We strengthen the ties between post-secondary music programs and their local communities, using music to engage college students in educational programs that emphasize social change.
Our Beginning
In 2013, OpporTUNEity was founded in Pulaski, TN as a small partnership between Martin Methodist College (now UT Southern) and the Boys & Girls Club of Pulaski. Also known as the birthplace of the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), racism and segregation are strikingly prevalent in Pulaski where are arts opportunities are scarce as many of the public school music programs had been cut and the poverty rate is high. OpporTUNEity was designed to bring music education back into the region, providing meaningful experiences to undergraduate students, and bridging racial gaps in the community by focusing on inclusion.
“I cannot put enough emphasis on how much this program impacted him and his recovery. He ranted and raved about the program, the classes and its instructors every day.”
— Fiance of a songwriting student
In 2017, we brought OpporTUNEity to Worcester, MA as we launched a partnership between Anna Maria College and Worcester Public Schools as we focused on ‘scaling up’ from a small town in the deep South to a large city in the Northeast. And in 2018 we added a partnership with the Worcester County House of Corrections.
Our Mission
Our mission is to strengthen the ties between post-secondary music programs and their local communities while promoting the use of music as a means to engage undergraduate students in educational programs that emphasize social change, bridge access and equity gaps in the arts, and provide opportunities for enrichment and talent development to individuals residing in our most impoverished communities.
We strive to build a network of programs at institutions of higher education across the country, leveraging this network to build a pipeline of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds whose musical talents are cultivated through OpporTUNEity programs. In addition, we build partnerships with correctional facilities and jails, offering songwriting curriculum as we engage both sides of the school-to-prison pipeline.
By establishing this network and supports, we attempt to tackle the inequities that are prevalent in our systems, increasing social mobility and diversifying our undergraduate music programs, in theory and in practice. As we do this, we strengthen our local community, bridge class and racial gaps in our region, and enhance the quality of students we recruit to our undergraduate music program. In the end, everybody wins.
“Before going into this program, I thought they would all bash on each other for talking about their feelings. But they thrive in this creative work space! The inmates in the program all relate to each other and listen. It is a beautiful thing to see, grown men sitting around, talking about their feelings. ”
— Paul Boisvert, songwriting intern
Get Involved
If you are interested in learning more about our organization, please reach out. We are always open to establishing new partnerships with higher education institutions, K-12 programs and schools, correctional institutions and jails, researchers, donors and volunteers.
