How do you create a place for the arts to flourish? Why do youth need to be involved in expressing themselves with art? These are among the many things we speak about with our guest Logan Greene. He was one of the co-founders of the nonprofit organization Groundworks, an organization that promotes youth driven arts and music in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to telling us about Groundworks, Logan draws attention to some of the conscious decisions that were made to ensure that a healthy, safe, and supportive community that is in many cases run by youth and young adults. Musical memories by Ana Espinosa, Andy Mourelatos, and Faye Zhang guide our conversation.

How does music sustain us during difficult times? Why do we now realize why live music is so important? Our guest today is Lia Falco, an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Arizona. She was central to the founding of a school based mental health program that provides free mental health counseling for students and families in public education, a program which launched just before the pandemic. Her research provides a context to the stories in this episode, about how music helped sustain and bolster people as they found ways to use music to provide solace for themselves during the pandemic. Musical memories by Andre Cota, Ariel Heinrich, and Hunter Del Rosario guide the conversation to a better understanding of how music supports us during those times we are in crisis.

How come music reminds one of a place? Today’s episode explores stories of people coping with feeling homesick by listening to music. Our guest, Jaimie Matthews, helps train and supervise resident advisors for college dormitories. This role allows her to help young adults transition to being on their own, often for the first time in their lives. Jaimie’s experience helps us understand why and how music can become such a powerful reminder of the places we call home. Musical memories by Emily Jo Schwaller, JT Chen, and Devin Bayly help us explore music and the feeling of homesickness.