Miami and Interlochen: A Thriving Partnership
Dan Lewis and Interlochen Campers from the Miami Music Project
For nearly a century, artistry has enjoyed a special home under the pines of Interlochen’s campus. Young artists are Drawn Here from both near and far. In keeping with that tradition, two donors have helped a special relationship flourish over the last six years between southern Florida and northern Michigan, transforming the lives of budding artists and pushing their talent to new heights.
Since 2018, the generous gifts of Dan Lewis and Valerie Dillon have been the bedrock for a partnership between Miami Music Project and Interlochen Arts Camp. The partnership has now grown to include Young Musicians Unite and Guitars Over Guns. Miami student musicians, selected via a rigorous audition process, are awarded full scholarships to Camp, with expenses also covered for transportation and other related costs. Each year, with full scholarship support, two students from the Miami program also have enrolled at our Arts Academy. Concurrently, Interlochen Academy faculty travel to Miami as guest instructors and visiting artists.
Interlochen is grateful to Valerie and Dan and proud to sustain partnerships with these organizations. Since 2018 and through the 2023-24 academic year, 179 youth musicians from Miami have attended Interlochen via this partnership.
I thought two weeks wouldn't make much of a difference on me with my clarinet, but I was wrong. There's been so much improvement the past few weeks. Not just my instrument but myself. I now have a lot more patience, experience, and bravery (involving being in the forest and far away from my family).
Campers, including those from the Miami Music Project, receive an enthusiastic standing ovation from the audience.
If it weren’t for Interlochen, I would have never even thought of applying to schools like Manhattan School of Music, Frost School of Music, or New England Conservatory… The Arts Academy is not only the place where I discovered how deep my passion for music is, but is also the place where I am able to realize it, practicing everyday, taking music history and music theory classes, working hard everyday to become a better musician and a better person. Academy is a unique, life-changing experience, [and] music has become my life thanks to you.
Students like Vicky and Juan find their artistry sparked anew as they learn from Interlochen’s outstanding faculty and connect with fellow musicians and kindred spirits from around the world. The multi-rooted strength of the Camp experience follows the students home and carries throughout their lives. Miami partnership alumni often earn admission to high-level performing ensembles; compared to other Miami Public School students, they graduate from high school and continue to college at far higher rates. This sustained success makes Miami-Interlochen alums natural role models for their peers and further spreads the word that Interlochen is a place where young artists’ potential is unlocked like at no other school.
Interlochen is actively collaborating with fellow youth arts education organizations in other cities, including Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Madison, and more. Support from generous donors is enabling these efforts, fostering the next generation of young artists from coast to coast — both near and far.
| Miami-Interlochen Partnership Goals |
|---|
Reduce inequities in access to youth arts education in greater Miami |
Provide young artists — especially those from historically disadvantaged regions and communities — a supportive space for artistic risk-taking and creative exploration and growth |
Meet each student where they are, embracing the diversity of backgrounds from which Interlochen students come and the many reasons why students are drawn here |
Welcome young artists into an engaged community that encourages a path to individual and collaborative excellence and that collectively elevates the world of the arts |
Improve students’ school grades, attendance, and social, emotional, and physical well-being |
Give students the tools to return home poised to be role models among their peers |
Empower students to find their own voices, both as artistic creators and globally minded citizens, and then to use their voices for good: mobilizing with their peers and engaging with their communities to address important issues that affect them |
Spark, strengthen, and sustain collaborations between schools, government, and arts nonprofits to make permanent these gains in access to youth arts education |
Establish a system of support for young artists that can serve as a template for other organizations and other regions |
Establish systems of support for Miami arts-education leaders and practitioners to network and grow in their own craft, including through annual gatherings on Interlochen’s campus |
Inspire engagement and support from thought and philanthropic leaders with aligned interests |
Miami-Interlochen Affiliate Partners
