On November 18th Make Music NOLA (MMN) will host its 10th Anniversary Celebration with a reimagined virtual event featuring headliner Regina Carter. We will be celebrating a decade of fostering academic achievement, cultivating artistic expression and promoting the healthy growth and development of children in New Orleans through culturally relevant music instruction and performance. Our 10th Anniversary Celebration will look back at the accomplishments of the last decade, honor those who have made Make Music NOLA so special and raise valuable funds to ensure we are able to continue serving the students of New Orleans for the next decade and beyond.
The event will be a virtual celebration hosted by WWOZ’s DJ Brice Nice, daughter Zora an MMN violinist also known as DJ Butterscotch and Garrett McQueen host of Trilloquy. In addition to a performance by Regina Carter, the hour long program will feature special small group performances by MMN students, teachers and former teachers including Givonna Joseph of Opera Creole and T-Ray the Violinist, as well as a retrospective presentation of stories told by MMN Changemakers consisting of students and their families, teachers and the community members who have contributed to the success of Make Music NOLA over the last ten years. Keeping one of the highlights of our annual event, the evening will also have a raffle. Event participants are invited to join the fun at 6:30pm on Wednesday, November 18th and the program will run from 7pm – 8pm.
The organizations states: “The event is all ages, and this year being virtual can reach audiences well beyond the greater New Orleans area, so invite your family and friends to join us for this very special event! There are different levels of sponsorship available and attendees are encouraged to sign up to make a small monthly donation to Make Music NOLA. People can also join in the fun and help us raise much needed funds by purchasing raffle tickets via the organization’s website. Sponsors include Coughlin-Saunders Foundation, Fidelity Bank, Levy & Associates, Martin Insurance, OffBeat Magazine and Williams Architects.”
“In its tenth year, Make Music NOLA provides full scholarship music instruction to local students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch. We are very proud of the continuity we have been able to provide for our students and families over the last seven months, ensuring that the passions they have developed are fostered and the needed instruction provided. Over the summer we hosted 30 students a week who participated in three week-long workshops, albeit in a different format from years past, providing valuable instruction and engagement at a particularly tough time. We are currently reaching over 100 students in string classes and another 100 in general music, providing them with their own instruments so they are able to strengthen their musical skills and stay connected to the teachers, classmates and music they love.”
Each year, MMN provides over 1,000 hours of general music classes and group string instruction to over four hundred students at eight different locations around the city. Additionally, students enrolled in MMN perform up to twenty concerts a year, participate in guest artist visits and masterclasses, and have the opportunity to attend summer music camps on scholarship. Before COVID-19, MMN students performed at the Saint Louis Cathedral with Opera Creole, the Louisiana Children’s Museum’s Grand Opening, however our French Quarter Fest and Tulane Book Festival Family Day performances are postponed for now. Students enrolled in MMN’s programs have demonstrated a significant increase in confidence, reading comprehension, focus, motivation, creativity, and the ability to relax in stressful situations.
For more information or sponsorship opportunities contact [email protected] or 504.606.4261. To make a donation visit www.makemusicnola.org/donate and www.makemusicnola.org/events for event details.
