Music has the power to unite, transform, and transcend. The nonprofit AHA! embodies all of these qualities with its annual Sing It Out! event, where about a dozen teen performers embark on a 14-week journey of self- and community discovery through music and group sessions. The program culminates in a performance in front of an audience, where the selected students ultimately learn to stand tall and sing their hearts out on stage at the Lobero.
Since 1999, the nonprofit has hosted more than 200 students on this journey through music, with cohorts of about a dozen students yearly. The 14-week journey initiates self-actualization, relationship building, and expression, where they reconcile their voices and identities through group and solo exercises led by AHA! facilitators and music mentors. (Read our 2024 cover story “Find Your Voice” here.)
Students take the stage at the end of the program and perform a solo rendition of a rock ’n’ roll cover backed by a professional band on the historic Lobero Theatre stage.
AHA! has provided social-emotional education to more than 20,000 teens and youth care providers, and this program is just one of its unique initiatives in conjunction with the Santa Barbara community, augmenting teen growth and development.
This year’s event will take place on April 13 at 6 p.m. at the Lobero Theatre.
Visit lobero.org to purchase tickets for the feel-good event of the year and support your local community.
