About the Campaign
The Joy of Music School was founded in 1998 on the belief that all young people should have the opportunity to experience and create music. The mission of the school is to provide a quality music education program to financially disadvantaged youth. Instruction and instruments are provided at no charge to students, many of which no longer have such an option within their school system. Ninety percent of our current students receive this benefit, a full scholarship.
The importance of music education is clear:
- Piano boosts student math achievement. (Neurlogical Research, March, 1999)
- Music students score higher on SATs. (Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, compiled by Music Educators National Conference, 1998, 1996)
- Music students enjoy greater college success. (“The Case for Music in the Schools,” Phi Delta Kappan, February, 1994)
- Rhythm students learn fractions easier. (Neurological Research, March 15, 1999)
- Substance abuse is lowest in music students. (Houston Chronicle, January 11, 1998)
- Ten-year study shows music improves test scores. (Dr. James Catterall, UCLA, 1997)
- Music training helps underachievers. (Nature May 23, 1996)
The School also encourages student participation in the cultural life of the community through concert attendance and performances. Over 400 students, ages 16 months to 18 years, representing academic schools from across the greater Knoxville area, participate in private and group classes each week. Students must qualify for the reduced or free lunch program within the public school system to take lessons. Within our primary target communities of Mechanicsville, Lonsdale, and Beaumont, approximately 57.2% of youth live in poverty. (1990 census data)
Instruction is provided by 20 volunteer faculty members, including musicians from all across the Tennessee music scene: studio musicians, symphony players, college professors, public school teachers, church musicians, private teachers, and university students. These individuals each donate one to three hours per week to teach our youth.
The Need
The School is supported through gifts and grants from foundations, arts councils, individuals and corporations. Our annual budget is approximately $435,000.
In 2003 The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Knoxville was forced to disallow our use of office and rehearsal space in their building. We had been utilizing these facilities since our inception in 1998. Subsequently, we acquired a new space in June of 2003 and completed renovations in November of 2005. This required a substantial expense.
With the acquisition of this permanent facility, at 1209 Euclid Avenue, hundreds more Knox County youth will be able to participate in our programs. However the new home for our school comes with increased expenses including significant building purchase, renovation and maintenance costs.
In order to guarantee our future, $1,300,000, in addition to our normal budget, is being raised to cover these costs.
A capital campaign is underway, receiving generous support from across the community. We are well along the way to our goal, but the $1.3 million has not yet been reached.
The Solution
To continue meeting community needs, the School's needs must be met. Our dedicated board of directors and numerous individual and institutional donors have responded to this capital campaign. If you are interested in helping us meet this challenge, please contact me directly. Or, if you simply have questions or require additional information, let me know.
If you'd like to get started right away, simply click on "Donate Now" below to help us keep music in the lives of young people who need us. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Francis Graffeo
Executive Director
865-525-6806 / graffeo@JoyofMusicSchool.org
Make your online donation now by clicking on this link...Donate Now
"I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music."
