dir. Channing Kennedy, 2008. Music and actors courtesy of PB&JAMM Music Sessions for Kids.

PB&JAMM, a Bay Area 501(c)(3) nonprofit, conducts free music classes for Bay Area kids, focusing on the underserved communities of the Tenderloin and Mission districts. PB&JAMM sessions train kids, ages six through 15, on musical instruments, songwriting and theory, and industry-standard production and recording software, as well as how to design, release, and market their music. Kids also work with local, national and international musicians in weekly music clinics. http://www.pbjamm.org

This song, "A Day Without Music," was written, performed, and recorded by two first-generation PB&JAMMers, Steven Zhu and Rocco Bovo, when they were both 15 years old. Steven and Rocco, now leaving their teens, have both gone on to careers in the music industry.

This music video began as my final project for SFSU-CEL's Digital Video Intensive, and took another five months of spare weekends to complete. It could not have happened without the inexhaustible enthusiasm, resourcefulness, and patience of Carmen Gonzalez.

CAST, in order of appearance:
Our Heroine - Isabel Lexa Gomez, PB&JAMM alumn
Our Hero - Charlie Kruse, PB&JAMM alumn
the bored King - Kurt Kunselman, PB&JAMM Head Bean Counter
noble Cat Steed - Keenan Ivory Tusks IX
the Miraculous Carmena - Carmen Gonzalez, PB&JAMM Head Nut

creature and environment designs - Gregg Lewis
dragon mastery - Emily Foster
set mom - Melissa Kruse
set documentarian - Lisa Ferino

director, camera, lighting, editor, f/x, screenplay, etc. - Channing Kennedy

video concept by the PB&JAMM kids and Channing Kennedy

special thanks to PB&JAMM's sponsors:
San Francisco State University College of Extended Learning http://www.cel.sfsu.edu/DME/
Pyramind Music Production School http://www.pyramind.com

and a very special thanks to Craig Abaya and all the DVants.

filmed in the studios of SFSU-CEL and Pyramind.
additional images courtesy of Flickr's Creative Commons collections. http://www.flickr.com http://www.creativecommons.org

Please visit PB&JAMM today and consider making a donation. Today's heroes need your help now more than ever!
http://www.pbjamm.org (less info)