Yeah, Art! Student Voices Take Center Stage at the Oakland Symphony

Middle school voices. A world-class orchestra. One unforgettable night.

In a landmark collaboration with the Oakland Symphony, Yeah, Art! brought student poets center stage at Forgiveness: Pictures at an Exhibition, a powerful multimedia concert inspired by the original work of writer Marc Bamuthi Joseph and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR).

Over several weeks, Yeah, Art! Teaching Artists Mike Blankenship, Dame Drummer, and guest facilitator Prentice Powell — a GRAMMY-nominated poet and longtime community advocate — guided students through the art of spoken word. These young artists dove headfirst into the theme of forgiveness, drawing from their own lives to explore grief, bullying, healing, and hope.

Their pieces were captured on video and presented as a moving, multimedia prelude at the Paramount Theatre — opening for a live performance of Forgiveness by the Oakland Symphony. These young artists didn’t just share their stories — they helped set the emotional tone for the entire evening.

We believe students deserve stages this big. Because their stories are that powerful.

Thank you to our partners at the Oakland Symphony and Sticky Thing Music for helping us show the world what young voices can do when you hand them the mic — and actually listen.