Mission

Bay Area Youth Arts is a nonprofit youth development through the arts program.  Our mission is to help at-risk, inner-city youth develop the self-discipline, self-confidence and self-esteem necessary to lead positive and productive lives.  We prepare young people for life’s challenges and opportunities through an arts education program that fosters listening skills, learning skills, creativity and responsibility. 

We believe education and participation in the arts contribute to the healthy development of young people, their families and communities.  In an era of reduced funding for the arts in schools, we are committed to providing young people with a gateway into the arts.

We are welcoming and inclusive of all children, including those with special needs.  Music, song and dance are taught in a nurturing, child-centered manner particularly well-suited for children from difficult circumstances.  

Children of all ages are invited to attend our classes and workshops in African and jazz percussion, classical and jazz violin, and Afro-Brazilian drumming and Capoeira movement.

Tacuma King with Children in Flight students at the
Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts

Tarika Lewis' Strings of Soul violin class provides inner-city youth
an entry-point in the arts and early training in music theory




Mestre Carlos Aceituno in the roda (circle) with a young student
in his Omulu Capoeira class

 
History 

Bay Area Youth Arts was founded by William Ktsanes and has its roots in the Children in Flight program begun by musician Tacuma King and artist Jessica Felix in 1993 (with sponsorship from the nonprofit performing arts organization Jazz in Flight).  Inspired by the vision of Don Moye, master percussionist of the avant-garde jazz quintet Art Ensemble of Chicago, Tacuma and Jessica created a free arts program providing inner-city youth with instruction in African drumming and dance.

Over the years thousands of young people of all ages have participated in Children in Flight's highly acclaimed classes and workshops.  On any given Saturday 30 to 40 boisterous youngsters come together for two hours of instruction in drumming, dance and song.  Many thousands more have enjoyed Tacuma’s workshops and performances in their schools and community centers.

Building upon the success of the Children in Flight program, Bay Area Youth Arts was established to provide young people an expanded offering of programs, classes and workshops in the cultural arts.  In addition to the original Children in Flight class, we offer youth classes in advanced African and jazz percussion, beginning classical and jazz violin, Capoeira and Afro-Brazilian drumming.

Bay Area Youth Arts is a member of the Malonga Arts Collective—a vibrant community of artists, musicians and dancers in downtown Oakland's Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts.  We are supportive of other youth development and arts programs, collaborating whenever possible with a variety of community organizations, schools and nonprofit organizations. 

Children in Flight – Beginning African and jazz percussion, song and dance with Tacuma King – FREE!
●    Saturdays – 12 noon to 2 pm, 2^nd Floor, Studio “B”

SDOUAE (Sun Drummers of Urban African Ensemble) – Advanced African and jazz percussion with instructors Tacuma King and Lanier Pruitt – FREE!  (Enrollment is limited and requires instructor's approval.)
●    Sundays – 1 to 3 pm, M. Robinson Baker YMCA, 3265 Market Street, Oakland

Strings of Soul – Beginning classical and jazz violin with instructor Tarika Lewis – $10/lesson
●    Saturdays – 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, Mezzanine Studio "X"

Omulu Capoeira – Capoeira and Afro-Brazilian drumming with instructor Kim Moore (founded by Mestre Carlos Aceituno - 1961-2006) – $6/lesson
●    Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays – 4 to 6 pm, 2^nd Floor, Studio “A”

Most classes are at the historic Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts (formerly Alice Arts Center) at 1428 Alice Street in downtown Oakland.  (The Sunday SDOUAE class is at the M. Robinson Baker YMCA at 3265 Market Street in Oakland.) 

For more information about the children's classes above, please contact the instructors directly.  Their phone numbers and email addresses are in the Contacts section at the bottom.  Click below for a map and directions to the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts.

Click here for a map and directions to the
Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts
1428 Alice Street, Oakland, California  94612
   

 
 
Children in Flight — Tacuma King 

Tacuma King is an extraordinary teacher, master percussionist and prominent part of the Bay Area's music, dance and arts education community.  Youth of all ages and abilities are invited to attend his free Saturday afternoon Children in Flight class in African and jazz percussion, song and dance. 

Tacuma has been teaching classes and leading students in performance since founding the Children in Flight program in 1993.  For thirteen years his class has been an important—and sometimes only—gateway into the arts for many underserved, inner-city children. While most of the children served are from Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area, visiting artists have come from as far away as Ghana, Japan and Indonesia. 

