Play On Philly

PLAY ON PHILLY FOCUSES ON PROVIDING AN ENVIRONMENT OF OPPORTUNITY THROUGH THE COLLECTIVE PRACTICE OF MUSIC IN ORCHESTRAL PLAYING AND CHORAL SINGING AS MODELS OF ACADEMIC AND LIFE SKILL-DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, AND COMMUNITY BUILDING.

POP PRIDES ITSELF ON ITS COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATION. THE ORGANIZATION FOCUSES ON STRENGTHENING CURRENT PARTNERSHIPS AND CULTIVATING NEW ONES TO ENRICH OUR PROGRAM OFFERINGS AND REFINE OPERATIONS. DURING FY23, POP WORKED WITH A VARIETY OF ARTISTIC PARTNERS, INCLUDING ASTRAL ARTISTS, BALLETX, IMANI WINDS, PHILADELPHIA CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY, GABRIELA LENA FRANK CREATIVE ACADEMY, READ2SUCCEED, AND PHILADELPHIA YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS.

THIS YEAR, THE MARIAN ANDERSON YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM (MAYAP) SERVED 12 YOUNG ARTISTS, AND THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN PROMISING. ANDERSON ARTISTS HAVE PERFORMED ALONGSIDE MEMBERS OF THE RENOWNED IMANI WINDS, SUCCESSFULLY AUDITIONED FOR DISTRICT AND REGION HONORS ENSEMBLES, BEEN ACCEPTED INTO PERFORMING ARTS HIGH SCHOOLS AND PRESTIGIOUS SUMMER PROGRAMS LIKE THE BREVARD MUSIC CENTER SUMMER INSTITUTE, YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF LA, AND BERKLEE SUMMER JAZZ, AND WON HIGH MARKS IN COMPETITIONS. AS THE PROGRAM CONTINUES, POP TAS AND MAYAP INSTRUCTORS ARE LOOKING AHEAD TO PREPARING STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE AUDITIONS, PROVIDING THE MENTORSHIP, MUSICAL INSTRUCTION, AND FAMILY COUNSELING NECESSARY FOR THEIR SUCCESS. THIS PROGRAM ALSO ADDRESSES THE NEEDS OF PARENTS WHO WANT THEIR STUDENTS TO ACCESS MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN ABOUT AND PREPARE FOR CAREERS IN MUSIC AND ADJACENT FIELDS. BY PREPARING THESE PROMISING YOUNG ARTISTS, PRIMARILY ARTISTS OF COLOR, TO CONTINUE THEIR MUSICAL STUDIES AT THE POST-SECONDARY LEVEL, POP IS ADDRESSING A LONGSTANDING DISPARITY. CURRENTLY, ONLY 6% OF UNDERGRADUATE MUSIC DEGREES ARE AWARDED TO BLACK STUDENTS EACH YEAR.

COMMITMENT TO POPS COMMUNITY EXTENDS WELL BEYOND A STUDENTS FINAL YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL. TO IMPROVE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT BEYOND THE HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITION, POP IS DEVELOPING A ROBUST PIPELINE CALLED THE JTA ALUMNI PATHWAY. THE JUNIOR TEACHING ARTIST PROGRAM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO SHADOW POP TEACHING ARTISTS, LEARN THE PRINCIPLES OF MUSIC EDUCATION, AND DEVELOP THEIR OWN PHILOSOPHIES OF TEACHING. JTAS RECEIVE MENTORSHIP WHILE ALSO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES SUCH AS LEADING WARM UP ROUTINES. FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN PURSUING MUSIC EDUCATION AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, THE POP ALUMNI PROGRAM CREATES A PEER NETWORK AND PROVIDES ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS THAT WILL HELP THEM PERSIST THROUGHOUT THEIR COLLEGE YEARS. DURING THE SUMMER, PAID SUMMER PROGRAM INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES ALLOW STUDENTS TO OBTAIN IN-DEPTH TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE. TOWARD THE END OF THEIR COLLEGE CAREER, INDIVIDUALS ARE ELIGIBLE TO BECOME APPRENTICES, TAKING ON SOME TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES WHILE CONTINUING TO BENEFIT FROM THE MENTORSHIP OF SEASONED POP TAS. THIS PREPARATION WORK LEADS COLLEGE GRADUATES TO BECOME EARLY CAREER TAS, RECEIVING FOUNDATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS FULL MEMBERS OF POPS TEAM OF TEACHING ARTISTS. THIS PATHWAY IS A KEY PART OF POPS LONG-TERM GOAL OF DRIVING SYSTEMIC CHANGE IN POST-SECONDARY MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS. CURRENTLY, ONE POP ALUMNUS IS EMPLOYED AS A TA AND THREE SERVED AS SUMMER INTERNS IN 2023.

POP CONTINUES TO BUILD ON ITS STRONG RECORD OF PROGRAM EVALUATION. RESULTS OF PRIOR RESEARCH STUDIES AND INTERNAL EVALUATIONS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT POP STUDENTS SCORE 10 POINTS HIGHER THAN THEIR PEERS ON STANDARDIZED MEASURES OF MATH, READING, ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING. THESE RESULTS PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION OF POPS CLAIM THAT CONSISTENT PARTICIPATION IN OUR MUSIC CENTERS PROGRAM LEADS TO IMPROVED EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM OUR CURRENT STUDY, WHICH GATHERS DATA ON CHANGES TO STUDENTS PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AS A SIGNIFIER OF IMPROVED PERSISTENCE, ARE PROMISING AS WELL.