City Spotlights Staff Blog | Week 2 | Serge Ganthier
By Serge Ganthier (Teaching Artist Assistant – Music)
In City Spotlights tradition, on July 15, 2026, we took this year's Teen Leaders to the Massachusetts State House to speak with state legislators about this year's social justice topic: racism. This year's conversations focused specifically on environmental racism, as well as the impact of AI in schools and how data centers disproportionately affect neighboring communities.
Leading up to this milestone, Jalyse, Shavorie, and I worked alongside Teen Leaders to help them write and develop an original group song titled "Sprout." The song was created collaboratively during their first week in the music specialty and became a powerful reflection of everything they had been learning and discussing. One of my favorite parts of the process was watching each student bring their own musical identity into the room. Our music specialty is filled with artists whose styles span hip-hop, rap, R&B, pop, K-pop, folk, and indie, and it was exciting to see them blend those influences together into one cohesive piece. For some of them, this was their first experience co-writing a song with others, and it was inspiring to watch them learn how to listen, compromise, and build something bigger than themselves.
Some of the standout lyrics from the chorus perfectly captured the heart of their message:
"I should be free to believe in my discretion
But these critics keep oppressin'
I wanna find my way out now."
Hearing those lyrics performed in the State House made the experience feel even more meaningful. It was a reminder that music can be more than entertainment, it can be a tool for advocacy, storytelling, and creating space for young people to have their voices heard.
Another exciting part of the day was seeing one of the largest turnouts of state legislators we've had at this event. Our Teen Leaders not only performed with confidence but also engaged directly with legislators by asking thoughtful questions and speaking about issues that matter to them. Watching them step into those conversations with such poise and purpose was a huge moment of growth from where they started just a week ago. A special thank you to State Representative Jay Livingstone for hosting us, and to John Moran, Kevin Honan, Chris Worrell, John Keenan, and Rob Consalvo for joining us in support of our students. Thank you as well to everyone from the Boch Center team, along with our affiliates and alumni, who came out to cheer on our Teen Leaders.
The State House performance was a major milestone for our music specialty, and I'm incredibly proud of what these young artists accomplished. Seeing them transform their ideas into music and then share that message with community leaders was an unforgettable experience and a testament to how much they've grown in such a short amount of time.