Turnaround Arts is a national program founded in 2011 by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, a White House advisory committee on cultural issues, under the leadership of former First Lady Michelle Obama. When the Obama administration ended, administration of the program was turned over to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Turnaround Arts is based on the premise that high-quality and integrated arts education can strengthen school transformation efforts, boost academic achievement, and increase student engagement in schools facing some of the toughest educational challenges in the country.
Each MAy the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) comes to DC for a week to lobby congress and the Department of Education in support of music education programs. As part of that week NAMM conducts a day of service wherein they provide introduction to music lessons to youth at a local school; lessons in guitar, ukulele and percussion are provided. In 2014 that school was Savoy Elementary; one of the original 8 schools where Turnaround Arts was prototyped. NAMM invited Music for Life to be their guitar and percussion partner that year. Each year since they’ve invited us back to be their partner to provide guitar instruction; our own Glen McCarthy is the instructor. Over the years through this event we’ve met artist like soprano opera singer Carla (Dirlikov) Canales, former New York Yankee great and jazz guitarist Bernie Williams, award-winning folk duo Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, drummer John Fitzgerald from REMO and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
