The Ascend through Music Program, which is part of the non-profit Living Classrooms, provides opportunities for youth to develop skills in music and the creative arts. With music labs at our Baltimore and DC community centers, participants can engage in 1-on-1 lessons, group sessions, performance groups and drop-in programs with opportunities to develop creative skills in music production, playing music instruments, songwriting, vocal training, creating music videos and perfo

Jessica “Culture Queen” Smith is an award-winning children’s performer, educator, playwright, curator, and arts leader dedicated to creating joyful, culturally affirming experiences for young people and families. She is the founder of Culture Kingdom Kids, producing interactive Black history-centered performances and programs nationwide.

Shawna Divine, also known as Shawna Cheatham, is a Baltimore-based multidisciplinary artist, cultural worker, community organizer, and founder of AFRO Aspies ROCK, a nonprofit initiative centered on autism, neurodiversity, mental health, and epilepsy awareness. Her creative practice spans music, theater, visual art, event programming, and community-centered cultural work.

Menes Yahudah, an artist and Cultural Arts educator, his lifelong career in West African drumming has spanned over 35 years. He is a 1994 graduate of Baltimore City College and received the 2006 Maryland Apprenticeship Grant and became an OSI-Baltimore Community Fellow in 2015, for his project "Muze It Festival".

Michele Blu is an experienced yoga practitioner and instructor whose journey with yoga spans more than 25 years. Her practice is rooted in mindfulness, strength, flexibility, personal growth, and living more intentionally both on and off the mat.

Serges Essombo Ewane, also known as “The Magician,” is a Cameroonian dancer, dance educator and choreographer. He has built his academic and professional artistic career with experience in a wide range of dance traditions and a specialization in African dance.

Adjetey Klufio is a professional dancer, choreographer, and dance educator who currently serves as a dance instructor at Goucher College. A graduate of Towson University, he is a former member of the National Dance Company of Ghana (Ghana Dance Ensemble), where he spent nine years as a lead male dancer, soloist, and assistant stage manager.

Steve Bloom is a percussionist and teaching artist specializing in traditional and world percussion, including dumbek, cajón, congas, shekere, bongos, and Cuban batá. A Master Artist in the Maryland State Arts Council Apprenticeship Program, his work explores Cuban folkloric and popular drumming traditions alongside Arabic, Persian, and cajón percussion.

Bumbada! plays West-African based drumming music, while adding its own feminine and powerful flair. You will get hooked, beware! Tammi Hessen is the musical director and lead of the group.

Click Here - Check Schedule Dr. Efia Nomalanga Dalili is an independent scholar, choreographer, and birthworker living in Baltimore, Maryland. She danced with Southside African Dance Troupe, Ithaca, NY, Utamu Umoja and Diamano Coura, San Diego, CA. Dalili choreographed and led workshops as part of Eku Ijo Egbe in Philadelphia, PA, choreographed for McDonogh School Winter Dance Concerts, and worked as a dramaturg for Ui Seng Francois’s Peabody Institute Senior Recital Be Free:

Mahiri “Spicy Khasso” Fainké A.R.T. is a multidisciplinary Malian, Senegalese, and Jamaican-American artist, musician, and dancer.

Ana is the Founder of The Rising Mama Brand and the MomCares Baltimore initiative. The Rising Mama is a brand that serves mothers and families in the Baltimore area through Reiki energy healing services, body positive yoga instruction, and supportive doula services.

The Drumlady (Kristen Arant) is a performing artist, multi-instrumentalist, song writer, arranger, activist and educator working to empower diverse, intergenerational communities through joyful, accessible instruction in West African drumming, percussion & song.

Washington, DC native Malari Moore has been immersed in African drumming and dance culture since childhood. Both of his parents were dancers deeply rooted in African performance traditions — his mother with Melvin Deal’s African Heritage Drummers and Dancers and his father with Alvin Ailey and others. Growing up surrounded by artists, culture-bearers, and community, Moore was shaped by this environment from the start.

Talbolt Johnson is a visionary, dancer, dreamer, and advocate for human healing and development. Training at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art), he was poised for a career as a professional painter, when he discovered his aptitude for movement and dance. Talbolt has performed and trained Breakdance and Pop-Lock Dance throughout the country.

Keur Khaleyi African Dance Company is a multi-generational, family-oriented, traditionally-driven African dance company. “Keur Khaleyi” means "the house of children" in Wolof, a language spoken in Senegal.

Koko Ma'at Thompson (Family Dance Workshop)

Jumoke Ajanku was immersed in the rich tapestry of West African rhythms from a young age. His musical journey has carried him from the landscapes of West Africa to world-renowned stages like Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall.

Sanahara Ama Chandra is a soul singer-songwriter based in Baltimore, as well as an Usui Reiki Master, Master Sound Healer, Daoist Stone Medicine and Vibrational/Quantum Energy Practitioner, Intuitive Reader, and Holistic Registered Nurse. Sound baths are known to be a relaxing and meditative experience which can help with stress relief, fatigue, depression, etc.

Click Here - Check Schedule Yuma Bellomee aka Docta Yew. Yuma is an indigenous wellness advocate, consultant, educator, holistic herbalist & healing facilitator. Additionally, he is a phenomenal MC, drummer, and co-founder of the Collective Health Initiative based in DC. Yuma is the owner of Yew360 which features an assortment of holistic wellness items including – herbal tea blends and supplements. Yuma’s talents have led him to travel internationally to countries such as Gh