other and exchange social media contact information. When one of the students was hesitant to perform at the student showcase, because he felt he was not as skilled as the others, and thought he might be made fun of by the other students because of his disabilities, the other students encouraged him to participate and provided him the confidence he needed to perform. Before, during and after the concert showcase, all the students encouraged and supported each other. After successful concert performances, the previously hesitant student, along with another, eventually requested to be part of the South Whittier Turns the Table DJ Lab and participated

Los Angeles County—Public Library 8 Turns the Tables DJ Lab and Concert Series

as aides to the instructor. Similar dynamics have been observed in the South Whitter and San Fernando courses.

In support of the objective to teach job skills and increase career readiness, the Library has worked to connect TTT graduates with paid performance opportunities. Six students from the series - DJ Sol, DJ Pricetag, DJ Paige, DJ Kidd Spirit, DJ Rye, and DJ Runaway – have performed at six events so far, including the Library’s All Staff Development Day, multiple Library Openings, a performance at the Ford Theatres in Hollywood in November 2017, and a performance at Grand Park for New Year’s Eve 2017, all showcasing the skills they learned in the DJ Lab. The Library is currently in conversation with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles regarding a partnership opportunity, also allowing student DJs to perform. Due to their success thus far, the parents of multiple students have purchased turntables for them to start their own businesses as they improve their skills.

7. WORTHINESS OF AWARD

More than just a DJ course, the Turns the Tables series addresses opportunity gaps faced by local youth, helping them reach their full economic, academic, and personal potential. In addition to gaining digital and musical literacy, DJs rely upon STEAM-based 21st century skills that can be applied to multiple vocations—as sound engineers, mathematicians, computer gurus and musical artists—making the program an excellent way to support hands-on STEAM learning and job readiness. Focusing on long-term learning over 9 weeks in the library allowed deeper engagement with students, enhanced learning, and peer bonding, in a safe space. Live concert performances further career training, while fostering community engagement and partnership, allowing guests to celebrate student achievements while recognizing each library community’s culture. A robust marketing campaign—including billboards, bus shelter ads, and radio spots—garnered more attention for the program and the Library overall, which led to increased use of library services. Throughout the program, LA County Library collaborated with both music industry leaders and community partners, reaffirming its multi-faceted role as a platform for both traditional learning and unexpected collisions of creativity. By using an initial grant as an investment in the program, LA County Library was able to develop a sustainable, replicable program that fits within budgetary constraints and yet is still able to serve multiple DJ Lab hubs, and locations throughout the County with mobile services.

8. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS (OPTIONAL)

Please see attachment.