The People's Music School

⏳ Before we say goodbye to 2024, support access to high-quality music education by making a donation to The People’s Music School. https://lnkd.in/evmy3WZm All donations will be doubled up to $25,000 thanks to the generous support of The Athena Fund! #SupportOurStudents #MusicEducationMatters #DoubleYourImpact

💡Did you know the Internal Revenue Service has enabled IRA owners age 70½ or over to transfer up to $105,000 to charity tax-free each year? 🎁 These transfers, known as qualified charitable distributions or QCDs, offer eligible older Americans a great way to easily give to charity before the end of the year. And, for those who are at least 73 years old, QCDs count toward the IRA owner's required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year. An IRA distribution made directly to a qualified charity is tax-exempt for the donor. Please consider this when making your year-end giving plans! 🌐 The People’s Music School also now accepts donations from Donor Advised Funds (DAF) directly from our website. Check out the DAF tool on our donate page. https://lnkd.in/evmy3WZm #SupportOurStudents #CharitableGiving #MusicEducation

#BoardSpotlight 🌟 This month, we are proud to spotlight The People's Music School Board Member Emerald-Jane Hunter. Emerald-Jane "EJ" has served on our Board of Directors since 2023. As Chair of the Marketing & PR Committee, EJ has helped steward multiple PR & media opportunities for the organization, boosting our brand and mission locally and nationally. Founder and ringleader of myWHY Agency, Inc., EJ is a master of all things media, storytelling, and integrated marketing. A four-time Emmy Award-winning former TV producer, EJ brings more than 25 years of experience—15 of those in the TV industry, and now to the world of integrated marketing, where she is committed to championing passionate and meaningful communications efforts for mission-led entrepreneurs and corporations. Inspired by Simon Sinek’s book Start with WHY, EJ birthed myWHY in 2016. Here, she works with purpose-driven brands, businesses, and game-changing leaders to tell strategic, impactful stories with a specialized focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). myWHY’s integrated marketing campaigns are aimed at further elevating and amplifying brand voices in a way that’s aware, authentic, and accountable to generate long-term value that makes a difference. Born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, EJ emigrated to the US in 1999. After developing a fearless business mentality, she now lives out her passions every day through her vision at myWHY Agency, including brand strategy, PR/Media relations, influencer marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Named the 2022 PRNEWS Top Women in PR (Innovator Category), she is also a graduate and cohort ambassador of the Goldman Sachs 1,000 Small Businesses program and was named by Ariel Investments’ as a 40 Under 40 Game Changer in 2016. A pianist herself, EJ is committed to accessible, intensive music-education. We thank EJ for her dedication and support of The People's Music School! #Marketing #PR #MusicEducation

Many thanks to The Citizen for their recent article about student and family impact at The People's Music School! #StudentImpact #MusicEducationMatters  https://lnkd.in/gFws9CsC

✨ 📣 We are thrilled to announce our emcee for Big Night: Crescendo - Audrina Sinclair!✨ 📣 Audrina Sinclair is an Emmy-winning journalist and seasoned storyteller with nearly 15 years of experience in broadcast and digital media. Audrina is an anchor on the WBBM | CBS Chicago morning news and the station's streaming service, CBS News Chicago. Beyond broadcasting, Audrina is a board member of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, which works to eliminate racism and empower women. She is also a board member of Salt & Light Coalition, a non-profit organization offering a trauma-informed workforce development program for survivors of human trafficking. We thank Audrina Sinclair for her dedication to serving the community, and we are thrilled to welcome her to Big Night: Crescendo! #BigNight #CommunitySupport #GivingBack https://lnkd.in/gBGhG6Y6

Join us at the iconic Riviera Theatre on Sunday, December 15 for our Winter Spectacular! ❄️ 🎶 You're invited to this heartwarming day of music as we present our Uptown Academy and SLAM winter concerts, featuring nearly 300 student musicians. Showtimes at 10am and 2pm. Don't miss this chance to see our students perform this holiday season! Many thanks to our Winter Spectacular official media partner 97.1 The Drive!

Music education is transformational. Research shows that students from underserved communities who are able to access music lessons see a 73% increase in their math scores compared to their peers. Their reading, history, geography, and social skills also improve by 40%. Donate to The People's Music School this holiday season and ensure that every child has the chance to discover their potential through 100% tuition-free intensive music education. Give the gift of music at https://lnkd.in/gT75GRkX. #PeoplesMusicSchool #GivingTuesday #GiftofMusic #SupportMusicEd #MusicEducationMatters #MusicTransformsLives

Thanks to the support of John W. Rogers, Jr., music students like Freya have enjoyed opportunities to "step into new, unfamiliar musical experiences." Last week, our 2024 Rogers Music Scholars had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Rogers at Ariel Investments about their transformational summer music experiences. Thanks to his generous support, our advanced music students participated in prestigious summer music programs across the country - and the world. SLAM Cello student Freya, who traveled to Europe through Blue Lake International, says her experience made her a more confident person. "I found myself feeling more comfortable with my cello section and my ensemble which in turn, made me feel confident to take on challenging things," she says. Many, many thanks to John W. Rogers Jr. for his generous support and to the #ArielInvestments team for welcoming us to their offices. #RogersMusicScholars #MusicEducation #StudentImpact

Music education is transformational. Research shows that students from underserved communities who are able to access music lessons see a 73% increase in their math scores compared to their peers. Their reading, history, geography, and social skills also improve by 40%. Donate to The People's Music School this holiday season and ensure that every child has the chance to discover their potential through 100% tuition-free intensive music education. Give the gift of music at https://lnkd.in/gey-KB-U

🎉 Thanks to supporters like YOU, we raised $20,465.52 this #GivingTuesday! 🎉 Still want to make an impact? It's not too late! Your donation can still be matched dollar-for-dollar through the end of the holiday season, thanks to the generous support of the Quest Foundation and The Athena Fund! https://lnkd.in/evmy3WZm