The Atlanta Music Project is pleased to announce open auditions for the 2019-2020 AMP Youth Orchestras & Choirs. Auditions will be held on the following days at the AMP Center for Performance and Education:

Sunday, January 5, 2020 3:00pm to 6:00pm 
Monday, January 6, 2020  6:00pm – 8:30pm

 

AMP Center for Performance and Education 
 883 Dill Avenue, SW  Atlanta, GA  30310  

 DETAILED INFORMATION & ONLINE APPLICATION TO AUDITION

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“It’s important that we provide ways for the next generation to continue to build, shape and cultivate their dreams so they can do it for the next generation,” T.I. said in support of the Atlanta Music Project as it works to fill a void in the underserved communities he grew up in and has worked hard to give back to since becoming famous.

Atlanta Music Project’s young musicians performing alongside T.I. are: 14-year-old Lailah Carter, violinist, and Brent Cameron, cellist; 16-year-old violinists Landon Isaiah Wilkins and Nehemiah Wiggins, violinist Nyasjah Breshay Brooks, and trombonist Corey Lewis Jones Jr.; and 17-year-old violinist Ashley Sierra Gibson.

Photo courtesy of Emilia Brock/WABE.

For the musicians of the Atlanta Music Project, their all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. was sponsored by Cricket Wireless. After Cricket began to explore working with the Atlanta Music Project in early July 2018, they made the connection with T.I., who had the idea to invite the AMP musicians to perform with him in his upcoming Tiny Desk concert.

“Cricket Wireless is proud to support the Atlanta Music Project and their mission, and to help create opportunities to shine a spotlight on these very talented young musicians,” said Erica Crosling, Cricket Wireless spokesperson.

“When our young musicians found out they were going to perform with T.I. they were ecstatic. They’ve worked hard at their craft for many years and this is a moment that makes it all worth it,” said Dantes Rameau, co-founder and executive director of the Atlanta Music Project. He continued, “thank you to T.I. for giving our students and program this platform, and thank you to Cricket Wireless for their support, which made this all possible.” Founded in 2010 and now in its ninth year of programming, the Atlanta Music Project provides more than 5,000 hours annually, of intensive, tuition-free music education to 500 underserved youth right in their neighborhood.

Tiny Desk is the popular series of concerts recorded live at the desk of NPR’s “All Songs Considered” host Bob Boilen. Artists ranging from Adele to Chance the Rapper and Chris Stapleton have recorded episodes for the series. For more information on NPR’s Tiny Desk https://www.npr.org/series/tiny-desk-concerts/

About T.I. Harris

Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., known professionally as T.I., is a Grammy Award winnng Atlanta rapper and actor. Harris signed his first record deal in 1999, with Arista, a subsidiary of LaFace. Upon being released from Arista, Harris signed to Atlantic and subsequently became the CEO of his own label imprint, Grand Hustle Records, which he launched in 2003. Harris is also perhaps best known as one of the artists who popularized the hip hop subgenre Trap Music, along with Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane.

Harris has released nine albums, with seven of them reaching the top five of the US Billboard 200 chart. Throughout his career, Harris has also released several highly successful singles, including “Live Your Life (featuring Rihanna), “Dead and Gone” (featuring Justin Timberlake), “Ball” (featuring Lil Wayne) and “No Mediocre” (featuring Iggy Azalea). Harris began to gain major recognition in 2003, following his first high-profile feature, on fellow Atlanta-based rapper Bone Crusher’s hit single, “Never Scared”. Harris earned more prominence with the release of Trap Muzic (2003), which includes the hits, “Rubber Band Man” and “Let’s Get Away.”

Harris’ sixth album, Paper Trail (2008), became his most successful project, with the album being certified gold for first-week sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States, additionally making it his third consecutive number one album. In 2013, Harris was featured on Robin Thicke’s hit single “Blurred Lines” alongside Pharell Williams which peaked at number one on several major music charts. In November 2013, Harris announced that he had signed with Columbia Records after his 10-year contract with Atlantic came to an end. He released his Columbia Records debut, Paperwork, in October 2014. In February 2016, Harris announced he signed a distribution deal with Roc Nation to release his tenth album. Harris has won three Grammy Awards: Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Rap Sung/Collaboration

Harris has also had a successful acting career, starring in the films ATL, Takers, Get Hard, Identity Theft, and Ant-Man. He is also a published author, having written two novels Power & Beauty (2011) and Trouble & Triumph (2012). In 2009, Billboard ranked him as the 27th Artist of the 2000s decade.

