Teaching Artist Spotlight: Melissa Wright

We are thrilled to have Melissa Wright join our Teaching Artist roster this year! She is currently co-leading the Youth Advocacy Council (YAC) with Samantha Apgar. This power team has a wealth of knowledge to share in the realm of leadership, project management, governance, and advocacy training. Continue reading to learn what has informed Melissa’s professional trajectory, how YAC fits in to her dedication to service, and what she finds inspiring about working with today’s youth.

Q: How did you get involved with Project 440? What drew you to this organization? 

I first saw the work of Project 440 when I was working at the School District of Philadelphia and loved the work I saw happening. I thought back to when I was a student and it was music or service due to the limited number of hours in a day. Somehow Project 440 has managed to meld these two ideas together to use music as a vehicle for service and leadership experience.

Q: Can you tell me about your work outside of Project 440?

I currently work as an Associate Director at Econsult Solutions, Inc. ESI provides economic consulting and analytical services for businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations. I work as the lead director in our government and public policy practice area. Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how some of the major spending bills coming out of Washington, like the American Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Bill, will impact local communities.

Q: Advocacy for traditionally underserved communities seems to be a common thread in all of the work that you have done and continue to do. Is there a personal experience that sparked your interest in pursuing the professional path you’ve taken? 

My parents knew I would go into a field where I helped people from a young age (they were right!). All of my previous work experience has revolved around advocating for children, both in the health services research and data roles at the school district. Kids are really special to me because they don’t have the same voice that adults do and they can’t vote. So it’s important that they have people looking out for them and telling their stories. One of my main skills is data, so i make sure that I tell their story, through data. I ultimately ended up focusing on education because we’ve seen it is one of the best vehicles to lift folks out of poverty.

What do you enjoy most about your work with the Youth Advocacy Council (YAC)?

The students!! After leaving my job at the school district, I missed students so much. The YAC students are absolutely amazing. They are enthusiastic and bright. Whenever someone complains about the “younger generation”, I tell them about the students I get to teach and that the future is in capable hands. 

Q: Is there anything that has surprised or challenged you in your work with YAC? 

Honestly, how quickly time flies. We get into really great discussions about board service or planning for Music in Color, and then you look at the clock and it is almost time to end.

Q: Today’s youth are going to be faced with finding solutions to many of society’s most pressing issues. What do you think are effective ways of empowering our students and setting them up for success as civically-engaged citizens? 

I love this question! Letting them know that they have a voice now. I’m sure most of us have heard that we should ‘wait our turn,’ but the reality is that you don’t have to wait to make change. One of the most transformative moments for me, was the moment I realized I had a voice and power. The earlier we allow today’s youth to have that experience, the more time they have to hone their skills and become civically engaged citizens.

The work we do in YAC, hits on that first point, but it also teaches students the fundamentals of board service. Having that knowledge allows them to be ahead of the curve and prepared for opportunities to serve.

Youth Advocacy Council Perspectives on a New School Year

Project 440’s Youth Advocacy Council (YAC) is starting this new school year with new members and fresh ideas! In addition, we are thrilled to welcome Melissa Wright who will be co-leading YAC with Teaching Artist, Samantha Apgar. A few of the members took the time to share their thoughts on YAC’s vision and how they hope to continue affecting positive change in our community using their passion for music. 

What are some of the goals YAC is hoping to achieve this school year? 

Maria Karakousis: Our overall aim is to apply training in leadership and advocacy to carry out the Project 440 mission of fostering equity and positive community change through the transformative power of music. We look forward to again working with organization officials, professional musicians, and other Philadelphia students passionate about using music to achieve the goals they envision for their communities. A very exciting goal for us this year is to greatly broaden the scope of our Music in Color audience! In its first year, this virtual series created and hosted by YAC members introduced Philadelphia youth to professional musicians of minority backgrounds who have advanced social change through their careers in classical music. YAC is now ready to take advantage of the virtual setting of Music in Color to reach a national audience that includes Project 440 alumni across the country. We hope to further increase interest and participation in our sessions through more diverse representation of music genres among our panelists.

What events are you planning in connection to your Music in Color series? 

Ronnell Williams: This year we are going into how artists were affected through the pandemic. We are very excited to get started. :)

How would you like to see Project 440 better serve Philadelphia youth? 

