Guest article written by Dantes Rameau, the Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Atlanta Music Project.
For the Atlanta Music Project (AMP), October 26, 2018 is a day that our students, parents, staff and supporters won’t soon forget. Thanks to the support of Cricket Wireless and the AT&T Prepaid Wireless Portfolio, and their President John Dwyer, AMP was able to celebrate the launch of our new All Star Youth Orchestra and Choir program in style. It was a special moment honoring the core of who we are – an organization that is part of the fabric of some of Atlanta’s most historic neighborhoods and is helping make an impact on students through music.
In addition to providing a transformational gift of $125,000 to sponsor the Youth Orchestra and Choir, Cricket Wireless also invited R&B artist Monica, who was born and raised in College Park, Ga., to join our celebration at The Gathering Spot and perform her platinum hit “Angel of Mine” with our young musicians. I can’t begin to describe how powerful this moment was for our students, families and community.
When we started AMP eight years ago, we looked at the landscape of music education in the Atlanta metro area and realized that there was a concentration of great programs in the northern parts of the city and surrounding counties. Meanwhile, in the southern and western parts of the city – many of which are underserved – there were almost no programs offering quality music education. The cost of a quality musical education has long presented barriers in neighborhoods like the ones we serve. For many of these students, that barrier would be insurmountable without relationships like the one we have with Cricket Wireless.
We launched AMP in 2010 to empower underserved youth to realize their possibilities through music, and with Cricket’s support we are on our way. Today, AMP serves over 350 students year-round through after-school music classes, summer festivals and private lessons.
Many of our students have become fine young musicians. For that very reason, we decided to launch the All Star Youth Orchestra and Choir for our most advanced middle and high school students. Admitted by competitive audition, these talented children will receive tuition-free instruction, instruments, uniforms and the opportunity to perform at premier concerts in Atlanta and beyond.
I am certain the AMP Youth Orchestra and Choir will change lives. It already has. Some of our students may become professional musicians or use their musical skills to qualify for college scholarships. No matter what they choose, I know they will have the discipline, grit and problem-solving skills to chart a positive path in their lives because of music. No matter where their journeys take them, their experience with AMP is instilling a level of self-confidence and poise many people take a lifetime to find.
In the meantime, I look forward to seeing AMP’s All Star Youth Orchestra and Choir perform beautiful music for years to come. We will forever be grateful for Cricket’s support and for connecting us with Monica for such a great event with our students, parents and community. This is a brilliant example of how a corporation can leverage its influence to support communities right in its own backyard.
Thank you, Cricket Wireless and Monica. Here’s to changing the lives of Atlanta’s youth together!
Check out this video to see all the great stuff happening with AMP and Cricket!