About Musicopia
Mission
Musicopia’s mission is to provide equitable access to music education and enrichment, encouraging self-confidence, global awareness, dedication and joy in Pre-K to 12th grade students and their communities.
Vision and Values
Musicopia and Dancing Classrooms Philly’s shared vision is to use the power of the Arts to transform the lives of ALL children and youth. This will be guided and informed by our belief in and commitment to our values, which are to:
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Provide pathways to the arts for the students we serve
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Inspire learning through the arts
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Champion cultural and human diversity
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Promote the development of self-efficacy
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Create environments of mutual respect, well-being, and belonging
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Support students in finding safe spaces for self-expression
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Enrich the communities in which our students live and thrive
Commitment to DEI
As part of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the Board of Directors of Musicopia and Dancing Classrooms Philly adopted a DEI Charter, establishing a framework for supporting DEI in its composition, governance structure, and strategic planning. Read more.
Dancing Classrooms Philly
To learn more about our partnership , please enjoy this film.
Founded by a string quartet in 1974, Musicopia is a leader in revitalizing school music programs in the Greater Philadelphia area, providing equitable access to music programming.
Through a teaching roster of professional ensembles and solo musicians of the highest caliber, Musicopia helps Pre-K-12th grade students explore and develop their musical interests, learn to play an instrument, and perform alongside enthusiastic peers through in-school assemblies, workshops, and residencies, and long-term ensembles including the after-school Musicopia String Orchestra and Musicopia Drumlines. Fostering Artistry and Musical Excellence (FAME) instruction provides year-round musical instrument and ensemble coaching. With a goal to inspire a love of music within children that will last a lifetime, Musicopia’s programs represent musical styles and traditions from around the world including classical, jazz, Latin, African, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, opera, hip hop, rock/pop and others.
Musicopia’s Gift of Music instrument donation program also collects, repairs and places donated musical instruments with those students who need them the most.
Read more about our reach last school year. ​
In 2012, Musicopia formed a dynamic partnership with Dancing Classrooms Philly to provide both organizations with a more efficient infrastructure while advancing their missions and community impact. Both are committed to working with children and schools that lack adequate arts education programs and are cut off from the region’s rich cultural life.
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Musicopia is a proud PMAY partner.
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“I can put an equation on the board and I can ask you how does that make you feel? And they’ll tell me right away. But when you ask students to…listen to this music or perform a piece, what emotions are tied to that? And when students begin to wrestle with that they begin to develop that Emotional IQ that some people feel our students are lacking. So when you take the arts out, it definitely negatively impacts their learning… When I worked with Musicopia, when they would come into South Philadelphia High School, I would have to call and say, ‘I don’t have enough money, but please can you come?’ And Musicopia was…like ‘We’ll work with you on the price.’” -- Otis Hackney, Chief Education Officer of the City of Philadelphia - Mayor’s Office
Musicopia Founders
Barbara Murray, Welthie Fitzgerald, Gael Abbasi with Former Executive Director Denise Kinney. Not pictured: Founder Hazel Mickley