Photo: Getty Images
With musical greats like QuestLove, The Roots, Patti LaBelle, and Jill Scott all claiming Philly as their hometown, it's hard not consider connecting young people through music. And that's just what the Philadelphia School District is doing.
The district's MIC'd Up (Music Industry Classrooms) initiative was launched over the summer as a way to connect local DJ's, producers, and musicians, with the budding talent attending Philly's schools. Students in the program gain access to top-tier equipment while gaining access to local artists and legends as mentors.
The program not only promotes a musical mentorship opportunity for student musicians, it's also putting increased investment in music education within schools. Kids can also hear from alumni who are working in the industry to get their questions asked about career pathways and more.
Matthew Law is one of the DJs working with the MIC'd Up program and says it's also a chance to introduce young people to new music.
"The goal of the mentorship program is to build better DJs," Law told Philly photojournalist Derrick Cheston. "To build better DJs you have to build better music appreciation, so not only do give them direction with the music they're already bringing to the table, I also introduce them to new music that will help them expand," Law added.
Click here to learn more about MIC'd Up and where you can find student musicians playing around the city.
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