Music-In-Schools is a multi-faceted mentorship plan designed to perpetuate the legacy of indigenous New Orleans music through education in the schools. Music In Schools is a collaborative effort between various non-profit education-based organizations and individuals dedicated to the preservation of the arts in New Orleans. Collaborative partners include The Musicians Performance Fund, AmeriCares Foundation, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, Communities In Schools, The Carrollton Rotary Club and other educational and musician advocacy organizations.

The program has several goals designed to assist New Orleans’ struggling musician population:

♫ Heal our musician population by employing them to serve as lifestyle mentors and thought leaders in the schools of their community. This will positively contribute to their mental well-being, which is the most significant health issue facing musicians in post-Katrina New Orleans.

♫ Create employment opportunities for NOMC clinic members. Musicians are the most vital contributors to our local culture. If musicians cannot make a living here, the roots of New Orleans’ culture will be lost.

♫ Ensure that the legacy of New Orleans music continues with future generations. As it has been for many generations before, children hold the key to New Orleans’ music future. From high school marching bands comes brass bands, from street corner bands to performing at Jazz Fest, the legacy must continue…and thrive.

Organizations that have participated in Music-In-Schools:

Alice Harte School

Backbeat Foundation

Communities in Schools

Crescent City Peace Alliance

Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle Orleans

Guardian Institute

Guardians of the Flame

High Voltage Youth Camp

Jefferson Parish Public School System/Special Programs

Lusher High School

McDonogh #42

Rabouin High School

Recovery School District

Roots of Music

Silence is Violence

Soccer Ninos

Start the Adventures in Reading

Treme Charter School

Uptown Music Theatre

Wicker School