Patricia Harden: I would like to see Project 440 better serve Philadelphia youth by reaching out to the more underdeveloped areas of the city, for example the northern areas of Philly. It's a harsher place to be in and doesn't receive much attraction to and/or from organizations. Project 440 has done, and is still doing, a lot of great things, and I feel like it can extend to outside the comfort zone of the city and maybe in the suburbs and outskirts of our big city.

What are you most excited about this school year?

Rajveer Chaudhury: I am most excited about planning the Music in Color events for this year. This is my first year in YAC, and I am grateful to be able to help plan these events for our community in the coming year. I am also very excited about achieving musical growth this year in the program by helping plan these events, making new connections, and learning more about music specifically. Finally, I am most excited about growing as a leader and advocate in YAC this year. 

Our 2021 Annual Campaign: “Student Stories”

Project 440’s programs are designed to provide young people in Philadelphia and beyond with the opportunities and tools for individual growth and community impact. As such, it is the power of youth, of our students, that inspires us and drives our work.

This year we wrap up another successful year of programming that reached over 600 students. That’s 600 students each with their own skills, goals, and stories, and their own path to success. 100 of those students participated in our internationally recognized after-school programs. These students represented 41 zip codes and 23 schools across Philadelphia.

Each of the 600 students has their own story. Throughout the month, we will highlight stories from just a few of those 600, along with impact stories from Project 440 alumni who have gone on to do great things.

As we highlight these inspiring student stories, we’ll have help from the people who know those stories best — our students themselves. Stay tuned to meet Project 440 Interns Kintan and Sarah who will share some of their own experiences with Project 440, and be some of the driving forces behind our campaign!

“Project 440 has immensely impacted my life in a very positive way,” Kintan shared during a January feature highlight on the Project 440 blog. “I now know what I want to do in the future and without P440, I wouldn't have had that wake-up call.” Get to know Kintan and Sarah, along with more of our inspiring students, throughout this month on the Project 440 website and social media pages.

Each week will focus on a different aspect of our programming, students, and impact!

Week One (August 1-7) - Introducing "Student Stories”

Week Two (August 8-14) - Current Student Stories

Youth Advocacy Council Class of 2021

Student Led Music in Color Discussion Series

Watch Finding Hope in Doing Good

Kintan Silvany to Serve as Youth Board Representative

Doing Good Student Projects Make an Impact

Week Three (August 15-21) - Life After P440: Alumni Success Stories

Week Four (August 29-31) - Programmatic Impact

We ask that as you read about our inspiring students and their work both in and outside of Project 440 programs, you will make a donation to support our work and enable us to continue to reach students in Philadelphia and beyond. None of our work would be possible without the support of generous donors from our community!

Check out the positive impact we make on our students, and then check out the impact of YOUR donation in support of our programs on our Support Us page! Stay tuned for a month in celebration of student stories as we prepare for another impactful year!

Make the Most of Your Summer with Project 440 ‘Summer School’

Summer is a great time to kick back and relax… and a great time to get ahead on college application and audition preparation! All fifteen seminars from the 2020 College Fair are available online free to the public. Each session features experienced professionals who detail different aspects of the college admissions process including resume and essay writing, tackling auditions, the HBCU experience, and more. Whether you are an aspiring musician or interested in other fields, there is a session for everyone! Click here for our introduction video and the playlist of seminars on YouTube.

Check out the individual sessions below, or share them with a student in your life. Happy summer!

Introduction Video

Intermission Sessions: Yoga and Meditation

Intermission is a ground-breaking program that unites body, mind, breath, and music-making through yoga and meditation. Their hope is that through exploring mindful movement, alignment, breath-work, and self-compassion, musicians of all ages and stages can begin to unite their physical, mental, and emotional selves so that music-making may become a more holistic, healthy, joyful practice. Join Melissa White, co-founder of Intermission Sessions, as she leads you through a meditative session.

Essay and Resume Writing

Essay and Resume writing can be a stressful part of the application process. Samantha Apgar of Temple University’s Master of Public Policy Program will lead you through tips and techniques to help you prepare your resume and write your essay.

