EXPANDING OUR PROGRAMMING TO ATLANTA WAS ONE OF THOSE IDEAS THAT SEEMED LIKE A FAR-OFF DREAM, BUT HERE WE ARE!
The team is beyond stoked to be setting up shop in Atlanta and start launching our partnerships with local schools in the area. With all major endeavors comes a lot of questions, so we figured we would put our plan out publicly for any and all stakeholders. Whether you are a follower of ours, a potential partner, a school leader, a student, or a music industry professional — this is the place for you!
WATCH THE VIDEO TO SEE WHY MULTI GRAMMY WINNING MULTI-PLATINUM PRODUCER NEEDLZ IS PART OF DYNAMO
OUR MISSION IN Atlanta
As always, we are student-focused first and foremost.
The goal is threefold:
Use the music industry as a means of helping students reach their fullest potential (Self Actualization)
Help students achieve career readiness in the music business.
Create a robust community of music industry professionals that are actively involved in schools and the lives of our students.
Establish a middle school through a post-secondary/college graduation academic pathway.
WHO ARE WE TRYING TO IMPACT?
Our primary focus for the first phase of Dynamo’s expansion to Atlanta will be with students in the Atlantic Public School system.
Our secondary goal is empowering teachers local to Atlanta and the greater Atlanta area. We will prioritize resource allocation to teachers in the Atlanta Public School system, but ALL teachers wanting to do this sort of work in their schools (new program or pre-existing) are welcome to connect with us and participate in any and all professional development opportunities.
Our tertiary goal is to create a program that empowers and equips the local music economy by connecting musicians, producers, audio engineers, and songwriters to high-level resources and opportunities in exchange for helping kids.
We are actively having conversations with additional schools in the greater ATL area as well, but for Q2 of the 2022-23 school year, we will focus on APS.
** Although our priority is with Atlanta Public Schools, we are also advising programs in the area such as Mill Creek High School in Gwinnett County Schools
EDUCATIONAL SUBJECTS OF FOCUS FOR STUDENT IMPACT
Phase 1 — Music Production and Audio Engineering
Bolster existing programs at partner schools.
Launch programs at schools that don’t have existing programs or resources.
Establish robust partnerships with Community In Schools org, APS, and other major stakeholders within Atlanta.
Phase 2 — Photography and Videography
Phase 3 — Design
*** PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL FOCUS AREAS ARE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY ***
CURRENT STRATEGIC PARTNER SCHOOLS
HJ Russell West End Academy (6th-8th Grade)
DT Howard Middle School (6th-8th Grade)
Midtown High School (9th-12th Grade)
*** We are seeking a local university partner to establish a 6th grade through college graduation pathway. Ideally, this will include a dual enrollment opportunity for participating students.
PROGRAM AND PARTNERSHIP MODEL
Dynamo Studios Atlanta will provide an instructor (or two) that actively supports our Atlanta Public Schools partnerships and extracurricular programming. This includes facilitating programs, classes, supporting our partner teachers, and coordinating with the local industry to ensure active engagement with students and schools. Additionally, we will also connect students with opportunities beyond the schools to allow students to apply what they’ve learned in the real world alongside the pros.
Within Atlanta Public Schools, our team will be following our ‘Sponsored Programs Model’. The Sponsored Programs are built around the model of an active and ongoing partnership between Dynamo Studios and a partner organization (in this case schools). In these instances, the schools already have pre-existing staff members who run the music classes and Dynamo Studios will provide an instructor/coordinator, resources, training, curriculum, and ongoing support for the duration of the program. Ideally, these will be robust long-term programs -- such as music or media production programs at a school that fills the role of a related arts class.
Additionally, this model allows for us to come in and revamp or support pre-existing programs with ease. For example, a school may have a traditional music program where students are losing interest and aren’t engaged because the program is too heavily focused on classical training or low-energy band programs. With that being said, we believe band classes are very important, but we do believe there is a way to modernize those programs. With a traditional music program, we would be able to integrate music production and audio engineering into their pre-existing curriculum model, fully train their teachers, provide equipment, and support grant-making allowing for the expansion of resources as the program grows. In this scenario, a teacher is now better equipped to engage their students while taking the scope of what the students are learning far beyond what would traditionally be taught.
SCOPE OF WORK:
Connect schools with industry partnerships.
Actively participate and lead in-school programming at partner schools.
Organize a database of community partners, including teaching artists/producers who can lead youth engagement activities in and out of schools.
Stay informed of other cultural/educational initiatives in Atlanta that can tie in with Dynamo’s mission.
Set up a public calendar on which classes, workshops, and public outreach events will be posted.
Prepare a report of activities and future plans to the board of directors, quarterly.
Communicate regularly with industry partners and the Executive Director to ensure that a unified effort is being made in all aspects of programming and planning.
IN THE FIRST YEAR, OUR TEAM WILL:
Launch 3-4 public school partnership programs.
Launch an advanced student cohort.
Facilitate extra-curricular classes/studio sessions for students.
Lead professional development for local teachers and industry partners.
Develop and distribute curriculum to partner teachers.
SCOPE OF IMPACT
1,000+ Kids Served (annually)
Professional Development and Training for 20+ Teachers
100+ industry opportunities for advanced students per year (roughly two per week)
FUNDING GOALS
As always, Dynamo will run a lean budget but will still allocate enough to build a team and secure the necessary resources to fully execute the mission. Funding will be sourced from philanthropies, major artists from Atlanta, foundations, corporate partnerships, and fundraiser events.
Our goal is to secure $250,000 by fall 2023 for a full-scale launch at the top of the 2023-24 school year. This will cover the following areas:
The full scope of work listed above (and then some)
Two full-time instructors/coordinators
Teaching resources and production equipment
Extracurricular Contractors (ie compensating people for their time when working with kids outside of school hours or when our full-time staff needs additional support with larger programs)
Program Operating Expenses
WHO IS ON OUR TEAM?
Our team leading the expansion of Dynamo Studios to Atlanta is composed of individuals at the top of the music industry and the realm of academia. This includes multi grammy winners, diamond and platinum record-selling producers, industry executives, highly certified and licensed educators, school counselors, and public school administrators.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
They say it takes a village to impact a child and we hope that you join ours. This is community-driven work and it can’t happen without you!
Here are some ways to get involved:
Come out and work with the kids during their production classes. Show them the ropes and inspire them! There is nothing more inspiring for kids than when people of out of their way to show up for them!
Tell people about Dynamo. The more people rallying behind the brand and identity of ‘Dynamo’ the better. Creating a unified following around our brand will create opportunities for funding the programs and opening doors for the kids. Establishing a strong brand identity in Atlanta is imperative for our success as an organization.
GIVE! We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit. ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE.
Through community partnership, Dynamo Studios empowers students and creatives through innovative and exciting educational experiences built around music production and the arts
Please consider supporting our students by joining the team and giving today!