Music Works
Mission, History of Organization:
Founded by the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras in July 2013, North Limestone MusicWorks fosters positive youth development by providing equitable access to intense, high-quality music education for Lexington’s Northside district. All MusicWorks students attend Arlington Elementary School, a Title 1 school where 95% of students participate in the free or reduced lunch program. MusicWorks is an El Sistema – inspired initiative operating daily after school for 35 second, third and fourth graders who receive free instrument use and instruction from conservatory-trained active musicians.
Problem being addressed:
Two significant challenges facing the NoLi neighborhood are student retention and academic development. Arlington Elementary has named student retention as the chief obstacle for MusicWorks to overcome. The faculty seek to cultivate lasting relationships with students and their families, thus making the program and anchor of the community and ultimately creating an incentive to remain in the neighborhood.
The NoLi MusicWorks’ primary goal is to use music education as a tool to teach positive social values and to make each child feel that they are an asset within their community. By nurturing interpersonal development skills in an orchestral setting, MusicWorks seeks to inspire its students to achieve more in their personal and academic pursuits, alongside their musical endeavors. The goal of MusicWorks is not to produce professional musicians but rather to use the skills cultivated in an immersion-style orchestral setting to develop healthy, contributing citizens.
For more information, please visit their website at: www.musicworksckyo.org
Featured Sponsors for Music Works:
The Lorch Family