Who we are: YMEF is a student-led foundation dedicated to supporting musical
education and training for youth in need.
What need we are addressing: The ever-diminishing funds for public music education are
not sufficient to provide music education to students.
How are we achieving this: YMEF is actively pursuing partners in our quest to provide
music education and training. These partnerships will provide the financial
means, both private and public, to achieve our organizational goals.
Organization
Mission: YMEF stands for the Youth Music Education Foundation,
and our mission is to help youth in need attain a music education.
Motto: “Helping youth in need attain a music education”
Organizational Status: 501(c)3
Nonprofit Organization
Students Covered Through Our Programs
2011-2012: 470+
Grades / Ages : K-12 / 5 years old
to 18 years old
Student Demographics:
Hiawatha Leadership Academy: 95% of students are on the Free and Reduced
Lunch Program, and 99% are children of
color.
School of Rock: Our scholarships student’s families have a total
household income of $13,000 to $22,000.
Organizational
Information
Founded
by five University of Minnesota students in 2010, YMEF is a 501c3-nonprofit
organization created with the vision of funding music students, programs, and
institutions on a financial need basis.
Despite the proven value of music education, students are increasingly
losing the opportunity to study music due to massive budget and program cuts in
our schools. The Youth Music Education
Foundation seeks to provide scholarships to youth with a desire to learn music
and little or no means of doing so. With a team of twelve and a Board of
Directors that has members of the professional community, YMEF has partnered
with the all of the School of Rock schools in Minnesota and the Hiawatha
Leadership Academy to provide music program funding and scholarships for youth
in need.
Our Partner Schools:
Within a month of its founding, YMEF partnered with all of the School of Rock
schools in Minnesota. School of Rock
students are encouraged to reach a high level of achievement, grow as artists,
and become leaders in their community.
Each student is provided individual private music instruction on guitar,
bass, vocals, keyboards and/or drums ensuring that s/he will continue to
advance on his/her own personal musical journey. Their unique casting
process ensures the integration of various skill levels and promotes mentorship
and leadership in their more advanced players. They play real rock concerts at professional
venues with lights, smoke, and more.
YMEF’s Impact on SoR: YMEF provides full and partial scholarship for students in need of
financial assistance to attend all of the School of Rock schools in Minnesota.
*For more info about our partner, please visit www.SchoolofRock.com.
Hiawatha
Leadership Academy is an open- enrollment public charter school in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. HLA is a well-respected
institution in Minneapolis with a student body of 99% students of color and 95%
free/reduced lunch. HLA is achieving
significant outcomes in closing the achievement gap. Early 2010-11 results indicate that 86% of
HLA scholars scored proficient or advanced on the 2011 Minnesota Comprehensive
Assessment. In an environment where only
30% of students in neighborhood community schools are scoring proficient or
advanced on the MCA, these are extremely impressive results . Additionally, NWEA MAP assessment results
indicate that every grade level at HLA achieved or surpassed a mean of 1.5
years of academic growth in the 2010-2011 school year. This rate of growth is critical to ensure
that Hiawatha Academy scholars are on track for college by 6th
grade.
YMEF’s Impact on HLA:YMEF provides funding for a wide array of educational materials
(textbooks, instruments, iPods, etc.) to support Hiawatha Leadership Academy’s
music program which serves their entire student body of 452 students.
*For more info about our partner, please visit www.hiawathaacademies.org.
YMEF’s Future
YMEF intends to spread its operations to
multiple college campuses in order to establish student-led, volunteer branches
of YMEF. By joining YMEF college students, nationwide, will have the same
opportunity to learn, hands-on, how to run and grow a non-profit business that
students are gaining in Minnesota now via YMEF. By doing this YMEF, will continue
to generate funds and identify music programs across the country to
support. Our long term vision is to
build YMEF sponsored music schools, around the nation, to provide even greater
opportunity for youth to attain an education in music.
