Extending Music Education to All Children
Purpose:
To ensure all young children have access to foundational music education regardless of background.
Through Tapestry Music Project, the Conservatory provides free music instruction and listening and learning opportunities to more than 500 children of economically disadvantaged immigrant families and living in Montgomery Housing Partnership communities in Silver Spring, Wheaton, and Takoma Park, Maryland, and children attending Title I Montgomery County and D.C. Public Schools. Tapestry families we serve come from diverse backgrounds, including Ethiopia, Eritrea, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, and other families in need.
The Washington Conservatory established Tapestry Music Project in May 2017 through a gift from the estate of Gertrude Delfino. Born to immigrant Italian parents, Ms. Delfino envisioned a program that provided disadvantaged children from immigrant families with opportunities to study music. The program began with a week-long summer violin camp for children ages 7-11 at CASA de Maryland Langley Park in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Through a unique partnership with the non-profit Montgomery Housing Partnership, a low-income housing project, the program quickly expanded to serve a larger population of underserved children through early childhood music and musical instrument classes. Through engaging partnerships, Tapestry students have enjoyed life-changing performances by world-renowned performers such as Spanish Brass, National Philharmonic Chamber Players, and the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA). Tapestry Music Project has positively impacted over 2,000 children since 2017.
Key Features:
- Weekly classes focused on rhythm, singing, and instrument play.
- Family workshops to increase parent involvement.
- Free community concerts introducing diverse musical traditions.
Why it’s needed:
- Students in music programs score 22% higher in literacy skills. (National Literacy Foundation, 2023)
- Only 42% of early childhood programs in the U.S. incorporate music education. (ArtsEdNow, 2023)