Among the percussion instruments children learn are the djembe, dundun and conga drums.  Songs and dances include the Djolé, a West African masked wedding festivity; the Manjani, a rites of passage dance from Guinea; and the Gumboot, a dance originating from the gold mines of South Africa.  Among the many artists and groups Tacuma has worked with are the San Francisco Symphony, Young Audiences, the Sun Ra Archestra, Cross Pulse, Shaka Zulu, Bantaba Dance Ensemble and his musical mentor Moshe Milon.

Tacuma’s teaching combines an expansive knowledge of music and dance with a loving concern for children.  Whether teaching West African djembe and dundun drumming, teaching a South African gum boot dance or leading students in a New Orleans-style second line jazz procession, he brings an exuberant warmth and playful magic to his classes and workshops.
 

“Most kids wake up Saturday morning asking to watch cartoons; my son wakes up asking to go drumming and dancing with Tacuma.”

- William Ktsanes,
      father of Bon (age 8)

Tacuma trading solos with a student on stage at Yoshi's Jazz Club



Instructor Tacuma King teaching Children in Flight students West African Djolé and Manjani dances

 

SDOUAE drummers performing at the Malonga Casquelourd Center
 

“While having fun with music and dance children
learn to listen attentively, stay focused and have
self-confidence.  Equally important, they learn about caring and respect—for themselves and for others.”

- Clarence McElhaney Jr.,
father of Victor (age 8)
         

 
SDOUAE — Tacuma King
(Sun Drummers of Urban African Ensemble)

A class for intermediate and advanced percussion students—collectively known as the Sun Drummers of Urban African Ensemble, or SDOUAE—meets Sunday afternoons with Tacuma King and mentors such as guitarist Lanier Pruitt, percussionist Kele' Nitoto, dancer Sydney Coultier.  Tacuma and his SDOUAE students also collaborate with dance instructor Titilayo Makini, providing the music and rhythms for her Saturday afternoon West African children's dance class.

SDOUAE offers young people a unique and wonderful opportunity to develop advanced percussion skills, study with accomplished jazz musicians, collaborate with traditional African dancers and perform for the public.

Over the years Tacuma and his young SDOUAE drummers have performed at numerous festivals, gatherings and venues throughout Northern California.  Performances at jazz clubs, festivals, dance classes, weddings, birthdays and other celebrations not only showcase students' skills and talents but also help build their self-confidence and self-esteem. 

Last September they had an extraordinary opportunity to travel and perform at a cultural arts festival in China, where they presented a lively, educational program combining Gumboot, a dance originating from the gold mines of South Africa, with African drumming, American jazz tap, and song. 

 
Strings of Soul — Tarika Lewis 

Tarika Lewis' Strings of Soul violin class provides inner-city youth with a rare opportunity to study classical music and receive formal training in music theory.  In this era of reduced funding for the arts in schools, fewer and fewer children are exposed to stringed instruments and classical music.  Many have never even seen a violin much less had an opportunity to learn to play one.  Tarika Lewis and Strings of Soul give them this chance.

Tarika is an inspiring teacher with a gentle, calm demeanor and passionate commitment to children.  She's also an outstanding musician who's performed with a wide variety of artists—from classical symphonies to West African dance ensembles—and toured internationally with renowned jazz saxophonist John Handy.  She’s the founder of the Oakland Black String Ensemble as well as an accomplished writer, expert illustrator and highly respected community activist.
 

When not teaching and mentoring children, Tarika is busy as the Art Instructor/Counselor for the Healthy Babies Project—an Oakland-based substance abuse treatment program.  She's developed an effective model in which women in recovery use art to visualize, explore and understand past issues, traumas, addictions, present insights, transformations and future goals of developing drug free lifestyles.

Violinist, illustrator, writer, lecturer, teacher, mentor, dancer, mother and grandmother—Tarika is constantly perfecting and using her talents to set an example and make significant changes in her community.  In 2001, she was awarded the Congressional Recognition Award by Congresswoman Barbara Lee for "Performing Artist and Recognition of Community Work."  In recognition of her accomplishments, she was recently honored with induction into the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame.
 

Tarika's class reminds me of when I was a child, when high schools had marching bands, jazz bands and symphony orchestras.  Music gave me an opportunity to explore interests and discover a passion.  It also gave me the discipline and confidence to take on life's challenges.

