Musical Pathways for Youth

​The Musical Pathways for Youth (MPY) is a Delta Omicron Foundation project to promote musical education opportunities for children and youth. The project focuses on assisting national musical instrumental and vocal organizations that provide music instruction and ensemble performance opportunities for young people.  Emphasis is given to those organizations that offer such opportunities to disadvantaged populations. 

​MPY fosters such efforts through donations to help increase enrollments in such programs.  MPY is built on gifts and bequests from Foundation donors.

In the last year, this project has designated gifts as follows:

• Tune Up Philly, a program of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute, offers a differentiated musical curriculum that was created to meet the specific needs of students living in challenging social and economic conditions, with a focus on effecting meaningful community change. The program offers children in underserved communities an opportunity to learn and perform orchestral music and make a true difference within their communities, both through the use of music and through a purposeful connection with others. Learn more at www.pyomusic.org.
• The Opus Project  of the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory has refocused energy and impact into developing new programs, advocating for quality music education, sharing knowledge, and releasing ownership of programs to district-hired music teachers and school sites. By starting student-centered and folding in supporting stakeholders—including teachers, schools, parents, and the broader community—SDYS uses a systemic approach that takes the entire school ecosystem into account and engages it through wrap-around activities. This helps to ensure student success — artistically, academically and socio-emotionally. Learn more at www.keynote-music.org/opus/ .​
    
  Click to listen to "Ilimitados" by Andres Martin on YouTube, played by the San Diego Youth Orchestra.

Beginning in 2017, MPY has recognized the following other organizations that offer musical pathways for youth:

• Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles
• Denver Children's Choir
• Progressions Program of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
• Colorado Youth Symphony’s “Mile High Strings Program”
• The Denver Young Artists Orchestra (DYAO) Group String Program​

Photos: (Top left) Courtesy of the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory; (Top right) Courtesy of the Tune Up Philly program of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute; (Immediately above,  from left) Courtesy of the Colorado Youth Symphony, the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, and the Denver Children's Choir.