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Musicopia Drumlines Honored with the Adolf Busch Award, Pays Students, and Helps Them Go to College
Philadelphia, PA … Music education non-profit Musicopia is excited to share impactful updates for its drumlines program: its receipt of a nationally-recognized award for social justice in music, a new initiative to pay students, a student audition for collegiate drumline programs, and its students participating in the second annual Citywide Drumlines Expo.
Musicopia was awarded the Adolf Busch Award, a grant recognizing organizations that use music to address social injustice, inequity, and lack of opportunity. The award recognizes Musicopia’s Drumlines programming, specifically the West Powelton Drummers and Steppers, for enhancing socioeconomic opportunity through music. Music organizations nationwide were considered for this grant, and Musicopia was one of four organizations selected and won the top award. This grant of $10,000 will support West Powelton by purchasing new instruments for its members. Upon announcing the winners, the awarder shared that they “were moved by the passion of the leaders of [Musicopia], and the intense socioeconomic challenges their participants face each day.”
Musicopia equips students with critical life skills and offers them a safe haven from gun violence. It focuses consistently on increasing the equitable access of its programs and deepening its long-lasting impact. This year, Musicopia and the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) teamed up to inspire students to attend college. To bring awareness to the scholarship opportunities available for percussionists, seventeen high schoolers went to Lincoln University to talk to and play with the university’s drumline. This trip was followed by an audition for high school seniors for Eastern University and Lincoln University’s drumlines on April 11th and 17th at Kensington Creative and Performing Arts High School.
Musicopia also started working with the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) this fiscal year to increase the accessibility for student participation in its drumline programs. Through funding from PYN's new year-round career connected learning initiative, WorkReady BOOST, students will earn up to $600 for rehearsals and performances, including for the Citywide Drumlines Expo on Friday, May 10th at 4:30 PM at Philadelphia High School for Girls.This concert, hosted by the School District of Philadelphia, with support from Musicopia, The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Mad Beatz Philly, and many other partners, is free and open to the public. The non-profit encourages everyone interested in witnessing the impact of its programs to attend.
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