OFF THE STREETS

ONTO STAGES

OFF THE STREETS ONTO STAGES

OUR PROGRAMS

Our purpose is to elevate, support, and grow low-income youth poets and emcees in the East Bay Area, to provide poetry/rap-centered programs after-school for Pittsburg youth, and to promote community-specific and culturally responsive arts education.

  • IMS Artist Residency

  • PRODIGIES After School Workshops

  • IMS MONTHLY CYPHER / OPEN MIC

  • The Annual PRODIGIES SHOWCASE

  • Regional, National, & International Travel / Cultural Diplomacy

  • IMS Artist Residency

    The IMS Teaching Artist Residency is officially kicking off in October 2024. The goal the Artist Residency is to offer paid teaching opportunities and professional arts education experience for Pittsburg Prodigy Alumni. The Residency period will last October 1st 2024--December 12th 2024, and will take place in P205 at Pittsburg High School after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays

  • IMS Monthly Cypher / Prodigies Open Mic

    The IMS Monthly cipher is IMS's flagship program. It is a free, public, bilingual, open-mic style event that will provide a responsive, safe, educational, and inspirational space for local youth rappers and poets. The event will permit any local youth rapper or poet to sign up to perform for a crowd made up of community and students from neighboring schools. The event will feature a community teach-in or bulletin period, an open-mic period, and then a freestyle cipher period specifically for rappers and musicians

  • Prodigies After School Workshops

    Come through every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch and after school to room P205 to write, spit, and sharpen your skills with the greatest creative talent in the Bay. Join the team and become part of our familia. Currently available to PUSD students only.

  • The Annual Prodigies Showcase

    Our Annual Prodigies Showcase is a non-competitive, high-caliber showcase that puts our artists center stage. Every year we feature a cross-section of young rappers, poets, and recent alumni. Set for late 2023, the event is a backbone to our work.

  • Tavel & Cultural Diplomacy

    n addition to our many successful programs in Pittsburg, the prodigies have experienced traveling across the country to engage in what we call in the arts community Cultural and Artistic Diplomacy. through Cultural diplomacy. Students engage in master classes, workshops, collaborative performances, poetry slams, and rap competitions with other youths from around the world. In October 2023 we were personally invited to the University of Wisconsin–Madison Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) 17th annual Passing the Mic Intergenerational Hip Hop Theater Festival (PtM) in Madison, Wisconsin. We have since been invited to Trinidad and Tobago and to Washington DC for the most prestigious youth poetry festival in the world, Brave New Voices. We sent 12 youths and 2 chaperones to UW Madison. Most recently, we sent 8 youth and 2 chaperones to Brave New Voices in Washington DC in July of 2024.