On Dec. 9th, RTTF’s talented student musicians braved Philly’s first snowstorm of the season to perform for their friends, families, and community at the 2017 Winter Showcase.
Photographs by Abigail Townsend
During the Winter Showcase, MusiCore students showed off their hard work learning original music, classic covers, and holiday favorites. Eight student bands performed this year – check out some highlights!
Thanks for a wonderful year! See you in 2018.
When you see Alexus singing center stage with the RTTF House Band, you would never guess that the 12-grader used to be painfully shy. But when she first joined MusiCore five years ago, Alexus found it hard to open up and make friends. However, she’s always had a passion for music. Hearing a variety of music as a child sparked a love of “all kinds of music” that Alexus still has today.
Unfortunately, she had a hard time developing that love – Alexus didn’t have a music class in school. When her mom found Rock to the Future, she knew it would be a great fit and signed Alexus up for MusiCore. Now, Alexus looks forward to learning new songs after school. Her fall challenge piece for piano is Antidote by Faith Marie: “It’s a really nice song. It’s all piano, with complicated rhythms and time signature changes.”
Sure, it’s an impressive challenge piece, but Alexus hasn’t just grown as a musician. The once-shy Alexus is now outgoing, confident, and irrepressible.
“I’m most proud of how I’ve grown socially, and as a person… When I came to the program, I was very shy. I was very shy, and I was very quiet. I had a lot of trouble making friends, but being here helped me get over it. It helped me become more confident – I never would have performed on a stage! And I’ve made lots of friends.” – Alexus
Now, Alexus wants to give other students the same opportunities she had. She’s in the middle of college application season, and is applying to colleges known for their music education programs. “I know I love learning about music. I want to give music education to kids. I think it would help a lot of kids in the situation I was in – being shy and quiet, and not being able to open up. I think I would be a really good music teacher!”
Alexus’s story is inspiring – she really is a rockstar! Your donation to Rock to the future helps students like Alexus to find their voice, on stage and in life.
On Giving Tuesday, people donate to the charities and nonprofits that are close to their hearts. This Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28, our supporters went above and beyond for Rock to the Future! We’re already halfway to our year-end fundraising goal. We didn’t think we could get there so soon!
With your help, we can reach our goal this year and give the gift of music to underserved students in Philadelphia.
This year, every donation will be matched up to $25,000 by a generous donor – that means your donation is doubled. Thank you for your support. You rock!
When Relapse Records approached RTTF about donating all proceeds from the 2017 Relapse Sampler, we were thrilled. And when they asked if the MusiCore students could learn a song from their roster of metal, punk, and industrial bands, Ethan immediately leapt to mind. Now, Ethan and the RTTF House Band are learning the song Bent Nail from shoegaze band Nothing.
Ethan started at RTTF in 2011, when his only musical experience was playing The Beatles: Rock Band. But his mom suspected that “he had drums in his soul.” When she saw an ad for MusiCore, she knew it would be a great way to encourage Ethan’s creativity. Now, Ethan is an accomplished drummer and guitarist, and he has made lasting friendships with other students in the program. “Because of Rock to the Future, I know my son has a future filled with friends and music,” his mom said. “Rock to the Future has given Ethan tools to build a future.”
Ethan has been in the RTTF House Band for the past five years. The House Band relies on teamwork, which Ethan says usually goes smoothly: “We work pretty well. There’s some days, but everything’s been going good so far.” Many of the students are multi-instrumentalists – Ethan places equal emphasis on the drums and guitar. He says both instruments are actually similar, since “they’re both about speed and tempo.” Choosing what instrument each student will play on a song could be a source of conflict, but the students decide together by having a conversation, listening to each other, and working through any issues together. Since Ethan has been in the House Band the longest, he feels responsible for the group. He likes working with his bandmates on stage and off, since they all respect each other: “I know they like what I do.”
Ethan isn’t just working with the House Band; he’s also working on his challenge piece for the Winter Showcase. He’s practicing Rage Against the Machine’s Bulls on Parade; “Me being me, I just looked them up. They’re catchy.” Along with his musical tastes, Ethan’s also pretty famous for his unique, hand-made jackets and vests. First, he looks for inspiration online, then he shops around for supplies. His motto? “Right vest, right patches, right bands.”
Nothing and the RTTF House Band are still fine-tuning Bent Nail. They practiced together for the first time during the Teen Lounge Open House last Friday. Check them out!
If you like their performance, why not download the Relapse Records 2017 Sampler? The sampler is a great overview of the bands on Relapse Records, and 100% of the proceeds from this year’s sampler will be donated to RTTF! Downloading the sampler is another great way to support young musicians like Ethan as they learn the value of dedication, trust, and hard work – on stage and in life!
If you’d like to help us reach out year end fundraising goal, please donate through the link below. All donations made prior to 12/31 will be matched by a generous supporter!