Recording Yourself on Your Own Equipment

 Recording yourself -- for auditions, and otherwise -- is a skill that will be incredibly important this year. James Clark Conner of Philadelphia’s Weston Sound will explain what equipment is necessary and will teach you how and where to record in order to have the best possible recording.

Podcast vs. Instagram

Social Media is part of everyone’s life! Join Instagram’s “That Viola Kid” Drew Forde and Classically Black’s podcast creator Dalanie Harris as they discuss different social media platforms and how to use them responsibly and effectively.

Financial Aid for Musicians

Applying for scholarships and financial aid can be overwhelming, but with the fabulous College Counselor Cigus Vanni helping you, you’ll be ready to conquer the process! Cigus shares the details of how and where to find musician-specific scholarships.

Auditioning

Weston Sprott from the Metropolitan Opera and Juilliard School of Music returns to teach how to set yourself up for a successful college audition experience. Our most popular workshop last year, you’ll leave feeling calm and assured about how to approach the audition season. 

Bulletproof Musician: Audition Psychology

If you’d like to become a more confident, skilled, and “bulletproof” musician, Audition Psychologist and Juilliard faculty Noa Kageyama will help you beat nerves and perform your very best on stage.

What I Wish I Knew

Adults may have wisdom, but recent high school grads know exactly what you’re going through! Join college students from Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey as they discuss what they wish they had done differently in their college application process. This panel will have an extensive Question and Answer session so you can ask your peers exactly what you want to know.

The HBCU Experience

Join Dr. David Morrow of Morehous College for a brief history of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their importance today.

Creating Calm in Crisis: Navigating College Auditions During a Pandemic

Unprecedented times call for new protocol. Joan Gordon and Alexa Smith of the Manhattan School of Music help you determine what will be different and what will stay the same.

Leadership and Entrepreneurship for Musicians

Wondering if music is relevant in our ever evolving world? Project 440’s Program Director Susanna Loewy will lead a session in examining how to create the change you want to see in the world -- through music.

Ask Me Anything with “Cigus the College Fairy”

Cigus Vanni was a college counselor at both the high school and college level… and he’s a Jeopardy champion! Pick his brain in this 50-minute Question and Answer session.

Career Paths in Music

Wondering where a degree in music will lead? Curtis Institute of Music’s Mary Javian discusses all the different types of careers you can have after school and will review the video examples on the Community Board. These videos are submitted from professionals across the music industry.

Congratulations to the Class of 2021!

Please join is in wishing a huge CONGRATULATIONS to the members of our Youth Advocacy Council (YAC) graduating in 2021! We are so proud of all our YAC students have accomplished and all they will accomplish in the years to come. Check out what our YAC students’ plans for this upcoming year!

Blue Shelton is the first student to be awarded the full-tuition scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music reserved for a Project 440 alum. Blue is a flutist, PMAY artist, and student of Project 440 Program Director Susanna Loewy.

Ariadna Rosas is also PMAY artist and was a guest speaker at our 2021 Finding Hope in Doing Good event. At the event, Ariadna shared, “Thanks to Project 440, I was able to transform into a better version of myself and prepare for a future I am excited about.” Ariadna will be attending Rowan University on a full scholarship.

Myles Bell is the creative mind that pitched YAC’s Music in Color discussion series focused on race, representation, and diversity in classical music. He is also a PMAY artist and will be studying biomedical engineering at Duke University this fall.

Kintan Silvany is an alumna of Doing Good and Instruments for Success, and serves as the Youth Board Representative to the Project 440 Board of Directors. She says her favorite memories with Project 440 were being nominated to the Board, joining Generation Music, and working with Cigus on college applications! Kintan will be attending Case Western Reserve University with a major in international studies and a minor in music at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Aviva Bock is a violinist who has participated in a myriad of Philadelphia programs including PMAY, Musicopia, and more. Her proudest moment working for YAC was reflecting on all the great work they did, especially the “Music in Color” series. She will be attending Eastman School of Music this fall.

Congratulations as well to Calistha Gunawan and Semaj Murphy, violinists and members of the class of 2021.

To our YAC graduates, and all our Project 440 students graduating this month, thank you for being a part of our Project 440 family. We are so grateful for all you have contributed to the Philadelphia community, and cannot wait to see your continued success in the years to come!