Community Work

In addition to helping with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, T.I. worked with troubled youths at Paulding Detention Center in Atlanta, and provided scholarships for single parent families at the Boys and Girls Club. T.I. has also visited a number of middle schools and high schools in Georgia, where he speaks with the students in assembly holding a positive message, while maintaining a philanthropic view about morals and growing up in the same areas as himself. In June 2005, The Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes Foundation, and Atlanta’s V-103 honored T.I. with the 2005 Lisa Lopes Award for groundbreaking achievements in music and community service. Through his music career, T.I. has remained active in community charity efforts. In January he was appointed to Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ transition team, which advised her primarily during the first 100 days in office.

About the Atlanta Music Project

Founded in 2010, the Atlanta Music Project provides more than 5,000 hours annually, of intensive, tuition-free music education for underserved youth right in their neighborhood. AMP’s mission is to empower underserved youth to realize their possibilities through music.

Now serving 350 students through eight programs, AMP provides all its students with an instrument, a teaching artist, classes in Symphony Orchestra; AMPlify, the choral program of the Atlanta Music Project; the AMP Academy, providing advanced musical training to AMP’s most talented and dedicated students; and the AMP Summer Series, a music festival and school.

AMP music ensembles perform 40 concerts per year. Its members have participated in Georgia All-State ensembles and have performed in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Aspen and Mexico. In 2015 Clayton State University established the Atlanta Music Project Endowed Scholarships, providing college scholarship funds for AMP students. AMP’s program partners include the City of Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation, and The Kindezi Schools.

AMP is the recipient of the prestigious 2016 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders award. In 2016 and 2017 the White House named AMP one of the top 50 after-school arts programs in the nation. For more information: www.atlantamusicproject.org

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L to R: Dantes Rameau AMP executive director, Nicole Neely arranger, My Guy Mars music director.

In a matter of days after receiving a call from Cricket Wireless about collaborating with some of their celebrities partners, seven Atlanta Music Project students were in Washington D.C. performing with Atlanta-born hip-hop legend, T.I., at his NPR Tiny Desk concert.

The whole experience was quick and surreal. As soon as AMP was made aware of the itinerary for production we knew we had to get to work, and fast!

Three of T.I.’s most famous records were selected by his music director My Guy Mars, to be played for the concert. Each song had to be arranged for AMP’s instrumentation, and so well-known hip-hop orchestra arranger Nicole “Strings Chick” Neely was brought in for this purpose.

Several of our most advanced young musicians were already “On Tour” in Los Angeles having won national auditions to participate in the National Take-A-Stand festival with the LA Philharmonic. It created the perfect opportunity for the next group of rising AMP stars to put the results of their commitment and dedication on display.

Rehearsal at Crossover Studios. Photo courtesy of Bob Andres/AJC.

Rehearsals for the performance were held at Crossover Entertainment Group rehearsal studios. When you walk in the building there are autographed pictures of all the major label recording artists who’d been there before.

Stars like Whitney Houston, Usher, TLC, Justin Bieber. It was quite intimidating but obviously the right place for the occasion. Rehearsals started right away, learning the parts for four straight hours. Tuesday, same thing, only this time let’s make it five hours with no break. On the van ride home violist Nyasjah Brooks said “this is brutal!” So we stopped for Gatorade and decided to work some more. Later that same Tuesday, the students rehearsed for three more hours at the historic Gilbert House until 11:30 at night. #heartrequired

T.I. greets the AMP musicians. Photo courtesy of Bob Andres/AJC.

Wednesday was the media rehearsal day where T.I. was invited to speak to the media and listen in on the rehearsals with AMP and My Guy Mars.

