Lauren Cunningham was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky where she enjoyed singing with the church choir and attending the Boys and Girls Club.  After relocating to Bowling Green, she served as a volunteer for the local Boys & Girls club, and after becoming a staff member, went on to help launch Kaleidoscope, a youth arts organization which has garnered national acclaim under her direction. She also fronts Noizejoi, a local band with uplifting messages, that enjoys a regional following.

The daughter of a Baptist preacher, Lauren Cunningham found her voice early, in the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church youth choir which was directed by her mother.  While all three of her brothers and sisters also belonged to the choir, Lauren and her youngest sibling, Ashley, would be the two whose futures were most influenced by music – Ashley, a percussionist, on the music production side of the business, and Lauren fronting a music ensemble, producing her own songs and inspiring young people to create.

Lauren loved attending the Parkland Boys & Girls Club after school and began taking part in youth leadership counseling services through her church at the age of 16.  “I just always felt like it was me doing my part”, she recalls.

After graduating high school, Lauren moved to Bowling Green to attend Western Kentucky University. Aspiring to be a radio DJ, she majored in Broadcast Journalism,   While at WKU, Lauren committed to volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club.  After just over a year, she was offered a job and, in total, served the organization for 5 years.

Her college years were a time of self discovery.  Lauren was introduced to a world of music outside of the gospel genre and uncovered a passion for working with youth.

During her sophomore year, she met Gary Hook, a kindred spirit and a volunteer at the Girls and Boys Club.  A percussionist and DJ, Hook was making and producing music, while Cunningham was venturing into songwriting.  The two collaborated on an album called Sunny Days in 2005 just before their graduation.  Many of the songs on Sunny Days were ideas that came to Lauren in high school, “But I didn’t know they were songs”, she said.

After the album was released, the two put together a band for live performances.  They called it Noizejoi (pronounced Noy-Z-Joy).  The ensemble, immediately starting creating new music.  The core of the ever changing lineup was, and remains, Lauren Cunningham (vocals), Gary Hook (drums), Zach Tichenor (Keys) and Gambia Flemister (vocals, dance).  Other players in the early days included Brandon Johnson (bass), Jordan Pendley (guitar) and Bonnie McDonald (flute, poetry slam).  More recently, in addition to the original core members, the lineup includes Steven Page (bass), Michael Meece (guitar) and Steven Lopez (flute, jazz, sax, tenor & soprano trumpet).  Noizejoi has also frequently included a host of guest players.  

The group debuted at Bread & Bagel and helped to kick start the musical movement in the small coffeehouse.  It continued to be featured monthly as part of Gary Hook’s Fresh Fridays which also included his DJ skills and other special guests from the region.  Noizejoi embarked on a tour, covering Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis, Memphis, Birmingham and Atlanta.  “People seem to enjoy the vibe” says Lauren, and the band continues to gain a following where ever they appear.  They are scheduled to play Greener Groundz a new cafe replacing Bread & Bagel, on April 3.

The group is also recording their first album as a band.  The all original material is penned primarily by their writing group made up of Lauren, Zach and Gary.  The song themes range from love and life to social issues.  According to Cunningham “We always try to put a positive message.  We want our songs to be real and touch where a person can say, ‘Wow, I feel that’, and understand where we’re coming from.”  She added, “Our music as a group surpasses anything that we ever could have accomplished individually.”  Tough to pigeonhole, the band plays an eclectic range of soul, gospel, rock, reggae and hip hop, entwining their own songs around selections from artists such as the Beatles, Lauren Hill and Kanye West.

When Noizejoi played in Lexington on Valentines Day, Lauren was surprised to find that people had traveled from other states to attend the performance.  They described to her how they were effected by Noizejoi’s music, finding it extremely passionate and therapeutic.  Of their audience she says, “They are black, white, Asian, Hispanic, young, old, middle class and lower class.  It just amazes me and I think that’s something truly, truly, special.”

As Noizejoi grew, so did her involvement with the Boys and Girls Club.  In her later years with the organization she served as the liaison with schools for programming in the classroom as well as oversaw the leadership programs.  By the end of her tenure she was managing staff and general operations for “Smart Moves” a positive decision making program geared towards elementary, middle school and high school students.  The program emphasized issues youth face such as peer pressure, choosing positive friends, hygiene, abuse and improvement as a student.

