Let The Music Play Grant Program Places Instruments in the Hands of Milwaukee’s Young Musicians

Posted: Feb 08, 2022

MILWAUKEE, WI (February 8, 2022) – Summerfest and American Family Insurance are excited to announce the 11 grant recipients for the fourth annual Let The Music Play program, serving a diverse cross section of Milwaukee communities. The program awards grants to non-profits and schools that offer music-based programming as part of their curriculum. The 2022 recipients represent a wide variety of music disciplines, and the grant funds will be used for purposes ranging from the purchase of instruments and songbooks to the production of a musical.

The Let The Music Play funding doubled this year, allowing more organizations to be selected, thanks to contributions by T&M Partners/Kelben Foundation and American Family Insurance and the “Curtain’s Up...Let’s Rock” fundraising event, which was held in conjunction with the opening of the new American Family Insurance Amphitheater in 2021.

The 2022 Let The Music Play Grant Program recipients include:

• Congress Elementary School: the grant will be used for expenses to put on a play production and purchase academic and arts curriculum of the book “Bad Case Stripes” including books, prop materials/backdrops, costume rental, video camera, lighting, and art materials.
• Fernwood Montessori School: the funds will be used to purchase two sets of Choir chimes.
• Forest Home Avenue School: funds will be used to purchase songbooks, theory books, and method books in English and Spanish for various levels of performance and instruction.
• Greendale School District: the funds will assist in purchase 90 ukuleles.
• La Causa Charter School: funds will go towards the purchase of Cuatros (Puerto Rican guitar), acoustic guitars with electric amplification, a new percussion drum set, a new sound and lighting system with a sound board, microphones, capacity to record and/stream performances, and lighting.
• Maryland Avenue Montessori: the grant will be utilized to purchase a classroom set of acoustic guitars, new strings for existing guitars, guitar tuners, and a storage rack.
• Milwaukee School of Languages: funds will be used to purchase updated sheet music, which will assist in building a choral music library from scratch including sightreading materials, tone/reading methods, and performance repertoire for the choral program and performance.
• Ninety Fifth Street School: the grant will be used to purchase 20-25 portable keyboards.
• Wedgewood Park International Middle School: the funds will help to purchase 12 new classical guitars and accessories, including stands, capos, tuners, picks, and replacement strings.
• Wisconsin Conservatory Of Music: the funds will help in covering the costs associated with one day of travel with the MusiCreation Station, a mobile music making sound lab which brings Conservatory faculty into schools, daycare centers, and other youth-serving organizations that otherwise would not have music due to lack of access or funding.
• Woodlands Elementary School: the grant money will be utilized to purchase keyboards and stands, drums, hand bells, xylophones, and for maintenance of ukulele and guitars.

Now in its fourth year, the Let the Music Play Grant program has supported 30 organizations and hundreds of students. For more information visit Summerfest.com.

About Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance
Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance has evolved into what is now recognized as “The World’s Largest Music Festival” and Milwaukee’s cornerstone summer celebration, hosting the music industry’s biggest acts, emerging talent, and local favorites along with approximately 750,000 fans, for an unforgettable live music experience. The 2022 edition of the festival will take place over three weekends June 23-25, June 30-July 2, and July 7-9. Summerfest features over 1,000 performances on 12 stages, along with food, beverages, and activities, all in a world-class festival setting on the lakefront. For more details, visit Summerfest.com, or Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @Summerfest.

About the American Family Insurance group
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, American Family Insurance has been serving customers since 1927. We inspire, protect and restore dreams through our insurance products, exceptional service from our agency owners and employees, community investment and creative partnerships to address societal challenges. We act on our belief in diversity and inclusion by constantly evolving to meet customer needs and preferences. American Family Insurance group is the nation’s 13th-largest property/casualty insurance group, ranking No. 232 on the Fortune 500 list. The group sells American Family-brand products, primarily through exclusive agency owners in 19 states. The American Family Insurance group also includes CONNECT, powered by American Family Insurance, The General, Homesite and Main Street America Insurance. Across these companies the group has more than 13,500 employees nationwide.