Description
SMP provides an innovative combination of weekly group music instruction and one-on-one mentoring, working with elementary students who attend low-income schools in Seattle's Central District. We offer individual music lessons and ensemble experience to over 100 students, twice weekly.
At SMP, we pride ourselves in building a program with a keen focus on quality music instruction, youth development and social justice.
Our mission is to help children in low-income schools learn to play instruments and read music. To attain this goal, we recruit, train and support skilled musicians as volunteer music tutors who lead one-on-one music lessons each week, or assist teaching artists in our group lessons. We also provide instruments to participants and transportation where needed.
Our program directly and deliberately serves students who identify as low income. The majority of our students are students of color from a wide variety of racial and ethnic groups. Our students also have a variety of family structures and circumstances, ranging from single parent homes, guardianships, and/or homelessness.
We believe that providing a child with the opportunity to build a foundation of musical skills, coupled with the strength of a mentoring relationship, helps foster confidence and an overall engagement in learning.
We also provide a unique opportunity for skilled musicians to give back and experience tremendous personal growth as volunteers.
