How did you get involved with ZUMIX?
My friends and my middle school band teacher in Revere told me about ZUMIX. I was already playing guitar, and some people I knew who went to ZUMIX told me I would be a good fit. I started out taking guitar lessons at ZUMIX, and then in the fall of 2023 I started doing radio. Now I have my own show on 94.9 FM ZUMIX Radio.
Tell us about your radio show!
The show is called In and Within with Kenneth. It’s a tongue twister, but it’s also a sentiment–what’s going on “in and within” us as people. It’s deep talks about whatever’s going on in the world, and people get to share the experiences they have, and the good things that came out of it instead of the bad.
I’d interview literally anybody. Everybody has a story, and we can all learn from each other. We’re not all strangers.
How and when did you get involved with Walk for Music?
When I came to ZUMIX, I saw some posters about Walk for Music. And my friend Nora [Janjar] told me about it. I was intrigued. I saw pictures online and I read about it, and I thought to myself, “This is something I want to do.” That was Walk for Music 2023. Last year, I was running around interviewing people for ZUMIX Radio during Walk for Music. It was hot outside, and I was running back and forth through the Walk. It was very muggy and hot, but it was definitely one of my favorites.
Tell us about interviewing people during the Walk. What was that like?
It was fun! It’s not every day you get to run around with a microphone and ask people to point to the next person they’re going to interview. And they might say, “The guy with the yellow hat.” And they might be on the other side of the walk, and you–I–might have to run back and forth.
People loved it, and they loved getting nominated by their friends. People told stories about ZUMIX, how they know about this place, how they live across the street, how they heard about this from their friend, or saw a post online.
Do you have a favorite Walk for Music memory?
I remember at Walk for Music ‘23, when we all took the picture together. I was just starting at ZUMIX, so I didn’t know people, but it felt like we were all together. I felt so at home, but so foreign as well. I saw people, and they saw me, but I had zero clue what was going on.
Before then, I knew what ZUMIX was, but I didn’t really know what Walk for Music was. You think, “This seems awesome,” and then you pull up and there’s a whole brass band. And we had a Trike Called Funk. I didn’t expect it. I was in for a treat, for sure. We have the music, we have the photo, we have the face paint, we have all this stuff. It’s all in the spirit of the work we do.
What’s the best part of the Walk itself?
You hear a lot of stories, and there’s a lot of people. But they all love music equally. It brings everyone together. That’s the best part.
Why do you Walk for Music?
I walk for ZUMIX–for our organization. What we do for youth is important. The walk brings people inside and outside of ZUMIX together to support the work we do. The Walk supports me, and it supports my friends. It supports everyone in our mission to help others and be a community.
Kenneth Palacios is a sophomore at Revere High School and a ZUMIX participant. Donate to his Walk for Music page here!
