This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Almost every Saturday, Angela Ramirez, also known as “Spiñorita,” goes to California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in the Inland Empire to lead a DJing class.
She’s a teaching artist with the nonprofit Give A Beat in Laguna Beach. Their mission: Use music to heal people impacted by the criminal justice system. Spiñorita talks about her journey with KCRW’s Janaya Williams on All Things Considered.
What was on your mind when Give A Beat approached you about teaching at the facility?
I was excited! I joined Give A Beat as a guest artist at one of the prisons they were teaching at. It just blew my mind what they were doing and how they were doing it. And the students were so amazing, they were asking me questions about everything. It felt so inspiring.
This is your fifth cohort of students. What does that mean in terms of years? How long does the program usually last?
We have two classes, a.m. and p.m. — both three hours each. We have about 12 students in each class. We are now on our fifth cohort, and these cohorts are six-week sessions. So they have six weeks of learning DJing. And we also added music production — so beat-making.
What makes the classes different? Is it the thoughts people have, or the ideas they have about music, or the things your students want to learn?
Some of them say they probably would have never talked to each other on the yard or have met before, but because of our class, they now have this bond — in music, and in DJing — and in supporting each other in our class. They've made what we call a DJ crew.
We also teach about business development and how to pursue DJing outside. … And they don't have to worry about checking a box for employment.
We have them perform, at the end of our six-week session, a 15-minute DJ set. They have the option to have me download three songs, and it's always awesome to see what they choose because it's usually something that they haven't heard for a long time. And when I bring music to class, sometimes they just want to listen to it really loud. They're just like, “Can we turn it up?” And I love that because I personally love listening to music really loud!
Some are already experienced musicians, but most aren't. And the age range is huge. So we'll have guys in their 20s, up to men in their 60s. And so they use this class to relate to their family members. A lot of the guys say, “I talked to my son about this class,” or “I talked to my nephew and nieces about this.” I think it’s amazing to see how they can bridge that gap. I believe this is one of the only programs that does this in the prison system.
Can you tell me more about some of your students?
For instance, DJ Rao … he already had a love for industrial music and goth music, which is really cool. It shows the diversity inside of what people listen to.
They're just so grateful that we show up on Saturdays. It does take a lot from my own DJ life, because Saturdays are a big night for gigs and parties. But I prefer to be [at the classes instead] …because it's just the feeling, the vibe, the camaraderie.
It makes me feel like it's bigger than my own career. And I'm so proud of these guys when they perform. I see the smiles on their faces, like DJ Smilo. He had his hair braided for his performance. He invited a friend to come check him out.
Are there any songs that are particularly popular with the students?
CRC is heavily based in Latino culture. So there's a lot of requests for bachata and cumbias, which is actually what is being asked for in the clubs right now, so it's cool to see that crossover.
And honestly, I’ve learned so much about music through these guys and their requests. I'm like, “Oh, I like this!”
One of our students, DJ Tech, did an all-Peso-Pluma set, so that was really cool because Peso Pluma is one of the biggest stars right now. We get a range of everything — country music, old soul music, reggaeton. An older gentleman would play James Brown, and I could see his face light up, and he would talk about his memories with his kids, and stuff like that.
And of course, it always inspires us all to dance. It just becomes a little party in there. It's always a good time!