The power of the arts, by the numbers.

From classroom reach to artist pay, these numbers tell a deeper story. At Yeah, Art!, we believe in tracking impact not just by how many students we serve — but by how well we support the artists who teach them.

13
school sites

Yeah, Art! is proud to partner with 13 schools across the Bay Area — with a focused presence in Oakland’s highest-priority Districts 2 and 6 — delivering tech-forward arts programming directly into classrooms that need it most.

350
students served

Since Fall 2023, we’ve reached over 350 students, helping K-12 artists unlock their creativity through songwriting, animation, 3D design, and more.

1,715
teaching hours

Our team has clocked 1,715 hours of direct instruction in the past year, bringing culturally relevant, high-impact arts education into underfunded schools.

15
teaching artists

We employ 15 local Teaching Artists — affectionately called Big Kids — and pay them $125/hour for their expertise. Since Fall 2023, we’ve paid out $180,381.25 in wages (plus another $25,000 to contractors), ensuring artists are compensated fairly and sustainably,

Yeah, Art! is proud to pay our teachers $100 per hour.

This hourly rate reflects not just classroom time, but the prep, travel, and years of training behind our teachers’ artistic excellence.

This radically ethical wage (2-3x the regional average) allows us to deliver top-quality instruction for students and financially empower talented artists right here in our community.

In 2024, Yeah, Art! students reported an exciting increase in creative confidence and interest in pursuing the professional arts.

45% increase
in confidence in
Vocal Performance

54% increase
in confidence in Songwriting

23% increase
in interest in the professional arts

50% increase
in confidence in
Music Production

Based on a sample size of 100 Oakland middle school students across three programs.

Our school partners

East Oakland Youth Development Center
Lighthouse Community Public School
Markham Elementary School
Melrose Leadership Academy
Montclair Elementary School
Monterra Middle School

Oakland High School
Oakland School for the Arts
OUSD Expanded Learning Programs
Roosevelt Middle School
Tech In The Tenderloin
West Oakland Middle School

Community feedback

  • “An exciting innovation in arts education. Yeah, Art! is bridging the past with our present as they work with students to create the future. No longer will budget cuts deprive students from their own creative development.”

    Dr. Kendra Ferguson, CEO & Chief of Schools, KIPP Collegiate School

  • “Yeah, Art! students are learning they can be their own artists as well as collaborators. I’ve never seen so many young people liberated through music in such a short time.”

    Dame Drummer, Artist & Yeah, Art! Teacher (Music Production and Spoken Word)

  • “The Yeah, Art! faculty is gifted with students of all walks of life. Executive Director Ja Ronn Thompson is uniquely blessed with the ability to get young people to follow his lead with enthusiasm, curiosity and joy.”

    Terrance Kelly, Director, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir

  • “It’s been fantastic having Yeah, Art! in my classroom. As young working artists, they can connect with the students I find harder to reach. They’ve infused my music program with enthusiasm and joy. This has been a complete success.”

    Randy Porter, Music Director, Roosevelt Middle School

  • “What Yeah, Art! does is so important. In the real world, when you want to apply what you’ve learned in school, you need to know how to use technology. Programs like Yeah, Art! give students a real world application to music.”

    Karina Flonnoy, Sound Engineer and Founder of Studio X Recording