Play On Philly
| Formation | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Type | Music Education |
| Purpose | Development of young Philadelphia-area musicians |
| Location | |
Region served | Philadelphia |
Executive Director | Jessica Zweig |
| Website | playonphilly.org |
Play on Philly, commonly known as POP, is a music education organization dedicated to the development of young musicians. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it was co-founded by Stanford Thompson and Carole Haas Gravagno. Using the El Sistema method to provide comprehensive musical education, Play On Philly offers free music instruction to students who are often from low-income communities and have had little to no exposure to formal musical training. The program acquired the Marian Anderson Award in 2022.[1][2]
History
At age 28, then Curtis Institute of Music student Stanford Thompson first learned of Abreu and El Sistema. After graduating, Thompson became one of the pioneering Abreu Fellows studying the El Sistema method. After completing his postgraduate studies at the New England Conservatory, he then returned to Philadelphia and joined up with Carole Haas Gravagno to become the co-founders of Play On, Philly! in 2011. After being unable to partner with School District officials or charter schools, POP started its first after-school program with 110 students in grades 1-8. Taking place at a Catholic school in West Philadelphia, St. Francis de Sales, the program began to take off, inducing a lottery for admission. A year later it expanded to Freir Charter Middle School in Center City.
During the following academic year in 2012, POP students received three hours of music instruction daily in small group music theory and chamber rehearsals. Students performed in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, to a full orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, and played Brahms in Marian Anderson Hall (formerly Verizon Hall) as an opener for the Philadelphia Orchestra.[3][4]
Music ensembles
The Play on Philly organization has a total of 5 programs:[5]
- An after-school music education program known as POP Music Centers. "Music Center students engage in intensive music instruction both before and after school for a total of 8 hours a week throughout the school year and six weeks of full-day instruction during the summer, totaling up to 400 hours of musical training. Students are loaned one of fourteen standard orchestral instruments at no cost and, collectively, participate in over 25 performances a year."
- An orchestra known as the POP Children's Orchestra. "All enrolled instrumental students from all Music Center sites participate in a multi-level ensemble called the Play On Philly Children’s Orchestra. While all students will rehearse the same musical pieces, every part will be leveled to provide meaningful challenges to students at different stages of their musical and technical development. The Children’s Orchestra is also an opportunity for seasoned POP musicians to serve as section leaders and for younger students to push their musical limits in a supportive, communal environment."
- A chamber music program known as the POP Chamber Program. "The POP Chamber program is designed to provide intermediate through advanced middle school and high school musicians in the Philadelphia area with intensive musical training in the form of chamber ensembles. Chamber students’ experiences are enriched through masterclasses, coaching sessions, and collaborative performances with local arts non-profits and world-renowned guest artists."
- A summer music program known as the POP Summer Program. "POP’s 6-week summer program is open to all young musicians from across Philadelphia. This full day, immersive experience provides students with consistent music instruction during the summer months. Students also participate in sports, classes in other art forms such as dance and fine-arts and, as always, have lots of opportunities to perform! College-aged students join the team as summer interns."
- A premier musical training program known as the Marian Anderson Young Artist Program. "In memory of world-renowned contralto and Philadelphia-daughter, Marian Anderson, the Marian Anderson Young Artist Program which supports students, also known as Anderson Artists, in their musical studies through private lessons, individual advisement, instrument loans, and college and career counseling."
Student scholarships are available to cover the annual registration fee.[6]
The Marian Anderson Young Artist Program
In 2022, POP acquired the Marian Anderson Award originally established in 1943 by African-American contralto Marian Anderson. The independent organization running the award program dissolved and Play On Philly became the administrators of the award. Using the obtained funds, Play On Philly created the Marian Anderson Young Artists Program, which supports students and offers private lessons free of charge at the levels of student apprentice and scholar.[5][7]
Leadership team:
- Anna Meyer, program manager
- Andrés González, music director[8]
Notable alumni
- Rhyuhn Green, composer and multi-instrumentalist [7]
- Sophia Radford, flute
References
- ↑ "About Us". Play On Philly. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ↑ "Play On Philly acquires the Marian Anderson Award". WHYY. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ↑ Marchese, John (2015-04-23). "Play On, Philly!". The Philadelphia Citizen. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ↑ Dobrin, Peter (2022-10-13). "Play On Philly founder Stanford Thompson is stepping down". https://www.inquirer.com. Retrieved 2024-06-15. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Our Programs". Play On Philly. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ↑ Andersen, Eva (2024-04-24). "Philadelphia youth orchestra strikes a chord of opportunity through "Play on Philly" - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Andersen, Eva (2024-04-25). "Musical prodigy from Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts to study at Juilliard this fall - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ↑ "Andrés González, Conductor, musician and music education advocate". PBS NewsHour. 2023-12-28. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
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