The Presser Foundation Awards $160,000 to 16 Exceptional Graduate Music StudentsThe Presser Foundation is pleased to announce the approval of 16 exceptional music awards of $10,000 each, totaling $160,000. These awards are given to outstanding students at prestigious music higher education institutions across the country. The Graduate Music Award is intended to encourage and support…
The Presser Foundation grantee Artistas y Músicos Latino Americanos (AMLA), a music education organization It’s Not Music Education’s Fault. By Daniel Jackson, Graduate Music Fellow While public school music education is important for exposing young children to and fostering an understanding of classical music, it cannot reverse the genre’s significant decline in cultural relevance. Historically,…
Photos feature Mamadêlê Foundation’s educational and performance programming at Lincoln High School, Carnell Elementary School, and the performance group Recycled Sounds. Pulled from reports written by Leslie Macêdo, organized by Abby Rolland* As part of The Presser Foundation’s efforts to be more transparent and to amplify the work of its partners, it uses information from…
By Daniel Jackson, Graduate Music Fellow On Saturday, December 14th, I treated myself to a scenic drive through the picturesque Swarthmore suburbs to attend one of the two Winter Concerts presented by the Chester Children’s Chorus (CCC). Upon arriving at the beautiful Swarthmore College campus, I followed a winding walking path adorned with stunning architecture…
The Presser Foundation Will Give Nearly $1.5 Million in General Operating Support Grants to Music OrganizationsThe Presser Foundation will award $1,445,500 in Advancement of Music grants to 148 music organizations throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area. This year, the number of applications and organizational diversity significantly increased. The Foundation received 142 proposals, a notable increase from…
Image: Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey educational programming (top) and community concert (bottom) By Jill Aguayo, Executive Director, Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey For the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey (CPNJ), classical music is more than a performance—it’s a mission to revitalize and uplift the Trenton community, our home. As one of the few orchestras…
Isla Coronado received the 2023-24 Undergraduate Scholar Award from Texas A&M University, Kingsville. Here, we share why she was selected to be a Presser Scholar. Isla was named the first Presser Scholar at Texas A&M University, Kingsville, a Hispanic-Serving Institution where she studied Music with a double concentration in Performance and Education. Dr. Elizabeth Janzen, Associate Chair…
By Daniel Jackson, Graduate Music Fellow Encouraging. Inspiring. Liberating. Thought-provoking. My heart is full…You had to be there. If The Presser Foundation allowed it, this review of the Elevate Vocal Arts’ (EVA) Bent, But Not Broken (BBNB) Conference would be as short as the preceding statement. Alas, this transformative conference deserves a more robust description.…
Image: Music for Everyone after school participants creating music and community together. By Dr. John R. Gerdy, Founder and Executive Director, Music For Everyone An ongoing debate within the educational community relates to how to classify music programs within the academic curriculum. Specifically, whether music and the arts should be considered an extracurricular or core…
By Sepehr Pirasteh Philadelphia is home to a vibrant music scene, enriched by organizations such as Wildflower Composers, Play On Philly, as well as collaborations like All-City Orchestra’s partnership with Network for New Music. These programs have made significant strides in nurturing young composers by offering them platforms to explore and express their creativity. As…