Youth Advocacy Council Announces 2021 "In Tune" Award Recipient

Each year, Project 440's Youth Advocacy Council recognizes the exceptional work of a Philadelphia-based music educator through their In Tune award. Recipients are chosen based on their devotion to students, innovation in teaching, and presence with students.

The 2021 awardee of the Youth Advocacy Council In Tune Award is Ashley Vines!

Vines began her musical studies as a student in the School District of Philadelphia and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance as a viola student of Renard Edwards. She was a recipient of the 2016-2017 IRIS Artist Fellowship, through which she performed in a chamber ensemble with a focus on community outreach and taught as a community engagement fellow through the Memphis Music Initiative.

YAC students share that Vines was chosen for her “dedication to music education, passion for helping students, and immense influence on many young musicians in the Philadelphia area.” The students said they believe leaders like Vines are “essential to [the flourishment] of classical music and education in Philadelphia.” Vines joined YAC for one of this year’s Music in Color series focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of classical music.

Currently, Ashley works as an instrumental music teacher in the School District of Philadelphia, a violin and viola teaching artist with Musicopia and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's Tune Up Philly program, and Director of String Orchestras for Temple University’s Community Music Scholars Program. 

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the amazing and inspiring students of the YAC,” Vines shared. “I deeply respect the work that these students are doing and I look forward to seeing all that they will accomplish in the future.”

YAC and the Project 440 team are so grateful for Vines’s work and impact on Philadelphia students. Please join us in congratulating her as the third winner of the annual In Tune Award!

Board of Directors Transitions to New Structure, Electing Mary Javian and Megan Speight as Co-Chairs

As we grow and evolve here at Project 440, our leadership structures grow and evolve with us. This month, the Project 440 Board of Directors has transitioned to a Co-Chair structure. Mary Javian and Megan Speight have been elected as the first Board Co-Chairs.

“We are blessed at Project 440 to have such an inspirational Board for our organization,” said Executive Director and Founder Joseph Conyers. “Tad LeVan has valiantly led Project 440 as Chair for nearly six years, and we are very grateful for his steadfast leadership over those years. There are certainly some very large shoes to fill!”

LeVan began in his role as Board chair in May 2015, after being drawn to the organization’s unique approach to using music as a tool for change. He will remain on the Board as Javian and Speight begin their roles as Co-Chairs.

“I am truly honored to have had the opportunity to be Board chair during this period of growth and development for Project 440,” LeVan stated. “Over the past six years, Project 440’s programming, student opportunities, and, most importantly, its positive and lasting impact on Philadelphia and the larger community has increased exponentially. It has been exciting to play a small part in such a great organization that effectuates real change. I am thrilled to transition Board leadership to Mary and Megan – who I know will do a fantastic job taking Project 440 to the next level – and I look forward to remaining with the organization as a Board member, legal counsel, and all-around supporter!”

Mary Javian is the Chair of Career Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. She has performed as a double bassist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, served as principal bass of the IRIS Orchestra and has recorded with the Philadelphia and IRIS orchestras, the Tanglewood Music Center, Network for New Music, Dolce Suono Ensemble, and the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music. Javian has served on the Project 440 Board of Directors since November 2014.

“As a long-time Board member I am honored to move into the Co-Chair role of this unique and important organization,” shared Javian. “It is urgent that we equip young people with the skills to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Project 440's curriculum is a rare model that promotes equity, access and innovation.”

In her role at Curtis, Javian has created a dynamic social entrepreneurship curriculum that develops the entrepreneurial and advocacy skills that 21st-century musicians need. Her project-based classes help students create community partnerships that sustain both artistic and social value.

“Mary is a well-known force nationally for both her musical and community engagement endeavors through music. Her leadership as a co-chair will be invaluable,” Conyers said. “Equally as invaluable as Mary Javian’s work is the work of Megan Speight, whose time with the organization has spanned nearly two years and who very quickly took on the role of Marketing Chair for the organization,” says Conyers. “Her guidance has been integral to the many successes in the messaging of our important work — locally, nationally, and internationally.”

Megan Speight joined the Project 440 Board of Directors in April 2019 and began her work with the Marketing Committee, promoting Project 440’s mission to folks around the country, and beyond.

