High Notes: We’re Back To In-Person!
After a year of virtual learning, overcoming challenges, and witnessing our students’ incredible resilience, we are grateful to be starting the school year safely in-person and on a high note! As we did during the summer, we are closely following CDC guidelines to ensure the safety of our students and staff, with sanitizing of instruments, bell covers over the ends of brass instruments, social distancing, practicing outside, and mask-wearing. With our dedicated team and supporters, we are off to a fantastic and music-filled year. Here is a peek at the first weeks of classes, our revamped curriculum, a recap of the summer, and upcoming events!
First Few Weeks of Classes Highlight
Our students and Teaching Artists are so happy to be in-person once again, and we can hear the excitement! We’ve officially started classes in all chapters: Little Haiti, Liberty City, Miami Springs, Miami Gardens, and Little Havana. We welcomed both new and returning students for all levels and are already seeing so much progress after just a few weeks with their instruments.
To stay up-to-date on student videos and photos, give our Facebook or Instagram a follow.
Beyond Music: Enhanced Curriculum & Teaching Artist Training
As part of our commitment to empowering youth, we led a week-long intensive training for our team of Teaching Artists in August including special guest speakers to further enhance our curriculum. The curriculum is designed to truly engage youth to develop meaningful social-emotional and academic skills that are essential for their lives through social and emotional learning (SEL) and positive youth development (PYD).
With group activities and positive reinforcement, our music classes encourage leadership, positive and supportive relationships, empathy, collaboration, and responsible and caring decision-making. Students in our program become empowered to co-create thriving schools and communities.
Summer Music Camp & Showcase
We were honored to hold a 4-week Summer Music Camp this past June and July for over 120 students who each received more than 60 hours of intensive musical instruction and social interaction. With 17 Teaching Artists as well as staff, the camp culminated with a heart-warming, socially-distanced performance for parents, friends, and distinguished guests! We thank our donors, The Children’s Trust, and Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, whose support enables us to put together this music camp every year bringing engaging music instruction and before and after care to students.
Traveling: Interlochen Center for the Arts Camp in Michigan
As part of our partnership with the Interlochen Center for the Arts, over 50 students participated in 3 weeks of comprehensive musical instruction and camp experience in-person and online this past summer. Many students traveled to Michigan alongside chaperons, staff, and parents for this unique opportunity, with camp tuition provided by a generous donor of Miami Music Project.
Honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month
We are proud to recognize and celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15. Miami Music Project honors the vision of El Sistema, or social transformation through music, founded by Venezuelan musician and economist José Antonio Abreu. Many children we serve are of Latin American/Hispanic descent and our teaching team is mostly comprised of musicians of Latino/e/x descent. We encourage you to learn more about El Sistema USA here.
Alumni Highlight: Juan Florez
Juan Florez is a violinist and one of our earliest students who studied with our founder, James Judd! He also participated in the Miami Music Project Leader’s Orchestra for ten years, in which he was the concertmaster for one year. Juan graduated in 2020 and is now studying Violin Performance at the University of Florida College of the Arts.
Throughout the program with Miami Music Project, he pursued performance and training opportunities with the violin. We are incredibly proud of all that he has accomplished already at a young age!
Juan Florez is one of hundreds of alumni students from our program, almost all of whom have pursued college after graduation.
*Parents* Enrollment is Still Open
We are still accepting both new and returning students for this school year. Our after-school music program is a wonderful opportunity for your kids or teens to learn an instrument and reach their full potential.
To enroll your children and teens in our classes, visit our Register page to apply and see a list of all of our chapter locations, levels, and class times.
Instruments of Community
We are here to fulfill our mission of transforming lives through the study and performance of music. DONATE TODAY, and help bring musical magic to communities with untapped potential!