Today, despite all the talk of "no child left behind," cutbacks are eliminating school music programs and leaving lots of kids behind.  This makes what Tarika offers so important.  She's a wonderful person who makes a huge difference in kids' lives.

- Parent (anonymous)

Tarika Lewis with a few of her Strings of Soul violin students

 

Tarika Lewis and a few students rehearsing outside the
Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts

Mestre Carlos Aceituno's students rehearsing Capoeira movements

 
 
Mestre Carlos Aceituno leading his Omulu Capoeira class

 

In Loving Memory...
Carlos Aceituno  (Omulu Capoeira)

Mestre Carlos Aceituno—a wonderful friend, master instructor, honored community leader and amazing human being—passed away unexpectedly the morning of September 27, 2006 from a heart attack.  Carlos is dearly loved and will be greatly missed.  

Carlos was one of Bay Area Youth Arts initial founders and strongest supporters.  His artistic background encompassed extensive study in a variety of music and dance forms—Latin, African, Afro-Brazilian, Jazz and modern.  He studied dance at San Francisco State University, music at the San Francisco Conservatory, Capoeira under Mestre Preguiça and percussion with master drummer Jorge Alabe.  Carlos was also the founder and director of the award-winning performing company and carnaval group Fogo Na Roupa, "Grand Champion" and first place finishers in multiple categories of the 2005 and 2006 San Francisco Carnaval parade and celebration. 

Carlos' youth Capoeira classes are now taught by his long-time student and protégé, Kim Moore.  Capoeira is a spectacular 400 year-old Afro-Brazilian art form created by African slaves.  Kim continues in Carlos' tradition, gracefully combines martial arts with acrobatics, music and dance.  Through Capoeira, young people develop self-control, discipline, grace and strength. 

Kim's classes are made possible through a collaboration with the Omulu Capoeira Group, a non-profit organization founded by world-renowned Capoeira master Wandenkolk Oliveira (Mestre Preguiça) and dedicated to promoting Capoeira as a tool to empower young people.

 
 
Shaka Zulu 

Shaka Zulu, a world-renowned African spirit stilt dancer and cultural scholar, joins Tacuma King and his SDOUAE drummers in exciting performances throughout the year.  Reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil, Shaka's thrilling, high-energy performances have introduced audiences across the United States to the sights and sounds of a fascinating West African cultural tradition.  His collaborations with Tacuma have been a big hit in packed school auditoriums and community centers throughout California.

Shaka Zulu and Tacuma King collaborate to provide schools and community groups with an interactive, cultural program that is both educational and entertaining.  Schools, community groups and businesses interested in having Shaka and Tacuma perform as part of their Black History Month celebrations are encouraged to contact Tacuma King and make arrangements early.  February is their busiest time of the year.   

Shaka is also a third-generation Yellow Pocahontas "Mardi Gras Indian," part of the long New Orleans tradition originating from African-Americans paying respect to Native-Americans who assisted them escape slavery.  In addition to his West African stilt dancing workshops and performances, Shaka offers programs that teach the important cultural history and living traditions of the New Orleans "Mardi Gras Indians."

Tacuma King and SDOUAE students drumming for
Shaka Zulu at the annual Kwanzaa and Harvest Celebration

 
Performances 
      

Our students and instructors are available for workshops and performances.

For information please contact the Program Directors directly.

Tacuma King - Children in Flight and SDOUAE, (510) 282-1001, (510) 208-3333, tacumaking@yahoo.com

Tarika Lewis - Strings of Soul, (510) 827-8962, lewistarika@yahoo.com

Below are some of the many festivals, gatherings and venues where Tacuma King and his advanced percussion students and dancers—collectively known as the Sun Drummers of Urban African Ensemble, or SDOUAE—have performed.

Achebe's Children's Story Time

African-American Health Summit Expo 2006 and 2007

African Roots of Jazz Youth Program Benefit

Bay Area Discovery Museum

Bay Area Youth Arts Annual Harvest Party

Beijing International Cultural Arts Festival 2006

Black Adoption Placement and Research Center Nguzo Saba Culture Camp

Black Repertory Theater

Cathedral School for Boys

Discovery Children's Museum

East Oakland Youth Development Center Kwanzaa Celebration

Eddie Moore Jazz Festival

'Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Ramadan Fast)
at Al-Islam Mosque in Oakland

Expressing the Dream Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.

