2021 MusicReach Summer Institute is back in-person!

Frost School of Music students and alumni develop their teaching and community outreach skills in a summer scholarship program serving 7th through 12th graders of Miami-Dade County.
2021 MusicReach Summer Institute is back in-person!
Following a year of mostly virtual learning, 80 underserved youth from the Miami-Dade community are experiencing the joy of in-person activity at the 2021 edition of the full scholarship Music Reach Summer Institute, currently in its third year.

"Funded by The Children’s Trust, the Summer Institute aims to serve middle and high school students who participate in school music programs but may not have the opportunity to receive the supplemental instruction needed in order to successfully audition for and succeed in college music programs,” states Dr. Melissa Lesniak, Director of Outreach for Frost School of Music. “Classes are offered that will give them a stronger foundation for success while giving them the opportunity to work with Frost students and faculty."

The program not only provides an extraordinary experience for the young participants, but it also provides a rewarding professional development experience for Frost graduate and undergraduate students who teach alongside Frost faculty.

"From being a student of Joe Abbati here at Frost, I've learned how to take the necessary concepts on music production and relay them in a way that is best effective for our students to grasp. With the collaboration of my co-instructor, Daniel Rodriguez, we've done a great job in making sure our students understand and apply the essential skills to see profound progress in their art," stated Zoe Prescod, B.M. ’21.

Ricki Worth, a graduate teaching assistant stated: "This summer, I am teaching middle school and high school students social and emotional skills. My education as a Master's in Music Therapy student at the Frost School of Music has prepared me to navigate discussing and teaching social and emotional skills like positive self-talk, empathy, and conflict resolution. I learned effective methods to facilitate group discussions and creative ways to use music as a device to discuss emotions and teach social skills from different music therapy classes."

“My education at Frost and participation with Shalala MusicReach during my time as a student allowed me to gain the breadth of musical knowledge and experience necessary to work at exceptional programs such as the Shalala MusicReach Summer Institute. The Frost School of Music offered me a world-class education and also afforded me the chance to come back to work at the Shalala MusicReach Summer Institute. Thomas Bowden, DMA (’16), Band Director, Arthur and Polly Mays Conservatory for the Arts.

The program began June 14th and runs through August 7th. Classes are offered twice weekly in-person and include Chamber Ensembles, Digital Media Positive Action Through Music (Social Emotional Learning), College Prep, Songwriting Music Theory, Piano Skills, and Musicology. In addition to the Frost School of Music Campus, classes take place at the Arthur and Polly Mays Conservatory for the Arts and the Miami Arts Studio @ Zelda Glazer.

"This year’s Summer Institute is special," states MusicReach Program Coordinator Carissa Sweet. "The 2020 program was 100% virtual and now that the kids are back learning in-person for many of them, it is their first in-personal activity in over a year. It is great to see them interacting with their peers and having fun learning about music."

In addition to the Summer Institute, MusicReach offers programs throughout the year. You can register and access information for the upcoming fall program here.