NEA Awards $82 Million for Arts Projects Nationwide; Including $15,000 to Musiqa for its Education Program

HOUSTON, TX (May 12, 2016) National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $82 million to fund local arts projects and partnerships in the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2016. Included in this announcement is an Art Works award of $15,000 to Musiqa to support its music arts education and outreach programs for low-income elementary, middle and high school students in Greater Houston public schools. These programs include free education concerts at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts as part of the hall’s “Discovery Series” and the Artist-in-Residence program at Houston ISD’s Madison High School. The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields.

“The arts are all around us, enhancing our lives in ways both subtle and obvious, expected and unexpected,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Supporting projects like the one from Musiqa offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.”

“Musiqa is very honored to receive our eighth award from the National Endowment for the Arts,” says Musiqa Artistic Director Anthony Brandt. “It has enabled us to serve close to 50,000 public school students in the last twelve years, many of whom have little or no access to the arts-and have never been to a downtown venue. Hearing the students sing along with our musicians and then laugh and cheer as they are exposed to new sounds and repertoire is incredibly inspiring.”

EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Musiqa’s nationally acclaimed Education Program is one of the largest of its kind in the nation for an ensemble our size. Every year, we reach over 6,000 school children in grades 2 through 12, from 60 different schools across eight area school systems, in the Greater Houston area.

The Discovery Series at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Around the World with Musiqa
Students, in grades 2-4, learn how modern composers make folk songs come alive in personal, imaginative ways. As the children hear and sing songs in different languages, they gain an appreciation of music from diverse cultures.
Musiqa ReMix
These performances take students, in grades 5-7, inside pieces of music to explore rhythm, meter, orchestration, harmony, counterpoint and other key concepts. Students are engaged through a combination of live music, theater and animated graphics.

Musiqa’s programs are highly interactive: our Resident Artist visits each participating school for an in-school workshop. The Discovery Series programs are free to participating schools, including bus transportation to and from The Hobby Center.