Washington, DC, like many big cities, offers far too few after-school activities in safe, supervised places to students from lower-income neighborhoods who need them the most. TMTP was created to make music lessons more widely available to our city’s underserved youth while offering them something engaging and constructive to do during after- school hours.

Research (and teacher experience) shows that students who learn how to play instruments tend to do better academically and to get into less trouble – both in and out of school. Students who prepare for public performance in ensemble, as our students will do, are also learning life skills, such as cooperation and valuing the contributions of others.

While it’s true that after-school music lessons are offered at several locations around DC, simply getting to them -- and their cost -- can be an issue for lower-income families.  And, although several organizations do provide free music lessons, their reach doesn’t begin to accommodate all of the kids who would like to learn to play an instrument.