Reflections from My Time at WAV
- Nicholas D'Andrea
- Jun 30
- 11 min read
Hello Friends,
I have a quick update about our organization I wanted to share with you. As of July 1st, 2025, I will be transitioning out of my role as the Executive Director at WAV. I recently was offered the opportunity to work with my dad at our family business, Miracle Motor Mart, and I decided to accept the offer. My family has always been very important to me, and to have the chance to work with my dad and be a part of the company he built over the last 30 years really spoke to my heart.
I can’t put into words how meaningful my time at WAV has been to me, and how blessed and grateful I feel to have had the opportunity to serve this community with you. Many of my best memories have happened in the past 7 years at WAV.
What WAV Was Like When I First Started
When I first started with WAV, it was called the Dick and Jane Project (DJP). At the time, I was a musician who had also been a teacher and afterschool program leader, so leading my first Dick and Jane songwriting workshop was immediately my dream job. It was being led by the founder, Ben Shinaberry, as a volunteer, along with a tight knit, supportive board that was often in the trenches with Ben. Ben led DJP as a volunteer for seven years while he worked full time for the Arts College Prep Academy. DJP was his dream and his baby, and he sacrificed a lot of his time, love, and energy to turn it into what it was when I found it: a scrappy, thriving nonprofit that sent artists into schools to write songs with kids, and turn their stories into radio quality songs.
Ben was an educator who believed that school could be fun and kids had something to say. His vision for DJP that I fell in love with was to give kids a platform to speak through music, and find creative ways to share it with the community. He also insisted on paying artists fairly for their time, which was, and is, groundbreaking. Getting to sit down with a group of kids while they shared their stories with each other, then working with them to craft it into a pop song, was an honor and a joy. It was an exciting time working with lots of other musicians, going into under resourced schools with kids who didn’t have many opportunities to express themselves, and going through a transformative process together.
Favorite Projects and Milestones
A big milestone was when we changed the name of the organization in 2018 to We Amplify Voices.
At the time we had two employees, me and Travis Hoewischer, who was our Development Director. He got us an incredible opportunity through the design company Ologie to go through their Brand Camp, which was a lightning-round three-day process where their whole company shut down to help two nonprofits complete major branding projects. It’s also when we met our wonderful board chair, Dawn Marinacci, who is the Marketing and Communications Director there.
Travis and I worked with them to refresh the name and brand to something that shouted what our work was all about. In our first brainstorming session, Travis walked in ready with our name idea already in hand. We put in a late night on the last day with the designers crafting the logo that we loved with the three letters rippling like a sound WAV.
It felt like a lot of responsibility to rename something that had been created through so much love and hard work, but I hope we’ve honored Ben’s legacy by continuing the work he envisioned even with a different name.
Bridges of Love will also always have a very special place in my heart. It was a songwriting project with a group of women at the Ohio Reformatory during COVID. They weren’t able to have their kids visit them at that time, so we designed a songwriting project over Zoom with their kids where they could write songs together. There were 15 women and around 25 kids that were a part of it. The 6 songs we wrote for the project were performed live in different CAPA theaters and filmed by WOSU. There were so many powerful moments during the writing process of hard conversations and healing. At the time ,WAV was on the brink of extinction because of all the schools being closed. That project was our guiding light that got us through COVID. It took a village of people to love it into existence, especially our former program director, Annette Dominguez. She was kind of the heart behind the whole project.
Best Moments
The best days were any day with pizza or donuts lol. But seriously we have eaten a lot of pizza and donuts on the job over the years. It’s part of the love language of the workshop to provide some comfort food. Most of my favorite moments happened during workshops, seeing kids or adults open up and let something off their chest, either saying it out loud to the group or writing it down. Seeing people leave a workshop lighter than they came has always made my day, and made me believe in the work.
One girl in particular, a middle school student in a songwriting workshop, had not said a word during the first several sessions. Finally, one day we were writing lyrics, and I offered that people could write their responses down rather than saying them out loud. This young lady wrote feverishly, two whole pages. She was writing about her mom who was incarcerated that she had a strained relationship with. It made her feel ashamed and kept her from speaking up in school.
At the time we had just started working with women at the Ohio Reformatory, and they were sharing how hard it was to communicate with their kids. They were so hurt and frustrated. This girl was showing us the other side of the coin. She was the inspiration for us to create the Bridges of Love project for moms in prison to connect to their kids through writing songs together. After that writing day she started speaking regularly and sharing her opinions with the group. We really saw a change in her once she was able to let that out.
