From brainstorming about an album cover to learning about the music recording process to writing, rapping and reciting, a group of Peekskill youths unleashed their creativity during a recent library workshop.
Three artists from the Bronx—two of whom are originally from Peekskill—led the session. It met three times over the last few weeks.
Each time the workshop leaders, who brought cameras and recording equipment, guided more than a dozen middle school youngsters as they jotted down lines, put dialogue to beats and dreamt up artwork for a cover.
"Kids are so unpredictable, they're the most creatively in tune," said Peekskill-native Ibrahim Siddiq, a poet who runs the non-project The Free Art Project.
The goal of the Field Library program, according to Siddiq, was to familiarize the youngsters with the hardware and software behind recording, and teach songwriting skills.
"I thought I was going to have to help them write songs," he said.
But that wasn't the case, Siddiq told Patch, acknowledging the teens' "natural, raw talent."
Soon the up-and-coming artists will have a tangible reminder of that talent, in the form of a CD. Their work will also be featured on the library's website.
Liz Anastasi, reference and young adult librarian, was pleased with the engagement she saw.
"It's really exciting when people show up, and not only do they show up, but they come back," she said.
--
Steve Burns, Daniel Malave and Ibrahim Siddiq ran the workshop.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
