Aspiring Young Artists Project 2018
“What does music mean to you?”
At Aspiring Young Artists, we are empowering youth voices to build a louder future.
Through original songwriting, 1-on-1 mentoring, and positive peer connection, we seek to build confidence, creativity and community with artists in High Schools throughout Philadelphia.
Aspiring Young Artists Project is a youth and community-focused program that brings local artist mentors into schools on a weekly basis to write and record an original song with young aspiring artists.
In a city where 25% of schools have no music programs, and those that do are frequently under-resourced. We employ and engage the local music community filled with talented artists to help meet this major need in our schools.
To make this possible, we call on the power and enthusiasm of our whole community (artists and otherwise) to create a space for much needed artistic expression of our youth voices.
Pictures and Highlights
1-on-1 Mentor Connection
Research shows that connection to a caring adult mentor can support young people in developing healthy mindsets, habits, and lifestyles. In our program, students are paired with an expert mentor based on each student’s style in songwriting and each mentor’s songwriting expertise.
Studio time & Album Creation
After completing their song, students visit a local recording studio to record and produce their song with a professional sound engineer. As one student put it “I didn’t expect this…I didn’t expect us to be in a professional recording studio, recording our own song, you know? I never thought that I would be doing an album, and that’s so awesome!”
Performances
After completing their song, students are encouraged to perform at various events to share their music and voice with the community. In doing so, young people tap into a form of healthy self-expression that serves to relieve stress, process emotion, and truly create a vision for their career of choice.
Benefits
New and Improved This Year
We are adding a 3rd School (Welcome Olney students)!! This means we will be recording up to 20 students’ original songs. In addition we are also working towards:
-Bringing more students' talents directly to you through live performance
-Installing a new artist development curriculum for all students
-Becoming an official 501c3 (in the works!)
Why This Matters
At Aspiring Young Artists, we base our work on 2 very simple principles that apply to youth and adults alike:
-People of all ages deserve to have their voices heard and their dreams validated
-Safe spaces to create and share are an essential part of a healthy and joyful lifestyle
Why We Need Your Support?
-1-on-1 support is essential but costly
-Professional studio time costs $$$$
Schools and students have expressed tremendous interest and are working hard to raise funds, and together we have the opportunity to make this possible.
