Like to play music? Teens and adults alike will get the chance to build new relationships and bond over their shared hobby thanks to a new free monthly open mic initiative started by the Clinton Youth & Family Services (CYFS) at the Town Hall Annex located at 48 East Main Street.

CYFS Program Coordinator Jill Paglino said the organization hopes the program, which gives a chance for participants to step in for a single song or several, will become a monthly event on the fourth Friday of every month, starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23.

“The goal is for students in grades 6 to 12 to come play music,” Paglino said.

Paglino said she hopes to have 10 to 15 kids, as well as around five adults in the sessions. The adults are people from around the community who play music and can help play with the kids.

“The adults won’t be specific teachers like in a one-on-one music lesson, but they’ll be able to help kids if there’s a chord they’re struggling with or they want to try a new instrument,” Paglino said.

Paglino said CYFS hopes to create a “coffee house like setting” in the sessions.

Paglino said that data from a survey indicated that the level of kids engaging in arts was dropping, a fact that worried CYFS family therapist Marie Pinette. Pinette said that research has shown that students who participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports or art, are less likely to get into trouble outside of school. Additionally, Pinette said extracurricular events, such as the open mic night, are good for students to build relationships.

“An added positive benefit for a kid to have adults that are not parents that take an interest in their life, in addition to with their peers,” Pinette said.

Pinette said that the idea for the open mic night is one she’d had for a while.

“I’m into music myself, and I play at open mic nights along the shoreline,” Pinette said.

Paglino, who started as program coordinator in October, also plays music at open mics in the area, and noticed that most of the open mics excluded teens because of the locations that they were held in.

“They can’t get into bars and places like that,” Paglino said.

Together, the two began talking about bringing a program to Clinton.

“I began thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have kids have a public place like this to build relationships?’” Pinette said.

Adults and students who want to attend the sessions should sign up at least a week before the open mic at http://bit.ly/2BeeanV.