Speight said, “As a native to the Philadelphia area and a previous classically trained musician, it is my honor to lead this organization as the Co-Chair of the Board with Mary. The impact Project 440 makes locally and nationally in support of equity, inclusion, and upskilling on students is imperative to their success in their future. I look forward to seeing this organization grow and further it's reach in supporting upcoming generations and their drive to ignite change in their communities."

An experienced public relations and communications professional, Speight is the Public Relations Coordinator at the Project Management Institute. She has worked in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors including organizations such as Comcast, The Franklin Institute and the National Constitution Center. In her current role as Public Relations Manager at Maternity Care Coalition, Speight focuses her efforts on media relations, developing and implementing public relations plans, supporting the Fund Development and program staff with events, and co-manages all of the organizations’ social media platforms.

“In their roles as Co-Chairs, we have perfect ‘harmony’ in leadership, stewardship, innovation, motivation, and service, and we are so happy to have them lead Project 440 through this most important time in our organization's history,” said Conyers.

Congratulations to our new Board Co-Chairs, and thank you for your work on behalf of Project 440!

Project 440 Receives First International Grant of $40,000 from Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT)

Thanks to the support of generous trusts and foundations, Project 440 has received $50,000 in grant funding so far in 2021, including the organization’s first international grant of $40,000 from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT). The organization has also received $7,500 from The Presser Foundation, over $3,000 from The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and $2,500 from The D’Addario Foundation.

BBT Founder Ilaria Borletti Buitoni commented, “All the organisations we support recognise the power of music to transform; to not only teach music skills that generate feelings of pride, accomplishment and respite from challenging daily lives, but also to engender the sense of inclusion, friendship, communication and self-respect that comes from engaging in music-making as a group.”

Project 440 was one of just eight organizations selected by BBT from across the globe. Our peer organizations are working in Kenya, Southern Italy, Norfolk, and beyond ignite positive change through music. Click here to read about all awarded organizations and programs.

Funds from BBT will be used to fund a second cohort of Project 440’s flagship Doing Good program in Philadelphia for the first time, doubling the program’s impact and expanding capacity to 50 students.

“Project 440 is honored to receive our first international award for the important work of our organization,” Executive Director Joseph Conyers stated. “That we can now duplicate our efforts in reaching more young people in Philadelphia both gives us great pride and strengthens our resolve to reach more of our city's you. We are thankful to these foundations for enabling Project 440 to provide our most extensive programming to the greatest number of Philadelphia youth in our organization's history.”

Funds from the Presser and D’Addario Foundation will be used to continue and expand Project 440 programming including Doing Good, Instruments for Success, and Youth Advocacy Council. Through each of these programs, we are resolute in our mission: to empower students to use music as a tool to forge new pathways for themselves and ignite change in their communities. Our vision is that every young person will have the necessary opportunities and tools for personal growth and community impact. By developing these tools through students’ shared interest in music, our programming benefits not just our students, but our community by creating a world where music is seen not as a curricular “add on,” but as an essential cornerstone of any vibrant education.

We are immensely grateful for the support of The Borletti-Buitoni Trust, The Presser Foundation, and The D’Addario Foundation for their generous support, which makes our work possible.

The Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT) supports both outstanding young musicians (BBT Artists) and charitable organisations that help the underprivileged and disadvantaged through music (BBT Communities). Whether developing and sustaining young artists’ international careers, or bringing the joy of music to new communities, the Trust provides invaluable assistance and encouragement.  www.bbtrust.com

The Presser Foundation was established in 1939 under the Deeds of Trust and Will of the late Theodore Presser. In the charter of incorporation, The Foundation’s purposes are set forth to promote primarily the cause of musical education and musical philanthropy as follows: to provide scholarships for promising students; to increase the value of music education by erecting suitable buildings; and to administer aid to worthy teachers of music in distress.

The Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) was established in 1991 when Philadelphia’s Mayor and City Council authorized the creation of an independent nonprofit whose mission is to provide funds to enhance the cultural life and vitality of the City of Philadelphia and its residents. PCF is managed by a professional philanthropy staff, with governance provided by a board comprised of arts leaders, community members and representatives named by the Mayor and City Council President. The PCF aims to advocate for and promote arts and culture as engines of social, education and economic development in Philadelphia.

