Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute Receives NEA Grant

Louis Scaglione, President and Music Director of PYO Music Institute (PYOMI), has announced that the National Endowment for the Arts has approved PYOMI for a grant in the amount of $30,000 to support Tune Up Philly—Orchestral Pathways Program (TUP). This is the PYO Music Institute’s after-school music program, directed by Paul Smith. TUP focuses on creating student pathways and empowering communities by bringing intensive arts access to under-resourced areas of Philadelphia.

TUP focuses on creating and inspiring true community by providing children in under-resourced communities with opportunities to learn and perform a differentiated orchestral music curriculum. PYOMI will receive general programmatic support for TUP, which is one among 1,130 projects across the country, totaling more than $31 million, that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2023 funding.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, including

PYO Music Institute’s Tune Up Philly-Orchestral Pathways Program demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design.”

Scaglione shared his appreciation and said, “To be recognized again by the NEA is a great honor especially to be included with so many other worthwhile programs in the United States. Providing music instruction to students in Tune Up Philly is a very important aspect of PYOMI as we have the ability to serve under-resourced areas of Philadelphia and make a positive difference in hundreds of students’ and families’ lives.”

TUP Director, composer/guitarist and D’Addario recording artist (Centaur Records) Paul Smith added his appreciation. He said, “This acknowledgement from the NEA is a testament that programs like Tune Up Philly are becoming a fabric of 21st century artistry. The more these education opportunities are recognized, the more success we will all have in reaching many more students.”