T.I. arrived relaxed, his daughter Heiress, clinging to his neck and shoulder. The Cricket Wireless team was also in attendance, led by Dawn Benton. The media frenzy was electric. The flashing cameras and assertiveness of reporters was quite an experience. Our young musicians had seen it before on television but now they were the subject.

T.I. finally cleared the room of reporters and was able to talk with us personally. He assured us that everything would be smooth and easy, and that we should be confident.

T.I., accompanied by AMP musicians, performing his Tiny Desk session at NPR headquarters in Washington D.C.

Thursday was showtime! After another morning rehearsal at and a quick soundcheck the performance took place with T.I. at the famous Tiny Desk of NPR radio host Bob Boilen. AMP cellist Brent Cameron said “This is the first time I’ve been able to do something this big. It’s a great opportunity. I was just thinking about all the notes Mr. Dantes taught me and I knew I couldn’t mess this up.”

NPR will release the recording of this session in the next few weeks and you’ll be able to find at npr.org/music.

The media covered this story extensively. Here are just some of the major articles that came out this week about this AMP – T.I. – Cricket Wireless collaboration:

AMP musicians posing in the lobby of NPR Headquarters in Washington D.C.

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The Atlanta Music Project is committed to transparency and sound fiscal management. We are grateful for the support of our partners and donors, and we have strong admiration for the dedication of our young musicians and families. Therefore it is with pleasure that we release to the public our latest annual report, audited financial statement and 990 tax return. Click the link to see the full report on our website.

2018-2021 Strategic Plan

In January 2018 the Atlanta Music Project board of directors approved our 2018-2021 Strategic Plan. Led by consultant Ken Bernhardt, the five-month strategic planning process was developed with input from AMP staff, partners, funders, young musicians, families and board members.

AMP’s strategic plan ensures the organization is moving forward in a focused manner allowing ample enhanced alignment and creativity in order to advance the mission of the Atlanta Music Project: To empower underserved youth to realize their possibilities through music.  

Click link for the Strategic Plan

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Greetings! I am Nyasjah Brooks from the Atlanta Music Project. I have been participating in the music program for 8 years. I am currently 15 years-old. I attend Carver Early College and am in the sophomore class of 2020. In March, I was selected to travel to Mexico City, Mexico with the Atlanta Music Project and take part in a workshop hosted by Maestro Gustavo Dudamel and the Vienna Philharmonic. I am going to tell you about my trip.

When I first started playing at 8 years-old, I didn’t think about travelling internationally or playing in an international orchestra. So I was excited to go on this trip with my friends because it gave me an opportunity to travel outside the country and play my instrument with musicians other than the people I play with regularly.

I was expecting a small group of musicians but in reality it was huge orchestra full of kids from Mexico, Venezuela, California, New York, Georgia, and Canada. There was a large group of viola players, which made me happy because AMP only has a few.

My favorite part was the concert. We performed Conga del Fuego Nuevo, Adagio for Strings, Malala (from Alas), and New World Symphony (IV movement). At first I didn’t feel confident about how I would do on concert day. During rehearsal breaks, I would practice difficult sections and soon I gained my confidence. In the end, I enjoyed playing all of the pieces and feel I did a marvelous job at the performance.

I was sad after the concert because everybody was starting to leave. Many of us hugged our stand partners goodbye because we may never see each other again.

It meant a lot to me to attend this trip to Mexico. Playing in Mexico changed my musicianship in a positive way because it showed me what I am capable of doing with my instrument and music. Playing with the orchestra in Mexico me realize that I can do anything I put my mind to. I enjoyed myself, learned new things, met new people, and played my instrument. If we were asked to come back and attend another concert, I would quickly say yes. This was an opportunity I will never forget.

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Keeyen Martin, Conductor

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AMPlify, the choral program of the Atlanta Music Project, is performing the 6th Annual AMPlify Black History Month Concert this Saturday, February 10, 2018. Experience struggles and victories of the African Diaspora through voice, including South African protest songs, anthems of the Caribbean, and gospel favorites from the Southern United States. Be a part of the celebration! Be a part of FREEDOM!

Sat, February 10, 2018 | 12:00 PM

St Paul’s Episcopal Church

294 Peyton Road Southwest

Atlanta, GA 30311

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