Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute Names 2023/24 PlayUSA Grant Recipients

Totaling $500,000, the annual grants have been awarded to 22 music education programs across 16 U.S. states

Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) has announced four new and 18 returning 2023-24 grant recipients for PlayUSA — a program supporting U.S. community partner organizations for equitable access to instrumental music education programs that serve K-12 students. 

Now entering its 10th year, the PlayUSA network has selected 22 organizations, including four new partners from Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Texas, to receive grants totaling $500,000. 

The four new PlayUSA partners are: 

• Austin Soundwaves (Austin, Texas)
• Music Haven (New Haven, Connecticut)
• West Point School of Music (Chicago, Illinois)
• ZUMIX  (East Boston, Massachusetts)

The 18 returning grantees are:

• Buffalo String Works (Buffalo, New York)
• Capital Harmony Works (Trenton, New Jersey)
• Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (Chicago, Illinois)
• Community Music Center of Boston (Boston, Massachusetts)
• East Bay Center for the Performing Arts (Richmond, California)
• El Sistema Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
• Enriching Lives Through Music (San Rafael, California)
• Hawaii Youth Symphony (Honolulu, Hawaii)
• Homer OPUS (Homer, Alaska)
• INTEMPO (Stamford, Connecticut)
• Juneau Alaska Music Matters (Juneau, Alaska)
• Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
• Make Music NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana)
• Scrollworks Music School (Birmingham, Alabama)
• Soundscapes (Newport News, Virginia)
• Tocando (El Paso, Texas)
• Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra (Louisburg, North Carolina)
• Yakima Music en Acción (Yakima, Washington)

Alongside the financial support, the grantees will join a community of organizations providing music education opportunities for young people across the U.S.

These organizations will receive online resources, funding, training, and professional development for teachers and arts administrators — plus guidance from Carnegie Hall staff to address challenges and develop best practices. Site visits will also allow partners to gather and learn from each other’s practices. 

Additionally, the PlayUSA grants can be used to underwrite teaching fees for music instruction, purchase or rental of musical instruments, instrumental repair, and other programmatic costs.

Grants per partner are between $20,000 to $35,000 a year. After the conclusion of the first year of funding for one-year grant applicants, organizations may apply every two years for additional grant renewal. 

Organizations are also invited to be alumni partners after their funding period, and can still access professional development resources without grant funding. 

“We’re excited to announce the new and returning PlayUSA partners, an incredible network of music organizations who provide crucial instrumental training programs to young people around the country,” said Carnegie Hall’s chief education officer WMI director, Sarah Johnson. 

“The PlayUSA community is a dynamic cohort of leaders across the music education field who are creating pathways for young people in their communities,” Johnson added. “Being a PlayUSA partner is a way for educators to build community, deepen teaching, and share best practices. We look forward to collaborating and learning more from this incredible group in our 2023–2024 season.”

“It is challenging to carry out an ambitious music program in a small, isolated, rural community,” said new grantee Homer OPUS. “The network created by PlayUSA makes us feel part of something larger — a community of music programs nationwide.”

Over 800,000 people engage in Carnegie Hall’s WMI programs each year. This includes nearly 200 orchestras, music presenters, and education organizations in 40 U.S. states, and across 15 countries on 6 continents. WMI also shares online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, families, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide.