PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An organization aimed at finding and developing musical talent in kids across Philadelphia is turning up the volume.
Play On Philly provides intensive instrumental musical training and choir to students in areas of the city with little or no access to that type of instruction.
"Through music education, specifically through playing an instrument, you cultivate all sorts of skills like persistence [and] goal setting," said Jessica Zweig, director of educational programming.
"When you have to practice hitting that same note every single time, those skills of hitting the same note every single time, they transfer into other areas of your life."
Related Jawncast: More on the Play on Philly and Rock to the Future programs in this episode of The Jawncast
The program has just over 300 students enrolled, according to Zweig, and they take group lessons five days a week and two hours per day after school.
"Our model is that students play in groups, they learn in groups, and the ensemble is a little metaphor for what life is like," she said.
"In an ensemble, you have to share. You have to follow a leader. You have to compromise, and so playing an instrument is a vehicle for promoting life skills and executive functioning skills in students.
Zweig said the organization is looking to take that training to the next level. That's why they're launching a new initiative, named for a Philadelphia music icon.
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"The Marian Anderson Young Artist Program is focused on supporting those young students so that they too can hone their musical skills and pursue opportunities in performance-based music," she explained.
"The program is going to provide students with direct access to really high-quality music instruction, one-on-one private lesson instruction, mentorship, networking with professional musicians, opportunities to sharpen your skills, both for music and for life."
The tuition-free program is for rising fourth through 11th grade students and is currently accepting applications through April 20.
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