DOWNEY - A local nonprofit company is using music and rhythm to aid in literacy.

Lead by Drumming for Your Life President Steven Angel, the Reading and Rhythm program works with at-risk youth, kids with learning disabilities, and “anybody who’s falling behind” on their literacy.

“I started it in 2001; we’ve probably pre and post-tested 4-5,000 kids over the years,” said Angel. “The Reading and Rhythm Program…this is the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; it’s through a contract with them…this is to work with at-risk youth in juvenile halls.”

Recently, the program has been utilized inside Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.

“Our program is multi-sensory; what that means is it works on the mind and the body,” said Angel. “A lot of these kids, some of their issues have to do with anxiety.

“Everyone has what we call the ‘doubtful internal voice;’ that’s the voice that says ‘I can’t do this, I’m stupid, I’m afraid, I’m this,’ any voice that is counter to the desire. That voice with kids in the, say juvenile detention camps - those kids that have fallen really behind – dominates their mind…we’re working to transform that voice.”

The program runs for six weeks, bi-weekly for 60 minutes per class led by a certified Reading and Rhythm facilitator. Sessions begin with group drumming exercises that are meant to engage students physiologically, cognitively and emotionally. Students then read aloud to a rhythmic beat played by the facilitator.

The program concludes with assessments of each student.

“It’s a whole system that we’ve created,” said Angel. “The program we’re doing at Los Padrinos, we just tested the kids; some of these kids went up over 100 percent in their reading…really dramatic shifts in their reading.”

Angel says that he hopes the program will keep expanding, potentially including work to be done within Downey.

“I think this is where we’re at, because we are capable of tremendous expansion,” said Angel. “We can train regular teachers to do this…that’s our goal, just in the immediate community, is to be able to do outreach.”

Angel says awareness and willingness is a “big thing” in that goal becoming a reality.

“We have the capacity, it’s just willingness and capital,” said Angel. “We have talked to the council, we have volunteers from the community here that work for us…we have started the conversation…I know we’re still ahead of the curve, but like I said the neuroscience is out there... We have a lot of support, but again it’s getting the people in the community to take a look at the data, look at what we’re doing and say ‘ok, this is the future, this where things are heading.’”

For more information, call 562-904-6775.

Reading and Rhythm helps literacy in at-risk youth