French-American International School

Genentech

Healdsburg Jazz Festival

KQED Black History Month Celebration

Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts

     (formerly Alice Arts Center)

Marin County Fair

MOCHA (Oakland Museum of Children's Art)

Oakland Carajama Carnival

Oakland A’s baseball game

Oakland Portfest World Music and Jazz Festival

Oakland Zoo

PacBell Park in San Francisco

Pope John Paul II's Visit to Candlestick Park

San Francisco Zoo

SoulBeat Television

Southwest Airlines, Oakland International Airport

United Cerebral Palsy of the Golden Gate workshop for kids

United Nations International Children's Day Celebration

University of California Village Harvest Festival

UniverSoul Circus

World Peace Day

YMCA Oakland

Yoshi's Jazz Club at Jack London Square in Oakland

     (opening for James Moody, Cecil Taylor, Arthur Blythe and others; on stage with Sheila E. and Pete Escovedo)

African-American history and Kwanzaa celebrations at numerous schools, colleges, churches, mosques, parks, museums and community centers

Weddings, birthdays, funerals, rites of passage, community benefits and other celebrations

     

 
SDOUAE performing on stage at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland



SDOUAE performing at a taping of the SoulBeat television show



SDOUAE students in African attire rehearsing before a performance at a church wedding in East Oakland
 
         

Tacuma leading a school workshop for special needs students

SDOUAE performing in Oakland's Preservation Park at annual gathering of African-American historians

 
 
Harvest Celebration

A highlight each December is our annual Kwanzaa and Harvest Celebration at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts.  Our 16th Annual Harvest Celebration is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, December 13th, 2008.  The celebration is free and open to the public.   About two hundred people enjoy a fun-filled afternoon of performances by Children in Flight, SDOUAE, Strings of Soul, Omulu Capoeira and visiting artists such as master storyteller Achebe Hoskins and renowned African spirit stilt-dancer Shaka Zulu.  Children are given musical instruments, books and educational gifts donated by local businesses and friends.  The celebration traditionally culminates with a raffle for a beautiful hand-carved West African djembe drum.  -  Everyone's invited to come join the fun!
   

Youngsters enjoying an African drumming performance
at the annual Kwanzaa and Harvest Celebration

 

 William Ktsanes, his son Bon, friend and supporter Wynton Marsalis and Tacuma King after one of Wynton's performances in Berkeley

Six beautiful young Children in Flight dancers waiting patiently to perform at the annual Kwanzaa and Harvest Celebration

  
  
Board of Directors

Bay Area Youth Arts is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors reflective of the community we serve.  Our Board of Directors meets quarterly on the second Wednesday of the months of February, May, August and November at 6:30 pm.  The meetings are held in the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts' Conference Room "A" on the Mezzanine Level and always open to the public.  Our inaugural board meeting was Wednesday September 7, 2005.

We welcome and encourage the participation of students, parents, artists and others committed to our mission.  For information about joining either our governing Board of Directors or non-governing Community Advisory Committee, attending a meeting, or volunteering with a specific program or committee, please contact William Ktsanes at william@bayyoutharts.org or (510) 525-2880.  We are particularly in need of volunteers who can help now with preparations for the 2006 Kwanzaa and Harvest Celebration in December. 
  

Mayela Brown is a legal secretary at a San Francisco law firm specializing in labor law and litigation.  Mayela and her husband Arnie are seemingly tireless volunteers who step forward to help wherever needed.  Their eight year-old son participates in the Children in Flight program.  Mayela frequently helps out Saturdays afternoon with the African drumming and dance class, signing students in, answering questions from interested parents and pouring fruit juice for students.  Her fundraising skills and enthusiastic commitment to the Bay Area Youth Arts mission has been instrumental in the organization's growth and development.   

William Ktsanes, Bay Area Youth Arts' founding Board President, is one of many parent volunteers involved in the program.  William has an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley and a background in the management of nonprofit, social service and educational organizations.  Before moving to the East Bay, he lived in Thailand seven years—first as a Peace Corps volunteer and later as an elementary school principal.  Prior to going overseas, he administered a counseling program for troubled teens and founded a tutoring program for inner-city youth.  William's ten year-old son “Bon” is one of Youth Arts' young participants.

