MusicianCorps Seattle

Thank you to Seattle's musicians who helped us launch MusicianCorps Seattle at our incredible 'Why Music' celebration.

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Arts Corps helps launch national musician-in-service program

During his campaign, President Obama called for the creation of a national "Artist Corps" to bring artists as public servants into low-income and underserved communities to engage youth in arts and arts learning. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act signed in March 2009 includes a bi-partisan amendment calling for the creation of an ‘Artist and Musician Corps'. In August 2009, Music National Service launched MusicianCorps as a prototype for the full Musician and Artist Corps. Arts Corps was called upon as an advisor to this effort and is leading the MusicianCorps Seattle pilot.

Four cities (Seattle, New Orleans, Chicago, and San Francisco) have launched pilot MusicianCorps programs in September 2009 with the goals of:

• expanding access to music education for youth
• developing musical skills and creative habits in participants
• fostering civic engagement

Arts Corps will lead the MusicianCorps Seattle program, drawing upon the strengths of our existing program and partnerships and the vibrant arts and cultural legacy of the city.

Four MusicianCorps Seattle placement sites were selected based on diversity of settings (city, school district, neighborhood and community-based organization), a definable need, and the opportunity for a full time fellow placement to do transformative work with youth and communities through music instruction and civic engagement. Our fellows were recruited and selected for both their talent as professional musicians and for their demonstrated experience and success teaching and engaging young people through music. They are among the top teaching musicians in the region and their commitment to youth and to this national initiative is driving their commitment to a year of service.

MusicianCorps Seattle Sites

For the 2009/2010 school year, the four MusicianCorps Seattle sites and fellows are:

• Service Site 1: Seattle Center, Seattle Parks and Recreation

  Service Mission: A music ambassador of sorts, this fellow will teach classes to youth at park sites, train parks staff in ways to bring more music into their programs, and facilitate field trips to community festivals and performances, fostering city-wide civic engagement through music.

  Fellow: Eduardo Mendonça - a multi-talented musician, producer and composer, is a native of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil who holds a masters in arts education from the Music Institute of the Catholic University of Salvador.

• Service Site 2: Youngstown Cultural Arts Center

  Service Mission: To support an initiative to create a youth run record label and radio program. Teaching audio classes afterschool, and helping to coordinate the after school providers in the building (Youth Media Institute, Rock School and Arts Corps) to work together to support this project through video production, graphic art and songwriting.

  Fellow: Amos Miller - musician and producer who has produced tracks for nearly all of Seattle's hip-hop and R&B talent, including Piece Kelley, Choklate, Silent Lamb Project, Vitamin D and Damien Black.

• Service Site 3: Low Income Housing Institute, Meadowbrook View Apartments

  Service Mission: Create vibrant communities in housing projects with immigrant families, through music rich afterschool programs, intergenerational and cross-cultural music exchanges and performances that celebrate the diversity and cultures of all resident families.

  Fellow: Carla Moreno - a pianist, vocalist and certified music teacher, as well as a world music explorer, writer, and DJ.

• Service Site 4: Seattle Public Schools Central District Cluster: Washington Middle and Leschi and Bailey Gatzert Elementary Schools; Seattle Music Partners

  Service Mission: Engage more low income youth and youth of color in district music programs, through a supportive pipeline of drumline classes after school, and in the school day workshops and ensembles at Washington Middle school and feeder Elementary schools; Train and support high school students as they engage in music public service through Seattle Music Partners programs at these same schools. Strengthen the collaboration among music specialists, musicians and service programs in Seattle's Central District school cluster.

  Fellow: Aaron Walker-Loud - an educator, composer, producer, drummer and director of many music collaborations and services, including The Flood, Big World Breaks, and One Family, Inc.