Pandemic pauses genre-bending band’s tour, but amplifies message of music as a business, form of activism

By Charles Seaton

Pandemic pauses genre-bending band’s tour, but amplifies message of music as a business, form of activism

In a world where empathy can be in short supply, the brothers behind Kansas City Latinx rock band Making Movies see music and songwriting as a way young people growing up in a divided country can level the playing field.

The key is exposing them to mentors who can illustrate what’s possible, said Enrique Chi, emphasizing opportunities for youth won’t wait for the end of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which stalled the Latin Grammy-nominated band’s most recent tour.

“Most kids here cannot fathom how you could someday make music for a living and you could pursue a life based around the idea of music you create. They’ve just never seen it,” the Making Movies lead vocalist and guitarist said. “They’ve never seen it because effectively, no one here does it.”

Enrique Chi launched the nonprofit Art as Mentorship in 2017, hoping to foster more music success stories in Kansas City. Through a long-standing collaboration with the Mattie Rhodes Center, the music education camp eventually developed a recurring 12-week program called The Rebel Song Academy.

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