Through a local youth worker coalition representing youth service agencies, Lauren met Erin Barger.  Barger, shared with Cunningham an idea she had for an organization called Kaleidoscope.  The organization was to be one that “celebrates the value of young people and the power of love.”  As their mission states “We seek to bring about positive transformation by creating an environment where youth can engate important issues through the arts and contribute back to society.”  Important goals include: building positive supportive relationships, pursuing social justice and active service to society, encouraging diversity, examing the world and self through critical reflection, approaching issues with creativity and imagination, valuing and empowering youth by providing opportunities for leadership and participation, and using the power of the arts for meaningful expression and personal, community and social transformation.”

After securing funding in the form of a multi-million dollar grant through WKU, the organization was born and three individuals were hired to staff it: Steve Pavey as Director and Lauren Cunningham and Gary Hook as program coordinators.  Barger and her husband relocated to China with the Peace Corp soon after the organization was formed and left the management and implementation to the new staff.  After a year and a half, Pavey left and Lauren was promoted to Director.

Through the years, though the foundation has not changed, the way the organization delivers and implements its programming has, most recently due to the end of the grant that enabled its creation.  

Now seeking alternative funding from community support and new grants, Kaleidoscope continues their vision of providing arts programming, leadership opportunities and mentoring young people in any way that helps them to transition from youth to young adulthood and become more active people. However their methods have contracted due to funding issues.  Their after school programs are offered free of charge and in the early years they served up to 100 youth per term and retained 20 artists in residence.  Today 40 can be served by the two artists on staff part time and a handful of volunteers.  However, according to Lauren, their programs are much more tailored and effective.  With their equipment needs fulfilled from the early grant, Kaleidoscope can reach out to additional youth by partnering with other agencies and schools as well as offering classes in their own space at the former LC Curry school.

Their work inside the school system comes in many forms and is customized to the needs of each group they encounter.  Providing art opportunities can mean doing a school assembly, sending an artist in for a one day workshop or conducting a 4-8 week class in art, writing or music.  “It’s not a cookie cutter program.” says Lauren. They are able to adapt to the needs of an organization in presenting their services.   

The artists working part time or on a volunteer basis with the program include: Gary Hook in music, Natalie Croney, creative writing and poetry, Meredith Wadlington and three dance instructors, Crystal Hardeman, Gambia Flemister, Zakyia Taylor.  Several of this group were employed when the money was available and continued on as volunteers when their pay was eliminated because of their regard fro the program.

Ben Kickert also works on a part time basis, searching for new grant funding that can maintain Kaleidoscopes programming.  A community fundraiser is scheduled for April 10.  It is an art auction where local celebrities collaborated, created or commissioned artwork to be auctioned.  The auction takes place at the Downing Museum at the Baker Arboretum 4801 Morgantown Rd. at 5:30 p.m.  Admission is $25.

In addition to creating art, Kaleidoscope youth get the opportunity to present their work and a showcase after each session.  The next showcase will take place the week of May 4 at the Bowling Green High School theater.  There is a Spring and Fall session and Kaleidoscope is always on the lookout for artists willing to volunteer time to the program.  Past artists have covered disciplines from music to screen printing and filmmaking.

“One thing I’ve learned”, says Lauren “is you may be the best artist, dancer or basket weaver, but kids come to a program because they connect with you, not what you do.  Art is just a vehicle.”  She even stepped in to conduct a visual art class recently, though she’s not a visual artist.  She described an interesting session where she discussed with the kids how many are effected in some way by domestic violence.  After feelings and ideas on the topic were shared, she asked the youth to paint their feelings.  She says that she is always impressed with the creativity and insight presented by the kids.

“Everything I do is connected to who I am.  From my music ability to work with Kaleidoscope to serving youth.  I do it all for the same reason – to connect with people, to inspire people, to help them.  and in return I become so much better as a person.  I never understood Dad when he said ‘Life is not a sprint, Lauren, it’s a journey’.  But I’m understanding it more.  It’s not the way you start but the way you finish.

For more information about Kaleidoscope or Noizejoi visit www.wku.edu/kaleidoscope or www.MySpace.com/noizejoi