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Philadelphia, PA (May 26, 2023) – Louis Scaglione, President and Music Director of PYO Music
Institute (PYOMI), is pleased to announce that the National Endowment for the Arts has
approved PYOMI for a grant in the amount of $30,000 to support Tune Up Philly—Orchestral
Pathways Program (TUP). This is the PYO Music Institute’s after-school music program, directed
by Paul Smith. TUP focuses on creating student pathways and empowering communities by
bringing intensive arts access to under-resourced areas of Philadelphia.
TUP focuses on creating and inspiring true community by providing children in under-resourced
communities with opportunities to learn and perform a differentiated orchestral music
curriculum. PYOMI will receive general programmatic support for TUP, which is one among
1,130 projects across the country, totaling more than $31 million, that were selected during this
second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2023 funding.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, including
PYO Music Institute’s Tune Up Philly-Orchestral Pathways Program demonstrating the many
ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA
Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the
creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts,
culture, and design.”
Scaglione shared his appreciation and said, “To be recognized again by the NEA is a great honor
especially to be included with so many other worthwhile programs in the United States.
Providing music instruction to students in Tune Up Philly is a very important aspect of PYOMI as
we have the ability to serve under-resourced areas of Philadelphia and make a positive
difference in hundreds of students’ and families’ lives.”
TUP Director, composer/guitarist and D’Addario recording artist (Centaur Records) Paul Smith
added his appreciation. He said, “This acknowledgement from the NEA is a testament that
programs like Tune Up Philly are becoming a fabric of 21st century artistry. The more these
education opportunities are recognized, the more success we will all have in reaching many
more students.”
