Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts’ Paterson Music Project (PMP) is an out-of-school program that uses music and the communal experience of ensemble learning and performance to empower children. Impact100 Garden State grant funding of $44,000 in 2016 enabled Wharton to launch the program, which brings students from different schools together and provides free weekly Saturday programming that includes a citywide orchestra of advanced students from all PMP schools. Wharton also formed an intergenerational choir for students, their families, teachers, and other members of the community so they can learn, perform and enjoy music together.
Key program goals included:
- Cultivating musical abilities and appreciation for all kinds of music.
- Creating responsible citizens who give back to the Paterson community.
- Strengthening young people’s support systems of families, artists, and other community members.
- Encouraging intergenerational engagement and exchange.
Follow-up research found that:
- PMP students missed class less than non-PMP students in Paterson public schools and performed almost a point higher on test scores.
- More than 75% of PMP students improved their homework completion rate.
- 94% of parents surveyed said PMP improved their child’s self-confidence.