Our Programs' Stories
Each tutoring program is uniquely run and tailored specifically to the schools and communities they serve. These programs are not just offering thousands of lessons - they're striving to transform the local music education landscape by creating a close-knit, multigrade community of students to further strengthen the music department. These programs are meant to establish long term musical unity and growth, working to impact students, music programs, and the greater community for many generations to come.
Below are the stories of just a few of our programs.
Melodia
Partnering with the city to offer the first vocal tutoring service
Plainsboro, NJ | SR Mosaic, Inc.
Melodia is a vocal tutoring program serving younger students in Plainsboro, New Jersey, a small township one hour southwest of New York City. Founded by Sayee Naresh and her friends from choir/ a cappella, this tutoring program is the first program in our network exclusively dedicated to vocal tutoring and the first program to successfully partner with a large local nonprofit to host their music classes. Melodia partners with SR Mosaic, Inc., offering in person private vocal lessons to students of all ages around the Princeton-Plainsboro area. The program has served over 60 students in just the first two months of operation. The program has resumed the fall session this September and is expecting continued growth in their enrollment.
Mount Carmel School Band Tutoring
Bringing private lessons to an island with no private teachers
Mount Carmel School - Chalan Kanoa, Saipan, MP
The MCS Band Tutoring Program is one of the newest programs in our network. This volunteer band tutoring program serves students in Mount Carmel School, a small private PS-12 school located on the island of Saipan, one of three islands that make up the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. Territory in the western Pacific Ocean. Due to its small population of under 48,000 and its remoteness, Saipan has no full time private music teachers and the music director, Mr. Julian Greening, has only been able to teach a handful of students on an inconsistent basis. When it launches this August, the MCS Band Tutoring Program will mark the first time music students in Saipan have had the opportunity to receive consistent private instruction. Members of the Wind Orchestra will work with students in the Beginning Band and Concert Band to supplement their group music classes.
TUNE
The tutoring program that revived their school's band
California Crosspoint Academy - Fremont, CA
Founded in winter 2021, Tune is a volunteer band tutoring program serving students at California Crosspoint Academy, a highly STEM-oriented private PS-12 school in California's Bay Area. The school had a small music program which included basic music theory and choir, but it lacked an actual band or orchestra class. When the pandemic hit and the school was forced to close, the music program was cancelled completely. In an attempt to not only revive their music program but to also ask for the establishment of a true band class, oboist Grace Carolynne Yeung started the tutoring program Tune. Through the increased interest in music brought by Tune, she has successfully convinced the school administration and is currently working with the school to revive their music program and create the first ever CCA band class for the 2022-23 school year.
DHS Strings Tutoring Program
The pioneering tutoring program that inspired ALTO's formation
Davis Senior High School - Davis, CA
The DHS Strings Tutoring Program (DHSSTP) was the foundation for the ALTO Model. Founded nearly two years ago, this program serves elementary and middle school orchestra students living in Davis, a small suburb of Sacramento, California. The program charges $15 per lesson, but scholarships are available for low income families to reduce or completely waive this fee. Despite this, the program has collected $5,000 in donations through fundraising efforts, donations, and tutors who choose to "donate" their paychecks to the program. While this is a paid program, all proceeds go directly to pay the tutors. With schools now reopened, the program is hosting numerous in-person recitals and concerts.