We once did a songwriting project with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network called Songs for Survivors. We worked with several different groups all impacted by domestic violence. One of the workshops I led was a group of women who had served time at the Ohio Reformatory and had participated in their Domestic Violence program while in prison. During our songwriting workshop, each of the women shared very openly about some of the abuse they suffered in past relationships. It was years ago, but I’m still staggered by what they shared, and what they survived. They are some of the most remarkable, strong, loving, kind-hearted women who lived through literal hell, but still had hope and love for others, and had forgiven their abusers. More than anything, what blew me away was the empathy and compassion they had for the people who hurt them. Their song We Can See You was all about forgiveness, and how their friendships and sisterhood in prison carried them through.
A friend once told me, In leadership you never have two good days in a row. For every day it feels like theres not a cloud in the sky, the next it rains all day. In my time at WAV it definitely feels like there’ve been more good days than bad, but one especially good day came towards the end of COVID. We were about at the end of our rope financially, and it was looking like we would likely have to close up shop. We did have one last hope, a grant application to the Hollister Foundation. A new grant that was $50,000 of unrestricted funding, money you could use towards anything, not just a specific project. I got the news in the basement of my house that we got the grant and I remember just falling on the ground crying and shouting "thank you" over and over and over. Not only did that grant save us, but it let us take a chance and hire two new people. That feeling was like being scooped out of a raging river by helicopter right before the waterfall.
Underrated and All Time Favorite WAV Songs
Brave the Waters with Walnut Springs Middle School
This was a group of kids at a middle school in Westerville, and I remember rolling my eyes going in thinking these suburban kids won’t have anything worth putting in a song. This was especially judgemental of me since I grew up in Westerville too. But as it turned out, one of the kids in the group had been hospitalized several times with extreme nervous breakdowns, and had a very powerful story to share of her journey to recovery. It taught me a lesson I’ll never forget, of never assuming because of where someone comes from, that they don’t have pain. Everybody has their own bag of rocks to carry.
The other impressive thing about the song is it was recorded entirely by the students. They played all the instruments and sang it too. It was also the harshest feedback I ever got while sharing the first draft of the song. I think my ego still has a few bruises from some of their feedback. Middle school kids know how to put the ‘brutal’ in “brutally honest." But their song was a powerful story of overcoming profound mental illness.
Can I Be Happy with CCA Dana Ave feat. Kashis Keyz
This was a workshop led by an artist Kashis Keyz (Cazembe Smith). He developed a bond with his group that was like family as they created the song together. I think we even extended the workshop a few sessions because the kids demanded more time together with Kashis. The song is heartbreaking and hopeful, with a lot of personal stories the kids contributed. The most powerful thing about the song is their refusal to let trauma and tragedy win, and keep pushing through towards hope. Their resilience still blows me away.
I remember when Kashis showed them the first demo the chorus melody was a little bit minor key and kind of sad, and they all pushed back strongly saying “No, we want to be happy, and we’re going to be, so we want this song to sound hopeful.” I love the moments when a group takes ownership of the song and really fights for what it will be. Thats what the creative process is all about.
The Power of the Mission
Healing is such an elusive and mysterious process, and it looks different for everyone. For some people it might be getting up in front of of a mic for the first time at our comedy workshop and telling a joke, or someone in our Mindful Masterpieces workshop creating a self portrait that they recognize themselves in. Sometimes it happens in quiet little ways, in our afterschool programs or summer camps, when a kid makes a new friend because they let themselves be vulnerable in a workshop and realized they had a lot in common. There have been many more dramatic moments, but they are all important. Love is the most powerful force on earth, but its power looks so different than how we usually think about power. It’s often gentle, quiet acts of kindness from one person to another. WAV’s mission operates on this principle. Those little ripples of love that people experience in our programs can and do change people, and we hope they go out into their families and communities and pass that change on to others.
Gratitude
This will be the longest section of all, with so many to thank. First, Ben Shinabery the founder of the Dick and Jane Project, who had the vision, and spent years building it into a reality, and trusted me to carry the torch when he stepped away.
