Alumni Perspective: Why to apply for the NEXTGen Musician Program

October 17, 2024

We asked NEXTGen Musician alum, Penelope Shvarts, about her experience in the Midori & Friends teen leadership program and how she has continued to benefit from being a part of the music program.

“My first experience with Midori & Friends began in 2022, when I came on as an apprentice in their inaugural NextGen Musician program. Since then, I am proud to say that I have continued to be an avid supporter of M&F and its transformative programs.  

Music, to me, is more than notes on a page or the sound that comes out of an instrument: it is also a vibrant community of passionate artists and attentive listeners. Very early on, however, my family learned that music can be expensive. Lessons, instruments, concert attire, and competitions are all things that can, and typically do, add up to an exorbitant fee. Through the Midori & Friends NEXTGen Musician program, I not only received the resources needed to help curb this cost, such as a program stipend and free private lessons, but I was also empowered to think of solutions for this ongoing issue. With this program, I was guided in proposing policies to my councilwoman in which all public elementary schools in my district would have access to free music education. In doing so, I hoped to expand the existing community of musicians into a more robust, diverse one.”

“The skills that I learned in the NEXTGen program–advocacy, artistry, and leadership–have been taken with me to all other projects I find myself working on. From serving on my university’s student government as Secretary-Treasurer, to being awarded grants to pursue research on underrepresented composers within the world of classical guitar, the NEXTGen program has taught me invaluable lessons that will continue to stay with me through other facets of my work.”

Penelope Shvarts is also currently the Development Intern at Midori & Friends. She is on instagram @penelopeshvartsguitar

 

Apply now to the NEXTGen Musician program! The deadline to apply is Friday, October 25th.