$82,500 Supports After-School Music Instruction through its Tune Up Philly Programs

Louis Scaglione, President and Music Director of the PYO Music Institute (PYO), is pleased to announce that the PYO organization is the recipient of its first grant from the William Penn Foundation. The two-year grant of $82,500 will support expansion of Tune Up Philly (TUP), now in its seventh season. Tune Up Philly provides after-school music instruction to over 220 students in 10 teaching sites in under-resourced communities throughout Philadelphia.

The William Penn Foundation grant funding will allow TUP to expand its program to reach 30 additional students, with a total of 250, by 2018. It will provide for increased teaching artist training and professional development, more group performance opportunities including the continuation of the TUP Saturday Orchestra program and implementation of program evaluation. This grant support will better allow TUP to continue to build students’ musical talent, and expand their life skills and academic achievement, using music to open doors to new opportunities.

Scaglione is thrilled to have the support of the William Penn Foundation. He said, “This is the first grant that the PYO Music Institute organization has received from The William Penn Foundation. We are honored to join numerous arts organizations and enriching educational programs throughout Philadelphia in receiving such important and highly impactful support.”

Tune Up Philly 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. TUP students have opportunities to collaborate with peers outside of their community, learn from highly trained and passionate teaching artists, and play in world-class venues such as the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall. Each year, 100% of TUP graduates matriculate into Philadelphia’s top magnet and charter schools. Tune Up Philly, which operates as part of PYO Music Institute’s educational pathway of programs, is led by Director Paul Smith, who has been involved with TUP since 2011.

The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that increase educational opportunities for children from low-income families, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region. In partnership with others, the Foundation works to advance opportunity, ensure sustainability, and enable effective solutions. Since inception, the Foundation has made nearly 10,000 grant totaling over $1.6 billion.