The D’Addario Foundation is a non-profit organization that identifies the highest quality, most impactful instrument instruction programs in communities of need and awards grants and product donations to assist their growth and development. The Foundation believes in the power of music to unlock creativity, boost self-confidence, and enhance academics. By making music education accessible, we can positively affect social change and foster better citizens of the world.

Music in Color: Social Media as a Tool for Change

The following blog post was written by Youth Advocacy Council (YAC) member, Maria Karakousis. Join YAC for the next session of their Music in Color series on Monday, March 29th.

On the last Monday of January, I had the opportunity to speak with bass player Dalanie Harris, co-host of the renowned Classically Black podcast and co-founder of the growing International Society for Black Musicians, and oboe player Mekhi Gladden, alumnus of the Atlanta Symphony Talent Development Program and current student of the Curtis Institute of Music. I did not just run into such talent and inspiration on the street — I don’t have that kind of awesome luck. Actually, I met these two wonderful people at the culmination of a month of planning and organizing with my fellow members of the Project 440 Youth Advocacy Council (YAC): the January Music in Color event. Where else would I be able to not only listen to, but converse with, people like Dalanie and Mekhi?

Dalanie Harris & Katie Brown of Classically Black. Harris joined YAC for their January session of Music in Color.

For those readers who are not familiar with Music in Color, this new series hosted by YAC on the last Monday of every other month aims to share with Philadelphia-area youth the origins, struggles, and ultimate success of minority classical musicians who are using their talents to help create the positive change they want to see in their communities. Each session consists of a live conversation between all who attend, which always include several truly amazing professionals. Our past three conversations have centered around specific subjects, but the overarching take-away from each Music in Color Zoom call is that no matter your race or identity, you can succeed in classical music and use it to make a positive impact on the places and groups that need it.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “where words fail, music speaks?” Hans Christian Andersen’s quote couldn’t ring more true, but I hope he wouldn’t mind my narrowing it down: “where words fail, classical music speaks” for the sake of this piece. Classical music has always been a part of my life and has never failed to help me through rough times. I feel so blessed to have been able to continue playing Chopin on the piano and Dittersdorf on the harp (thanks to the generosity of The Glissando Program) through the social distancing mandated by a pandemic that took my grandfathers. Though we classical musicians find joy in bringing the work of dead people to life, the elephant is in the room: classical music itself is dying, starved of appreciation beyond its shrinking circle of enthusiasts. We are now faced with a crucial question: how do we keep alive what we love?

The answer, Dalanie and Mekhi agree, lies in the enormous power of social media to make what seems distant and unattainable accessible to people, especially youth, who otherwise feel they have no point of entry into a group or field. Specifically, as we discussed during January’s session, we need to make classical music more accessible to Black and Hispanic kids, and to cast light on the abundance of work by composers of color that has been kept mostly in the dark, if we hope for the rebound of classical music. In our time, harnessing social media’s ability to market and project underrepresented voices is the clearest pathway to accomplishing both of these goals.

Dalanie began work toward these goals with her Classically Black podcast, which presents classical music in a way that is by and for Black people. Though she started the podcast just under three years ago, she has already received confirmation that she is helping to bridge the gap between classical music and Black culture, bringing Black people into the world of classical music when “they may not necessarily have an entry point.” In talking to Music in Color attendees about how she uses her social platforms to showcase Black musical achievement and make Black musicians feel seen, she shared, “we’ve gotten a couple messages over the years saying, ‘You know, I really felt alone in classical music until you said X-Y-Z...’ that’s really affirming to hear that people feel that way listening to our show.” For Dalanie and Mekhi, social media is intuitively their tool to create and foster community. As Mekhi put it, “music is inherently social, so it makes sense that it passes so easily through social media.” Dalanie told us that this strong sense of community present across social media platforms is especially important when trying to “connect with each other because a lot of [minority] people may feel like they are the only one in classical music” and when uplifting and upholding the work of underrepresented composers.

