Levine School of Music
2801 Upton Street, NWWashingtonDC20008202-686-9772202-686-5733

Program: Public Housing Orchestra Year Started: 1994 Focus: Music Youth Served: 64 Ages: 5-21 Budget: $100,000 A cello is a rare site in most public housing communities, but at two sites in Washington, DC, it's not the only instrument residents see in the hands of youth. Once a week during the school year and twice a week in the summer, young musicians attend small group lessons at the housing communities' nearby community centers. They study violin, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, piano, percussion, viola or cello. "We teach the instruments that the children can continue studying in their school bands or orchestras," explains JoAnn Williams, director of outreach programs at Levine School of Music. The children learn about teamwork and cooperation through public performances held three times a year in the community. "Our instructors provide so much more than music lessons," continues Williams. "As members of our Artistic Role Model Program, they also act as mentors and role models for the children." The Youth Orchestra is one component of a larger program funded by a drug elimination grant to the Washington, DC, Housing Authority from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Other Levine School community outreach programs include Project DAISY, which uses music to improve the attention spans and learning capabilities of preschool children who were prenatally exposed to drugs; Summer Music Theater Ensemble, an intensive music and movement training program for teenagers; and Hope and a Home, an early childhood music program for formerly homeless children now living in transitional housing.