Music is an opportunity Alberto Garcia missed in childhood. Now he’s reclaiming it alongside his daughter, a fifth grader at Kids Unlimited Academy.

“Music Matters” is the program giving Fatima Garcia the chance to learn a fretted instrument, the ukulele, from Medford instructor Adrian Wright. The lessons, offered once each week for 30 minutes, are free for Fatima’s family because of private donations to Wright’s program.

“My gift to give the world is music,” said Wright, who co-owns Wright Brothers Music Lessons in downtown Medford.

Fatima is one of three KUA ukulele students — two in fifth grade, one in third grade — selected last winter and benefiting from Wright’s lessons since summer. While instruction is offered in three-month blocks, KUA students can continue with Wright as long as they demonstrate a commitment to learning, he said.

“There’s no time limit — there’s expectations,” Wright said.

Proving her knack for steady strumming, her memory for scales and her discipline for practicing regularly, Garcia has “earned” her ukulele and can choose more advanced instruction on guitar, said Wright.

“She had this big grin on her face,” said Wright of Fatima realizing her accomplishment.

Her grin is likely eclipsed by her dad’s, who has been learning guitar from a Spanish-speaking instructor for the past six months. It’s “exciting and emotional,” he said, for his daughter to have the opportunities he didn’t have growing up in a small Mexican town. KUA’s director of educational services, Dr. Beto Vargas, provided Spanish interpretation.

Playing an instrument, Alberto said, helps him escape day-to-day reality and enter a more passionate state. He added that he hopes more students at KUA will have opportunities through Wright’s “Music Matters” because he knows music is so beneficial for the developing brain.

Developing her skills from one-chord songs to three-chord songs, from nursery rhymes to classical tunes, Fatima is working to master the famous classical guitar ballad “Spanish Romance,” also known as “Romanza.” It’s her mother’s favorite song.

She’s very thankful for “Music Matters”, said Fatima’s mother, Maria de Jesús, when she hears her daughter play in the family’s Medford home. It makes her happy, she said, and relaxes her.

Fatima has gained confidence this year as she’s become a stronger ukulele player, said KUA music and theater teacher, BriAnna Johnson. Acting in this fall’s Royal Kids Theatre production, “Big Bad,” as one of the Evil Stepsisters, Fatima has shown focus and commitment, Johnson said.

While focused on her ukulele graduation solo, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Fatima said she isn’t sure she’s outgrown the ukulele yet. Playing the smaller stringed instrument, after all, would complement her dad’s lead guitar.

“Ukulele is more fun.”

Your donations to Kids Unlimited make experiences like Fatima’s possible for our students.

Hispanic Heritage Month connects families, age groups, cultures across KU programs

Swaying to the sounds of samba, tango, salsa and other Latin music genres, students fashion their own drums to keep time with the beat. Empty tin cans, roughly 6 by 7 inches, salvaged from the school kitchen, will have new life as percussion instruments in Elaina Lambert’s English language development class.

The activity, says Lambert, doesn’t just merge music and language. Students have learned about history, geography and multiculturalism against the backdrop of Hispanic Heritage Month, she says.

“Understanding that Latin music is a powerful example of resilience and diversity has benefited everyone!”

Students across Kids Unlimited Academy’s age groups and classroom cohorts have experienced Hispanic Heritage Month since Sept. 15 through hands-on projects, art displays and special events. Although the nationwide observation runs through Oct. 15, KUA extends its celebrations through Nov. 2, Latin countries’ Día de los Muertos — Day of the Dead. The traditional holiday invites students, staff and families to reflect on deeper themes of respect and personal relationships upheld at KUA.

Connected to generations of her family through cumbia sonidera, J. Ruby Meza-Gomez says every day her mom turns on the popular dance music. The mix playing in Ms. Lambert’s class reminds Meza-Gomez of family togetherness.

“That song — that’s me dancing when I was little!” exclaims Meza-Gomez. “I also like it because it reminds me of being at my grandparents’ house.”

KUA families built bridges at the charter school’s bilingual Lotería & Bingo night Oct. 13. KUA-TV student news hosted segments in Spanish throughout the month. And art projects spanned the traditional, such as papier-mâché piñatas, to contemporary paintings inspired by Salvadoran artist Fernando Llort. Building multicultural awareness for all students, regardless of culture or background is embedded in the Oregon State Educational Standards.

“We learned about what is Hispanic heritage, and we also write about what it means,” says fifth grader Dianna Moreno. “For me, it means traditional celebrations that Hispanic people do.”

For many, it’s not a celebration without tamales, jokes ELD teacher Yolanda Ortega, whose student writing projects for Hispanic Heritage month are full of descriptions and illustrations honoring this beloved dish.

Latin foods, games, crafts and books also characterized the month’s activities at KU Afterschool programs in Medford’s nine Title I elementary schools. Students made aguas frescas and buñuelos, played balero and “La Vibora de la Mar” and learned about Hispanic culture through reading and creating.

“Hispanic Heritage Month is a wonderful opportunity for our students and staff  to celebrate their culture,” says Afterschool Program Director Judy Patterson. “Students can make connections to their own backgrounds while learning about and appreciating the cultures of their friends and classmates. We love creating opportunities for students to see their culture represented and celebrated!”

Attendance Matters!

Each student matters to ALL of us at Kids Unlimited Academy. Our charter school is a community, and community depends on everyone showing up each day.

The loss of learning that takes place students are absent cannot be replaced. Chronic absenteeism in kindergarten can predict lower test scores, poor attendance and retention in later grades. If you need help getting your child to school on time, please reach out to us!

Always notify KUA, by calling the office at 541-774-3900 between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., when your child is absent or going to be absent for any reason. Please provide the student’s full name, grade and reason for absence. A doctor’s note is required for absences of longer than three days.

Who we are

We believe educational opportunities are for everyone — regardless of economics, background, race, gender or zip code.

This belief shaped Kids Unlimited, a grassroots program that took hold in 1998 at a low-income elementary school in Medford. Our organization upholds education and opportunity as the keys to overcoming barriers of language, culture and poverty.

KU’s values, 28 years later, have become a community norm. We know the community cares about its children, but we are challenged every day to serve kids whose needs surpass available resources.

• Poverty, hunger and family instability are widespread among KU participants.
• Kids’ adverse experiences and social-emotional delays require mental health treatment.
• KU families need wrap-around support, including job, housing and health care referrals.
• Nearly 70% of KU Academy families are Latino, about half of those non-English speaking.

What we do

A nonprofit organization, Kids Unlimited relies on government and foundation grants, private donations, business sponsorships, community partnerships and fees for service. We also need you! Our community’s generosity ensures KU can provide these educational opportunities and social supports:

• Afterschool programs at nine of the highest poverty elementary schools in our region;
• Math and reading assistance that supplements students’ regular school day with 20% more instruction;
• Enrichment activities in supervised, safe environments during out-of-school time, including after school, summer, winter and spring breaks;
• A year-round public charter school providing 30% more instructional time than Medford district schools;
• 10-hour structured school days that embed enrichments in arts, music, culinary, sports and other programs often economically out of reach for KU families;
• Highly qualified, diverse teaching staff, many bilingual, who offer culturally competent programming;
• Thousands of meals each day, all cooked from scratch, often incorporating locally sourced produce and proteins;
• “Free” services to remove participants’ economic and cultural barriers and ensure their access and equity.