An Old Town School Arts & Community Wellness Initiative
Our Mission: Placing artistic practice firmly at the center of community wellness
Vision & Structure
Music Moves Chicago (MMC) is a youth-focused, intergenerational initiative that aims to provide individuals and organizations with creative resources necessary to build healthy, intentional communities and liberatory futures; placing artistic practice firmly at the center of community wellness.
MMC creates a network of exceptional local teaching artists that provide trauma-informed multidisciplinary arts programming, which prioritizes healing justice, youth leadership and economic freedom and identifies strategic partners to help generate a polyvalent, transformative impact.
Goals & Objectives
- To provide arts-based classes, workshops, learning experiences and performances in Chicago communities with the greatest need.
- Build the capacity of teaching artists to teach in the framework of trauma and community action.
- Mentor and train the next generation of arts and wellness leaders, Arts Activators, in artistic practice with trauma-informed pedagogical framework.
- Apply best arts and healing practices, including developing new curricular frameworks with specific intention of healing individuals and communities.
- Mentor organizations that desire arts and healing practice in their programs, thereby building capacity to sustainably provide for their constituents.
- Develop a research framework that continually investigates practice and leads the arts and wellness field.
- Produce an annual Institute that provides training, networking and visibility opportunities.
Sample Programming:
Afro-Diasporic Dance & Movement
AfroSoul Yoga™
Art + Afrofuturism
Beat The Odds®
Emcee Skool
Freedom Songbook
Ground Up: Bomba Drum Making Program
LYRIC Hip Hop Program
MANifest
Storytelling + Poetry
DJing and Electronic Music Studio
Partners
Last Updated May 2019:
Arts + Public Life (University of Chicago)
Breathing Room
BUILD (Phillips Academy)
Bronzeville Incubator + Boxville
Catholic Charities
Chicago Torture Justice Center
Cook County Juvenile Probation
Emcee Skool
I-Grow Chicago
Imagine Englewood If
Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN)
Juvenile Temporary Detention Center
KLEO Community Family Life Center
