METER Planning Process

Musicopia brings a vibrant combination of music performance and education to students throughout the Delaware Valley, who either attend schools that lack adequate music programs or are geographically distant from the region's arts and culture resources. The organization hired a technology consultant and a curriculum development consultant to restructure Rhythm & Rhymes, a residency program that annually reaches 300 students. The residency, which covers the poetry and music of Shakespearean England, the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, the 1950s and '60s Black Arts Movements, and today's hip-hop era, was reformatted to incorporate new online education tools, along with teaching artist instruction and student performances. These Web-based components went far in engaging students, and allowed for more robust interaction between students, teaching artists, and in-school instructors. Musicopia's prototype development led to a 2012 Project Grant that supported its implementation. [fn]Management grants, through the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative, were awarded from 2009 through 2013.[/fn]