Clarence McElhaney Jr. is a mechanical engineer, construction specialist and building consultant.  His nine year-old son Victor is one of Children in Flight and SDOUAE's master drummers.  Most Saturday's Clarence can be found outside the Children in Flight class answering questions from families new to the program, signing students into class and keeping a watchful eye on the kids.  He's a great help each year with the Kwanzaa and Harvest Celebration, coordinating volunteer teams and helping with preparations months in advance.
 

 
  
Community Advisory Committee
  

Greg Hodge is a community activist, youth advocate, attorney and President of the Oakland Unified School District Board of Education.  A longtime friend and enthusiastic supporter, Greg volunteers to help out with many of our programs and events.  For several years now he has been the Master of Ceremonies of our annual Kwanzaa and Harvest Celebration.  His ongoing support of Bay Area Youth Arts and the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts community is tremendously appreciated. 

Tacuma King is our Artistic Director, as well as the founder and Director of the Children in Flight and SDOUAE programs.  Tacuma is an extraordinary teacher, master percussionist and prominent part of the Bay Area's music, dance and arts education community.  He has been teaching classes and leading students in performance since founding Children in Flight in 1993.  Among the many artists and groups he has worked with are the San Francisco Symphony, Young Audiences, the Sun Ra Archestra, Cross Pulse, Shaka Zulu, Bantaba Dance Ensemble and his musical mentor Moshe Milon.

Tarika Lewis is the founder and Director of the Strings of Soul program.  She has performed with a wide variety of artists—from classical symphonies to West African dance ensembles—and toured internationally with renowned jazz saxophonist John Handy.  She’s the founder of the Oakland Black String Ensemble as well as an accomplished writer, expert illustrator and highly respected community activist.  In 2001, she was awarded the Congressional Recognition Award by Congresswoman Barbara Lee for "Performing Artist and Recognition of Community Work."  In 2005 she was honored with induction into the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame.

Mei Sun Li is a longtime friend and supporter who was Children in Flight's Director in the program's formative early years.  She's a strong advocate for children, actively involved in a wide range of youth development, arts and education-related organizations.  Mei Sun's been instrumental in helping us raise funds, forge community alliances and development our programs.  We frequently turn to her for advice, insight and wisdom.  Mei Sun's also our unofficial historian and archivist, without whose help our photographs, flyers and video tapes would still be in shoe boxes.  We are extremely thankful for and appreciative of all the help she gives Bay Area Youth Arts.

Dianne Millner is the mother of Ashley, a blind and developmentally delayed teenager who participates regularly in Bay Area Youth Arts programs.  Dianne, an active participant in advocacy organizations for youth with disabilities, states she is "delighted that Tacuma King and SDOUAE have fully and unhesitatingly included Ashley in the group as a jazz singer and drummer."  Dianne is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Stanford Law School, and works as a Deputy City Attorney.   
 

Cristwell Muhammad is an accomplished sound engineer who frequently lends his professional expertise to our productions and performances.  A longtime supporter of the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts community, Christwell volunteers his time generously to our programs.   
 

Destiny Muhammad, aka "The Harpist from the Hood," is a renown musician and one of the few African-American women to play the stringed harp.  She and her performing group, the Band of Angels, collaborate with us on projects throughout the year.     
 

  
Bay Area Youth Arts instructors and students are available for bookings and performances.
For specific information about Youth Arts performances and classes please contact the Program Directors below:

Kim Moore - Omulu Capoeira, (510) 464-5999, (510) 464-3025
Tacuma King - Children in Flight and SDOUAE, (510) 282-1001, (510) 208-3333, tacumaking@yahoo.com
Tarika Lewis - Strings of Soul, (510) 827-8962, lewistarika@yahoo.com

For general information and questions please contact:

William Ktsanes - Board of Directors, (510) 504-9999, william@bayyoutharts.org

Our office is located on the mezzanine floor of the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts.

Mailing Address:

Bay Area Youth Arts, Inc.
PO Box 30661
Oakland, California  94604

Office Phone and FAX:  (510) 208-3333
     

Office Address:

Bay Area Youth Arts, Inc.
Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts
Mezzanine Floor, Office X
1428 Alice Street
Oakland, California  94612-4068
   

All rights reserved.  © Bay Area Youth Arts, Inc. 2005-06
         

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