Five days a week, a 9th-grader named Shaun travels an hour by bus from Germantown to meet his siblings Myriah and Jamaine at Rock to the Future (RTTF). This is Shaun’s second year attending the MusiCore after school program in North Philadelphia.
Shaun comes to RTTF every day because he loves to play the drums. He starting playing drums when he was three: “Whatever I heard in my head, I started playing. I’d play on the table, on the floor.” Now, he looks forward to spending his afternoons “drumming and making friends.”
Shaun struggles in school, but last year he improved his grades in all of his core classes. He has shown the RTTF staff how seriously he is trying to exceed the program’s academic expectations; now he’s focusing on his biology grades. He’s also working to meet his own musical goals. Shaun has set a personal goal of joining the RTTF student house band this year as a drummer. He recently mastered paradiddles, and he’s learning “Detroit” by Red Hot Chili Peppers to play in his upcoming recital.
Every year, he looks forward to performing on stage: “They turn on all the concert lights on the stage. I liked how the lights were shining on me.”
When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Shaun has lots of ideas; the possibilities now seem endless. As a RTTF student, Shaun is learning valuable skills that go beyond music, like teamwork, self-confidence, and how to set and achieve goals. With the life skills he’s learning at RTTF, Shaun will be ready for every stage.
Thanks to our generous supporters, Rock to the Future is able to offer free programming and music education for hundreds of students like Shaun every year. By supporting RTTF, you help us:
At RTTF, we know that music can inspire and motivate kids and young adults to achieve. Your support of our year-end giving drive will help us to meet our $25,000 goal, which will be matched this year by a generous donor – that means that your donation is doubled!
Will you give the magical gift of music this year to help kids like Shaun?
Join us on September 29th for our first session!
Rock to the Future is proud to present our new free Teen Music Lounge! This weekly Friday program provides teens with a safe and positive space to learn music, create their own projects, collaborate with other teens, and opportunities for monthly exhibitions. Each month will feature a different guest music teacher and exciting workshops on hip-hop, songwriting, voice and vocal improvisation, instrumental instruction on guitar, bass, drums, and piano, recording, digital music and technology, the influence and power of music to make change, and more.
If you’re a Philly teen between the ages of 13 to 17, come to our information session on September 29th, 4-6pm! We’re going to introduce the candidates for this year’s line-up of potential guest music teachers and ask you to help us pick the finalists. No prior musical experience is necessary and beginners are welcome. Food will be provided also.
Let us know if you’re coming! The Teen Music Lounge is a drop-in program, so you don’t need to RSVP for our regular sessions (every Friday from 4 – 6pm), but we’d like to know in advance for this first event. Teen Music Lounge takes place at 2139 E Cumberland St, Phila, PA 19125. Contact Josh@RocktotheFuture.org or 215-302-9633 x710 for questions or concerns.
Please share this opportunity with Philly teens.Teen Music Lounge is supported by the Bartol Foundation.
The Philadelphia Eagles are renowned for the philanthropic work they perform through their Eagles Care initiative. For the past three years, Philly’s NFL team has partnered with five local nonprofits around the city to positively impact the surrounding community. This year, Rock to the Future is one of them along with MANNA, After School Activities Partnerships, Living Beyond Breast Cancer and Summer Search.
After a long day in the classroom, playing music can be the perfect way to unwind. From September thru June, Rock to the Future makes this possible by way of our MusiCore after school program. On weekdays from 3 to 6 pm, we offer private instructional lessons on contemporary musical instruments (guitar, bass, drums, piano) as well as lessons on music theory, band practices and much more. Our students even perform at REAL venues and record their original music in professional studios. The program provides a full music experience in a judgement-free, positive environment!
The MusiCore program is provided at no cost for underserved Philadelphia youth in grades 6 – 12.
We are currently accepting applications for the MusiCore program at Rock to the Future. Click for more information on the program here, including requirements for participation, and sign-up below!
Not only does Rock to the Future teach underserved youth contemporary music, but it also provides many other amenities typically reserved for real rock stars. For instance, students are given the opportunity to jam, write and perform music live with peers–all awesome opportunities to anyone with a passion for performing music.
For the fifth year in a row, our bands had the chance to record an original song live at the studio. You can hear each band’s performance as part of our annual release, titled “MusiCore Original Songs 2015-2016,” over at our Bandcamp page.
On Sunday, July 24th, a handful of Rock to the Future members were privileged enough to provide live music for the Women Making History Celebration and Awards Ceremony. Taking place at The Walnut Club, the event celebrated women’s accomplishments across various fields.
Four young women from our house band contributed music to the occasion. Their set featured covers of two native Philadelphian women, P!NK and Joan Jett, as well as an original track written by Rock to the Future House Band vocalists/guitarists Lily and Cheyenne.
View a video commemorating the live performance below!
