Natural Highs Records Story
We started Natural Highs Records to support teens in starting their own music business as a healthy alternative and entrepreneurial opportunity. Our goal is to create a program focused on building a career and community around music and art for young people. We also like to support young people’s voices to be more visible in the broader community so young people feel inspired to use their voices for social change.
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After a very successful Open Mic that Natural Highs hosted this Spring, a group of teens who performed at the Open Mic got together to brainstorm how they could take their passion around music further. Sasha Raskin, who has been producing music independently and successfully over the last 10 years, was a guest at the Open Mic and offered his support. Youth are empowered to not only be musicians but to be music producers by gaining the knowledge needed to learn all aspects of the profession and the industry. This will deepen the way that we are working with each other in the music industry as collaborators who understand healthy team building.
Since we began work on this project in Spring 2016, we have heard from dozens of teens who visited our Open Mics. Most have indicated that they are interested in participating, and many are interested in the other artistic, entrepreneurial, and creative opportunities presented by the Natural Highs Records. Through our Natural Highs contacts we have been able to get the word out about the Natural Highs Records and we have already been contacted by other youth programs that are ready to hire our teens who have been trained as music producers.
Teens need accessible and healthy alternatives to substance abuse. We need healthy and consistent habits to thrive and be happy. We need to have creative and alternative outlets to deal with stress. Instead of being isolated and cut-off from self-expression as a result of disconnection, young people can create opportunities to develop a community around music and art, while also creating strong foundations for our future, in a safe and sober environment. Giving teens an opportunity to develop personal leadership and creativity in the context of this love for music and the arts, will not only help build a resume for future professional activity, but can build the essential confidence to follow their passions, with deep knowledge of their capabilities and who they are as individual musicians and artists.
Consider the community need for the project, we also consider it important to include and encourage inspired youth from different economic backgrounds to become deeper students in the area of their passions without worrying about not having the funds to do so. We have students from all economic backgrounds ready to participate in this project. Our creative community meets the urgent need for youth to find sustainable, creative and healthy ways to express the daily buildup of frustration and emotions that come from school, family, and society.
Music Production and concept by Sasha Raskin: SashaRaskin.com Sasha Raskin is a musician, music mentor, a couples counselor and a family therapist in Boulder , a life coach and an ADD / ADHD coach.
If you would like to support teens in producing their own music you can donate directly to the Natural Highs Records here:
We ask you for your generous support in keeping this program alive in order to provide this essential support for individual teens and also for school communities as a whole, so that a healthy, sober peer culture can thrive. Click the Donate button below for a fast and secure one-time donation and become a supporter of Natural Highs!
With a monthly subscription of $4.99 a month you can support Natural Highs Records so we can include more teens from under-privileged backgrounds. You can unsubscribe at any time. Thank you so much for keeping our grass roots program alive. Click the subscribe the button below for a fast and secure monthly donation to become a patron of Natural Highs Records!