Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) has announced the 2019–2020 grant recipients for PlayUSA, a program that supports a wide range of instrumental music education projects across the United States, all specifically designed to reach low-income and underserved students on a local level.
For its fifth anniversary year, Carnegie Hall has selected 17 organizations, including 5 new partners—Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Empire State Youth Orchestra, Hawaii Youth Symphony, Juneau Alaska Music Matters, and Trenton Music Makers—for a total of $500,000 in grants. In addition to financial support, the grantees join a nationwide network of innovative organizations committed to providing transformative music education opportunities for youth across the country.
New partners will receive one year of funding, and returning partners will receive two-year grants, both of which include consultation with Carnegie Hall staff, professional development for teachers, access to online resources and monthly webinars. PlayUSA grants may be used to underwrite teaching fees for music instruction; purchase or rental of musical instruments as well as instrumental repair; and other programmatic costs.
“We are excited to welcome five fantastic and inspiring music education organizations to the PlayUSA community and continue to support educators around the country that are bringing high-quality, thoughtful instruction to the next generation of talented young musicians,” said Sarah Johnson, Carnegie Hall’s chief education officer and director of the Hall’s Weill Music Institute. “PlayUSA has built a robust and diverse national network of leaders in the music education field, and we look forward to collaborating and learning from one another in our fifth anniversary season, reaching more young people than ever before.”
