THE PROJECT 440 COLLEGE FAIR FOR MUSICIANS RETURNS FOR THE FIRST IN-PERSON FAIR SINCE 2019 TO THE KIMMEL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS ON JUNE 4

Featuring admissions representatives from 40 colleges, universities, and conservatories nationwide and College & Career Readiness workshops led by industry experts including two-time Grammy winner Bernard “TreWay” Lambert & Socrates Villegas clarinetist with The Philadelphia Orchestra

Philadelphia, PA (May 23, 2022) – Today, Project 440 announced the Exhibitors and program for its 5th annual College Fair for Musicians to be held on Saturday, June 4 from 10am to 4pm at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The College Fair is for students, parents, educators, and anyone who has music as part of their life, wants to learn about opportunities to study and participate in music in college, or know more in general about attending college.

Attendees will get one-on-one facetime with music school and admissions representatives from over 40 colleges, universities, conservatories, and music education organizations from throughout the country during the Exhibitor session from 1 to 3 pm. Bradley Whittemore, Director of Admissions at Ithaca College says, “I can't wait to be back at this year's Project 440 Fair! I've really missed this event in recent seasons and look forward to returning.” Admissions Counselor Olivia Orlando says, “Rider University is motivated to participate in and support Project 440’s College Fair because we want to make sure to share what Rider has to offer with students in our area and beyond.”

Participating schools from the Delaware Valley include Curtis Institute of Music, Eastern University, Rider University, Rutgers University, Temple University, University of the Arts, University of Delaware, and West Chester University. Schools from beyond the region include Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Cleveland Institute of Music, Florida State University, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, University of Michigan, University of Southern California, and University of Toronto, Faculty of Music. A complete list of College Fair Exhibitors is available at https://project440.org/college-fair.

Prior to and following the Exhibitor session, all attendees will have access to Project 440’s College & Career readiness workshops featuring a range of industry professionals including Dr. Chandra Williams, Vice President, Community Manager, JP Morgan Chase who will give a workshop on credit basics, budgeting and savings, and Project 440’s resident college expert, Cigus Vanni, AKA “The College Fairy” who will review all aspects of Financial Aid. Socrates Villegas, clarinetist with The Philadelphia Orchestra will discuss college auditioning, and North Philadelphia native Bernard “TreWay” Lambert, Drummer & Musical Director for artists including Future, Meek Mill, Bebe Rexha, and Floetry will share his career path.

The complete schedule of workshops includes:

Current College Student Panel: “What I Wish I Knew” featuring Project 440 alumni, 10 and 11am

Recording Yourself with Your Own Equipment with Clark Connor of Weston Sound, 10 and 11am
Budgeting and Saving for College Students with Dr. Chandra Williams, vice president community manager, JP Morgan Chase, 10 and 11am
College Auditioning: “What you need to Know” with Socrates Villegas, Second Clarinet of The Philadelphia Orchestra, 12 and 3pm
Financial Aid for Musicians with Cigus Vanni, “The College Fairy,” 12 and 3pm
My Career Path with two-time Grammy Award winning drummer and entrepreneur, Bernard "TreWay" Lambert, 12pm and 3 pm

The day concludes with a raffle featuring tickets to The Philadelphia Orchestra, 76ers, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Longwood Gardens, the Philadelphia Ballet, a Wawa gift basket, and more. The Project 440 College Fair for Musicians is co-presented by the Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) Artists’ Initiative with additional support provided by the Kimmel Cultural Campus. Admission to the College Fair and access to the workshops is free for all attendees, advance registration is strongly encouraged. Learn more and register at project440.org/college-fair.

ABOUT PROJECT 440:

The mission of Project 440 is to teach young people to use their interest in music to forge new pathways for themselves and ignite change in their communities. Project 440 refers to the 440Hz "tuning A" of an orchestra usually by the oboe, just as the oboe leads an orchestra with the 440 Hz pitch, Project 440 students are learning to be 21st Century leaders. Programmatically, Project 440 has developed a comprehensive curriculum which uses music as a tool to teach young people the life skills they need to thrive regardless of the career path they choose. Project 440’s core programs are:

Doing Good : An intensive, 25-session afterschool program that teaches young musicians the basics of leadership, entrepreneurship, and service. Students demonstrate these new skills in a cumulative final project during which they organize their own community-based service projects.

Instruments for Success: A 10-week, afterschool program that covers every aspect of the college admissions process, including how to find the right college, effective essay writing, audition and interview preparation, and more.

Youth Advocacy Council: The Youth Advocacy Council consists of program alumni, students from the School District of Philadelphia, and other young leaders from throughout the region. Participants receive leadership, project management, governance, and advocacy training and utilize these skills to produce student driven programs including Music in Color featuring diverse voices in professional music

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