In February of 2002, The Good Shepherd's Studio began its existence. Its initial purpose was to provide a safe,
supportive environment for ALL young musicians under the age of 18, with no other resources, to rehearse, be mentored,
or just hang out. Eventually, word of the studio spread, and before long, the number of young musicians coming to the
studio began to grow significantly. Additionally, the caliber of talent began to grow as well. Soon, many of these
gifted young musicians wanted to make demo CD's, as well as find opportunities to share their music through
concerts. To meet these needs, the studio began investing in the resources, and equipment necessary to accomplish
these tasks. In spite of the amount of money spent, the studio still remains committed to providing these resources
to musicians under the age of 18, at no cost.
The studio is now serving the needs of young people from 13 different communities, in three different counties, that
would otherwise not have such an opportunity due to lack of resources or money. The studio now receives referrals from
youth workers, music teachers, Youth Pastors, the local music stores, etc. The studio encourages kids to "live smart
and clean" in an effort to positively influence their life choices. As one young rapper stated, "I've decided to start
rapping about life and positive stuff, and stopped using bad language." Our goal is to help young musicians to learn
about how their music can be the outlet to help them cope with the pressures of growing into adulthood, instead of
falling into destructive behavior like so many of their peers.
Additionally, our role has greatly expanded to not only helping kids, but also helping others that help kids. Through
the resources of the studio, within the past year, we have provided music and sound for youth-oriented events, free of
charge.
If you would like to support this outreach, or know of anyone that might consider supporting us, please let us
know. Any level of support is needed and appreciated, and as is tax deductible. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Kevin Looker
