\u201cI didn\u2019t fully get what today was going to be like, but it turned out to be one of the most fun, exciting days ever,\u201d sixteen-year-old junior Shaniyah Allen \u2014 a triple threat whose primary instrument is clarinet but who also plays trombone and serves as drum major of the marching band \u2014 tells New Times. \u201cI learned so much about songwriting technique and new production technologies and the music business. The best part, though, was getting to ask the artists questions and see what they\u2019re really about. I feel so inspired. Like, I can be an artist or a producer\u2014I could see myself playing in a symphony; that\u2019s my dream. After a day like today it really does feel like you can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only a few years ago this type of event would\u2019ve been unlikely at best, an academic pipe \u2014 recorder? \u2014 dream at worst. But the remarkable rise of Young Musicians Unite (YMU), a non-profit which was founded in 2013 to revive music programs in underserved communities and now serves more than 12,000 students in grades 5-12 throughout Miami, is demonstrating just how much can be accomplished through intention, focus, and perseverance. (It\u2019s not unlike practicing scales in this sense.)<\/p>\n
The proof is in the numbers: Well over 80 percent of students participating in YMU programs reported \u201cincreased optimism for the future as well as more confidence to resist negative peer pressure.\u201d Ninety-nine percent \u201cmaintained consistent attendance,\u201d and 96 percent said they were \u201cmotivated to do better academically after taking music classes.\u201d (Indeed, some principals are now scheduling challenging subjects right before or after music or art classes, when students are most engaged.) Further, teachers surveyed indicated 95 percent of YMU students \u201cimproved their ability to receive and apply criticism to their work,\u201d demonstrating \u201cincreased social maturity and musicianship.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Grammy-in-the-Schools-2.jpg\")
Grammy Music in the Schools program calls its book on soft skills Careers Through Music not Careers in Music for a reason. <\/p>\n
Which is to say, it\u2019s about more than music: In fact, the Grammy Music in the Schools program calls its book on soft skills Careers Through Music not Careers in Music for a reason. \u201cSuccess for us is not necessarily to have all these kids pursue a career in the arts,\u201d Grammy Museum Vice President of Education and Community Engagement Arin Canbolat tells New Times, pointing out that improvisation, structuring songs, navigating interpersonal relationships, paring ideas down to lyrics and melodies are all applicable to more than just music. \u201cIt\u2019s to have music impact them in a positive way, in a way that helps them go out and change the world in whatever way is best suited to them as individuals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This ethos is at the heart of why the Grammys want to be in partnership with Young Musicians Unite and Save the Music. \u201cThe coalition-building aspect of this work isn\u2019t just important, it\u2019s essential,\u201d Canbolat says. \u201cOtherwise, we\u2019ll never reach a fraction of the kids who would benefit from these programs. A rising tide lifts all boats may be a clich\u00e9; it also happens to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is literal music to the ears of YMU Chief Operating Officer Zachary Larmer, a music educator, yes, but also a Grammy-winning jazz musician who has worked with artists such as Pat Metheny, John Scofield, and the Steve Miller Band. \u201cWe want days like today to blow the doors off any perceived limitations these kids may believe they have,\u201d he says. \u201cHaving organizations and artists of this caliber partner with us and show up with such commitment, energy, and generosity is just incredible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In another breakout room, this one geared toward music production, engineer and Latin Grammy winner Quaz DeVille is demonstrating how the accessible AI production app Suno can be used to generate and explore ideas, without replacing human creativity. Collectively, students and teachers workshop an ode to cheese puffs using the program to run it as a calypso jam, as a metal banger, and more. DeVille encourages the kids to think of early ideation like grocery shopping: \u201cIf you pick up bad ingredients, you\u2019re probably going to end up with a result that you don\u2019t love,\u201d he says. \u201cBut if you choose delicious, organic, homegrown fresh ingredients, you will likely have a better outcome.\u201d And, DeVille adds, it\u2019s important to take their roles as chefs seriously. \u201cI would advise you work on yourself as much as possible. Your reputation, your presentation are everything. Be punctual, be polite, be courteous, always.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kids are still singing hooks about cheese puffs as they head to the auditorium for a series of performances and presentations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world will miss out on a lot of amazing talent if we don\u2019t nurture it,\u201d Kenny Cordova, who serves as the executive director of the Florida chapter of the Recording Academy, says as the seats fill up. \u201cIt\u2019s right in our backyard, waiting for us to step up. Today is about showing these kids that we care, that amazing artists care, and that we\u2019re all here to support and empower them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a little after 11 a.m. at South Dade Senior High in Homestead and a class so unusual…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31707,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226,2310,2311],"class_list":{"0":"post-31706","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hialeah","8":"tag-hialeah","9":"tag-hialeah-headlines","10":"tag-hialeah-news","11":"tag-interviews","12":"tag-local-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}