According to Mekhi, the most important aspect of social media that has incredible potential to foster social change is that it begets “this constant flow of information that helps you expand your horizons.” In order to expose her audience to new Black players and composers, Dalanie explained, she herself has had to first seek out and expose herself to that because she’s “just a person in the classical music industry too” whose classical music education did not emphasize the work of Black musicians. “We all know that there’s plenty of music out there and we need to highlight key voices,” said Mekhi. Social media is the door to finding that music and those voices. That is why he has committed himself to live streaming recitals featuring pieces composed by friends or little-known composers and configuring his social media feeds to include more of the “music written by people who have had their voices stifled by the canon [of repertoire] and such that just needs to get performed.” The first step is getting those kinds of mostly unheard pieces written by underrepresented composers out there into the virtual human web. That will lead more people to perform it, which will lead more people to realize that there is so much beautiful music by minority composers that they are missing out on, and which we should emphasize and rally around if we want to not only help classical music survive, but push it to thrive.

Well readers, that is what I learned and have now reflected upon following the January 2021 Music in Color session. Its duration of one hour felt too short a time to spend talking with Dalanie and Mekhi, but I hope you agree that what was said in this open discussion gives impetus to deeply consider and implement new perspectives regarding music in our personal lives and in our communities. If you enjoyed reading this post, think about how much you would enjoy actually participating in our next Music in Color session on March 29th, 2021. Email yac@project440.org with any questions or comments about this post or how to register for our March event. On behalf of all of us at YAC, we hope to see you then!

This blog post was written by Youth Advocacy Council Member, Maria Karakousis. Maria is a high school junior attending J.R. Masterman in Philadelphia. She loves playing the piano and the harp (thanks to the incredible generosity of the Glissando Program of the Curtis Institute of Music Lyra Society) and immersing herself in classical music. She is very passionate about using the positive power of music to improve society, and is profoundly grateful for the opportunity to help empower other Philadelphia youth to do the same through the Project 440 Youth Advocacy Council. In between school, volunteering, practicing her instruments, her jobs (including teaching piano), and biomedical research, Maria enjoys going on runs along the Schuylkill River and spending time with her family.

Doing Good class of 2020 community projects

This past December, we celebrated the 2020 class of Doing Good! Doing Good is a 30-session intensive after-school entrepreneurial program that provides guidance to high school musicians who want to positively impact their communities. The unique curriculum challenges students to view their curiosity about the world as a window through which they can see the needs, gaps, and opportunities they are best equipped to address. Throughout the semester, students ideate, plan, and implement a community serve project under the guidance of Project 440 staff and teaching artists.

On graduation night, students presented their community service projects to the Project 440 family. Check our this year’s projects, as well as their founding members and mission statements, below. This has been a unique and challenging year for us all. We are so proud of the resilience and strength of each member of this graduating class!

String for Change

Nicolette Sullivan-Cozza, Justine Sullivan-Colla

Mission: SFC’s mission is to give lower income school students access to a music education by providing free music lessons and access to musical instruments.

Tonic K-5

Yeshua Irizarry, Trifena Tanisya, Ronnell Williams, Haley Joyner

Mission: K-5 students deserve to explore music through a cleaner lens. Tonic K-5 will do just that. We will hold meetings once a week with elementary students around the Philadelphia School District. In these meetings, we hope to spark a great interest in the music that these kids will soon be playing. We want the students to look at a piece and be able to understand what they’re playing and how they’re going to be playing it.

Arts for Adolescents

Arianna Baxley, Grace Hiu, Hajra Khan, Leandra Profitt, Mora-Lee Moore, Patrick Cannon, Jada Smith

Mission: Our goal is to give introductions to different forms of art (such as music, art, etc.) and show how they can be used as coping mechanisms for students who are in low-income schools in order to help the lack of mental health resources that are provided.

Art-Shark

Isaiah Muhammad, Kyle Boone, Patricia Harden, Ryan Williams, Tyler Davis, Xandro Xu

Mission: A place for independent artists to share their work and build off of each other.

Black Youth Empowered

Cierra Wright, Divine Epps, Jayla Jones, Leilani Padilla, Yohanna Heyer

Mission: Black Youth Empowered’s mission is to bring awareness around racial injustice and the lack of inclusivity that Black youth face. Over the past couple years the conversation around Black Lives Matter has consistently not reached certain groups, or has quickly lost its speed. We want to focus on engaging and educating nonblack youth and empowering Black youth through social media. We also want to use our connections within the classical music community to reach a generally older and more conservative group through music performance.