Arts Access Miami
The arts and music have always been deeply woven within the cultural tapestry of Miami, establishing the city as a global hub for creativity. We believe that at the core of healthy communities and thriving young people lies access to consistent forms of creative self-expression, access to the arts, and access to arts education. The Miami Foundation wants every child in Greater Miami to have the benefits that arts education unlocks, including an increased sense of self, empathy, confidence, improved academic performance, and readiness to take risks, dare, hope, and dream.
Our journey towards strengthening access to arts education began in 2018 with the launch of the Music Access Fellowship, incubated with Radical Partners. The one-year fellowship was the catalyst for a shared commitment to make consistent, high-quality music education programs accessible to every child in the Miami-Dade community, launching Music Access Miami. Today, in partnership with leading local nonprofit organizations and the Miami-Dade County Public School system, this commitment continues with an increased focus and investment in all arts education. Our core initiatives include:
artlook® Miami
The artlook® Miami map is a county-wide, collective movement aimed at bringing the power of arts education to all youth in Miami.
Music Access network
The Music Access Network is strengthening Miami’s nonprofit arts community through annual investments and opportunities for collaboration and connection.
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Miami Gardens Music Alliance Phase II
The Miami Gardens Music Alliance is a shared vision of bringing music education to all youth in Miami Gardens and beyond
artlook® Miami
Every young person in Miami-Dade County deserves access to high-quality arts education. It was from this core value that the vision for artlook® Miami was born in 2019 .In coordination with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, more than 80 non-profit organizations, and a growing coalition of local and regional partners, our goal is to identify where students in Miami-Dade have access to arts education programming and where there are opportunities for coordinated investment. As Miami continues to grow into a hub for innovation and creativity, we want to see more resources that inspire and engage our young people. The artlook® Miami map will be an interactive, central tool that empowers schools, nonprofit organizations, parents, and community members to explore and discover new arts opportunities, cultivate cross-sector partnerships, and unlock the arts assets within our community.
What are the benefits of artlook® Miami?
Connects schools and programs, expanding arts education partnerships across the county, allowing communities to work collaboratively and strategically to deliver high-quality arts education experiences to every child in every grade in every school.
Unifies data and change-making power by bringing together data from district operations, community agencies, and individual schools into a single platform to track growth across schools and time
Informs decision-making by giving school and community leaders new data insights that help allocate human and capital resources in the arts with greater equity
If you are interested in joining the artlook® Miami map, please email artlook@miamifoundation.org for additional information.
Music Access Network
The Music Access Network champions collaboration and fosters increased trust across Miami’s arts access ecosystem to strengthen our network of leaders working toward the common goal of arts education for all children in Miami-Dade. We make investments in the people and organizations that are at the forefront of these issues through:
- Grant Programs: Mobilizing resources such as grants and other funding opportunities. Meet our 2023 Mini Grant Partners here.
- Mixers & Events: Organizing ecosystem gatherings, from observation opportunities to coffee meetups, for increased collaboration and connection.
- Professional Development: Offering professional development and capacity-building opportunities for organizations and leaders
Please reach out to cbagans@miamifoundation.org for more information about participating in network opportunities.
Momentum Grant Partners
Music Access Miami is funding three incredible organizations through Momentum Grants – multi-year investments in Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) led organizations to assist with scaling, expanding, and/or deepening their impact. Teeny Violini, The Children’s Chorus, and Evolutionary Arts Life Foundation will each receive $450,000 over three years to support their expansion into new target areas, the creation and strengthening of new and existing programs and teaching curriculums, and the professional development and growth of their teams. Learn more about their work below:
Evolutionary Arts Life Foundation operates a dual-track summer program that exposes underserved children to introductory, intermediate, and advanced level performing arts techniques in music and theatre. The program focuses on creating life lessons for children and youth regarding self-esteem, conflict resolution, global citizenship and stewardship, healthy nutritional habits, and critical insight into the performing arts industry.
Founded in 2011, the Children’s Voice Chorus (CVC) reaches over 250 students ages 5-18 across Miami through a year-round choral performance program, highly inclusive summer camp, and Kindermusik early childhood music classes. At CVC, students learn age-appropriate vocal technique, music theory, and ear-training, developing artistic skills and musicianship in ensemble settings while developing life skills.
Teeny Violini is a mobile music education program that provides access to high-quality music education services for early learners in underserved communities. Using colors and shapes to create an innovative and relatable approach to understanding rhythm and basic music theory, along with the violin as a teaching tool, Teeny Violini cultivates an immersive creative learning environment that builds social and emotional wellness in early learners.
To reach every child in our community, we will need to mobilize a diverse group of leaders, organizations, community members, funders, young people, thinkers, doers, and dreamers from across our community and across sectors. Together, we can make great strides towards this big, bold idea of investing in a common vision of thriving youth through arts education.
Thank you to the individuals, donors, and organizations who have given directly to Artlook® Miami, as well as those who have given to the larger effort towards arts education equity, including:
Alan Bernstein, Barbara Havenick, Brian Bilzin, Carole and Ira Hall, Concord Music, Dalia Mundayoor, Dan Lewis, David Lawrence, Ezra Katz, Feder Gordon Family Fund, Frank Bernstein, Isabel Santo Tomas, Jeffrey and Christina Miller, Jill Hertzberg, Joan Fleischman, JDL Foundation, Jono De Leon, Leslie Miller Saiontz, Maureen Redmond, Margarita Tonkinson, Pamela Weiss, Porter Anderson, Rachel Geary, Rose Ellen Greene, Sarah Arison, Seacoast Bank, Sheldon and Florence Anderson, The John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, Toni Randolph, Trish and Dan Bell, Valerie Dillon, Walker Moseley, and the Yulman Foundation.
Want to be a part of Miami’s arts access movement? Donate to the Music Access Miami Fund.