Tetra Programs at Maricopa Juvenile Detention Centers

Tetra began offering free programs in 2015 for young people at the Mesa and Phoenix Detention Centers. They designed two assembly programs per year based on the “Kids at Hope” curriculum (a program intended to reverse the "kids at risk" paradigm, which focuses on a child's potential negative behavior by instead drawing attention to a child's talents and potential for success and their value to society). Tetra uses chamber music as a vehicle to teach students how to improve their verbal and physical communication skills, be aware of their role in their family/school/community, be creative and imaginative, and be more personally responsible for their actions.

The Tetra String Quartet has been named the Fall 2025 winner of the Paul R Judy Center for Innovation and Research Grant for their project, Songs of Change: Empowering Incarcerated Youth Through Music. The Tetra String Quartet began working with incarcerated populations in 2011 when they performed for the Prison Entrepreneurship Program in Cleveland, Texas. In 2015, Tetra launched a partnership with Maricopa County’s Durango Juvenile Detention Center (DJDC) by providing educational concerts for their community. Tetra worked closely with Durango’s leadership and staff to cultivate a curriculum that meets their needs. In 2021, Tetra expanded their residency by joining forces with local changemaker rapper Colby Jeffers to present three hour song/rap writing workshops for DJDC youth six times a year.

Tetra’s educational concerts have expanded to include DJDC’s Guitar Club. Tetra joins them on three songs each concert, helping to give the youth confidence to perform in front of their peers. The residency will expand again in 2026 with the addition of recording days, giving youth the opportunity to professionally record the raps they create in the songwriting workshops.

In 2021 Tetra began partnering with Colby Jeffers to offer Rap Writing Workshops. These one-day workshops introduce youth to creative writing, song structure, rhythm, and melody. Colby guides participants to write lyrics for their verses and chorus, and Tetra provides the music to the songs they create while facilitating conversations between youth and staff members. The workshop concludes with a final performance of our collaboration, and a guided reflection on participants’ personal and collective growth and what means to them.

Colby Jeffers is a Baha'i, husband, dad, rapper, educator, changemaker, mentor, and filmmaker based in Phoenix, Arizona. His mission in music is to create socially and spiritually conscious hip-hop that uplifts, educates, and inspires. He's released four albums, Change the World, Wizdome, LIT, and Release The Power, as well as several music videos, and has performed and toured across the country and the world! Colby is also a teaching artist with The Rap Camp, an organization that aims to create positive change through rap.

Listen and Watch: Our Work at Durango Juvenile Detention