Miami Music Project Gets Big Boost For Tuition-Free, Year-Round Program
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Mini Mozarts in Miami are using music as an instrument to transform and empower themselves into achieving their potential.
The Miami Music Project is ensuring that every child has access to music.
"When you play a musical instrument, there's no app to download to know how to play the violin," Miami Music Project Executive Director Anna Pietraszko. "You have to put the commitment you have to be patient and all of those skills you can use in your life for no matter what you are going to be in the future."
The program runs year-round and carries on into the summer where staff mold and shape young musicians, all for free, serving the kids most in need.
"When I'm at home, it's not much fun stuff," said Kevin Saintus. "But playing music, it's really fun and interesting!"
And with a new $25,000 grant, the passion to teach is more alive than ever.
"This program started with 15 students in 2010 and now serves almost 500 on a daily basis," said Pietraszko. "We basically come in and say 'yes' to them. Here's an instrument, here's the best teachers. We give them everything free of charge. We say 'yes, you can do this, you just have to want to do this.'"
Because sometimes all you need is a yes and an instrument to learn the universal language called "music."
"We really do communicate with each other through music," said Kevin.
The Miami Music Project provides 500 Miami-Dade County Public School students with over 170,000 of instructional hours of programming annually, provided by over 45 teaching artists. Chapters are located in the neighborhoods of Little Haiti, Liberty City, Little Havana and Doral/West Dade.
