DETROIT, Mich. – The Detroit Pistons and Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) announced today a multi-year partnership aimed to enhance music and education programming for Detroit youth.
“Music is a powerful way to reach kids and inspire their creativity,” said Pistons owner Tom Gores. “We also know exposure to the arts helps improve classroom performance. We want to make music education more accessible to children in Detroit so they can pursue more opportunities to learn and achieve their dreams.”
Financial commitments from Gores, Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem and the Detroit Pistons Foundation will expand the DSO’s Civic Youth Ensemble offerings through the creation of a new percussion ensemble and bucket band, a music training group for Detroit students. Funding will also allow all Detroit Public School Community District (DPSCD) fourth graders to attend DSO educational performances for free through subsidized tickets. Resources will also be directed to the Sphinx Organization to support its annual Sphinx Honors Competition for young African-American and Latino musicians who compete at the DSO’s Orchestra Hall each year.
Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem views this newest partnership as a unique way to impact Detroit youth through the arts and enhance the organization’s yearly programming targeted around its February Black History Month festivities and beyond.
“I’m a huge supporter of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and realize the fact that music education also positively impacts success in the classroom. During our annual Black History Month Scholarship competition, we see young Detroit students express themselves in a variety of ways – through spoken word, dance and song,” said Tellem. “This partnership with the DSO and the Sphinx Honors Competition will further engage Detroit youth year-round and will provide inspiration and a love for music.”
The DSO believes that every child deserves the opportunity to explore their artistic and creative potential through rewarding musical experiences and seeks to build programs that provide music education for all Detroit students. The DSO’s Civic Youth Ensembles have provided high quality music instruction to young people across Southeast Michigan for over 45 years. The new percussion ensemble and bucket band, supported by the Pistons organization, will take place in a Detroit school and be an important part of a continuum of programs that provide access and pathways to participation for young people. Further participation in intermediate and advanced Civic Youth Ensembles will be offered to those interested in continuing their learning, and these students will receive full scholarships throughout their time in these groups.
This season, the DSO has formed a new partnership with the DPSCD, allowing all 4,750 DPSCD fourth-grade students and teachers to hear the DSO at Orchestra Hall over the course of the school year. Funding by the Detroit Pistons will subsidize the entire cost of tickets for the next three years, enabling these classrooms to attend for free. Through its Blumenstein Future Audiences Fund, the DSO has provided $1 subsidized tickets for its Educational Concert Series over the past three years and has seen incredible growth in the number of students participating overall.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Pistons organization, we are thrilled to be able to expand our impact to realize greater music education opportunities for more Detroit students,” said Anne Parsons, President and CEO of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. “Education is central to our mission, and through concerts and training programs, we seek to support students in Detroit and across our region in developing critical and analytical skills, facilitate teamwork, and encourage social success.”
Launched in 1997, the Sphinx Organization is an arts and social justice organization whose mission is to promote diversity in music through four areas of programming: Education & Access, Artist Development, Performing Artists and Arts and Leadership. The organization has served more than 25,000 Detroit students, artists and families since its inception.
“We are grateful for a new partnership with the Pistons Foundation in support of our work in Detroit,” said Afa Dworkin, President and Artistic Director for the Sphinx Organization. “It is always gratifying to work together in engaging the young people who will shape the future of Detroit.”
The annual Sphinx Competition provides new opportunities to young African-American and Latino string players and the communities and audiences they serve. A national competition identifies, recognizes, rewards and nurtures young and talented musicians of color, while making classical music accessible and relatable to diverse audiences. Hosted by the DSO at the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, the February concert competition welcomes over 1,000 students and community members across Detroit and delivers another 3,000 people in live audiences and viewership through television and online broadcasts view the completion throughout 45 states and 57 countries. The Detroit Pistons involvement will deliver an additional 400 to 500 student musicians to the competition.
“The DSO highly values its ongoing partnership with the Sphinx Organization,” said Ms. Parsons, “and we are thrilled that this support from the Detroit Pistons will continue to bring their important work to our audiences at Orchestra Hall and to viewers around the world.”