Each of the board chairs I’ve had the privilege to serve with: Andrew Dodson, Phil Kim, Dawn Marinacci, and Steve Sutters. They each brought their own priorities and vision into shaping WAV into what it needed to be at the time, and they each have been invaluable partners to me in their terms. And all of the board members that volunteered their time and energy to help steer WAV, especially during COVID. They were steady companions on the journey always.
Our friends at Mango Consulting: Jen Patterson, Michal Raizen and Kim Anderson. I say often that we would not exist without them, and it’s more than true. They have guided us through many storms, and helped us find all of our most significant support.
All of my coworkers, past and present, who were willing to take a chance and come work for a scrappy little nonprofit, and often wear many different hats and juggle many different chainsaws. Travis Hoewischer, Glenn Davis, Annette Dominguez, Lily McBride, Tiera Suggs, Melissa Green, Francine Marchelle, Diana Webster, Helen Tewolde, Stephanie Shoup, Gigi Cox, Sefora Seyoum, Ebri Yahloe, Addie Richmond, Prophet Sims-Cole, Sam Corlett, Baylee Roberson, Nora Ayad , Katie Shively, Lou Crow, Mimi Martin, Ben Reineke, Peniel Cromwell, Londale Towns, Agia Smith and Chase Hurlow.
All of the artists who have worked with us over the years to lead songwriting workshops, or perform as guest artists, and collaborate with our groups. They emptied themselves as artists to be vessels for their groups to speak through them. It’s too long of a list to include everyone, but Charlotte McGraw, Twyana Davis, Nikki Swift, Michal Raizen, Jessie Glover, Amber Knicole, George Barrie, Trek Manifest, Ryan Stolte-Sawa, Honey and Blue, Eric Rollin, Joey Aich, Dom Deshawn, Fran Litterski and Corey Montgomery need special mentioning for all of the incredible work they’ve done with WAV. It truly takes a village.
Also all of the organizations that have given us resources and funding to do the work. The Ohio and Greater Columbus Arts Councils, Franklin County Community Partnerships, The Ohio Department of Education, The City of Columbus, United Way, New York Life Fund, Hollister Confidence Fund and The Columbus Foundation. Without the resources they generously trusted us with, we’d never have been more than a pipe dream.
What I've Learned
WAV has been a school of life in so many ways. It’s taught me to trust the process. That you won’t always see results right away, but if you keep showing up, with water and light, you’ll get to see things grow and sometimes blossom. It’s taught me to trust in God to work things out that are beyond my abilities. It’s taught me that if my intentions are good, and a project is meant to happen, it will, no matter what might appear to be standing in the way. It’s taught me kindness and patience are superpowers that can conquer any problem. It’s taught me that I can’t do everything myself, and it’s good to ask for help. It’s taught me that good people are what make an organization work. Find good people. Serve, support and empower them. Then get out of their way.
What's Next
Our current Operations Director, Stephanie Shoup, will be taking over the role as Interim Executive Director. She has been with us at WAV for the past three years. We also worked together for several years at the Salvation Army. I feel very confident I am leaving WAV in good shape and in good hands.
The most important word in our name is WE. Our work has always been a team effort, and our mission of “healing communities through creative expression,” has always and only happened through collaboration. Our team at WAV is made up of people who love our mission, who care about the people we serve, and who work together with humility and kindness. WAV is in very good hands, and I look forward to cheering them on with you as they continue the good work our founder Ben Shinabery started in 2011 to show that every voice has something to say.
How to Support the Transition
This work is about creating healthy communities, which is important at any time, but especially now in a social climate that is so divided against itself. The work of WAV touches thousands of people each year, and offers them a safe space to let something out, to learn something new about themselves, to create something meaningful, to find their voice, to be a light for someone, or receive someone else’s light, to heal something broken, to plant a seed and wait. We create the space for the moments that start new chapters in life, where people find their people. The best way to support our work is to become a part of it: volunteer, donate, take a workshop, come to an event and bring a friend.
Signing Off
WAV has a life force all of its own. It beats with all of the hearts of the people who work to serve its mission every day. They will continue to make safe spaces for people all over the city to heal and grow together. I’m forever grateful for the seven years that I’ve been able to be a part of it. I’m grateful for all the people I got to know through our programs that let me into their lives and their stories. I’m grateful for how their stories changed me. I’m grateful for the people I’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with to do this work. I’m proud of what we’ve done together, and I’m grateful it will continue to be led by an incredible team of people that love it.
-Nick
