The North End Music & Performing Arts Center announced today plans to bring new programming into Charlestown for its 2018 Fall Class Offerings. Founded by local North End mothers to promote arts enrichment and prioritize music education for all, NEMPAC now serves over 1,300 students per week and expects to provide opportunities to hundreds of more individuals through its strengthened partnerships with the Warren Prescott School, Charlestown Working Theater (CWT), and the Good Shepherd School. Last year NEMPAC served over 120 Charlestown students throughout its programming. With the expected expansion, NEMPAC hopes to reach over 25% more students within the 2018-19 academic year.

In 2017, NEMPAC began working with the Warren Prescott School to broaden its after-school music offerings. The school already has shown its commitment to learning music in-school with a well-established band, chorus, music theatre, and general music program. NEMPAC successfully launched its private music instruction program after-school by offering private piano lessons, which were soon to be in high demand from parents and students at the school. Since then, NEMPAC has added other instrument offerings and plans to include small group lessons in guitar for various age groups. To fulfill the community need for further collaborative music instruction in Charlestown, NEMPAC will also introduce new group guitar classes to the students at the Warren Prescott School this fall, with Group Strings and Group Keyboard programs returning in the North End.

Since 2016, NEMPAC has worked in partnership with the Charlestown Working Theater to produce an annual Music Theatre Troupe holiday production for students ages 7-12. The program welcomes children of all abilities from the North End, Charlestown, and surrounding areas. This fall, NEMPAC is excited to continue its partnership with CWT, and hopes to engage with a more diverse range of students by allowing for a larger production and increasing its number of need-based scholarships. In addition to this continued partnership with CWT, NEMPAC will continue to offer its private instruction program there on-site and will begin a new, highly-requested A Capella Choir program for teen to young adult students, with emphasis on ear-training and overall musicianship. The A Capella Choir students will have a wide range of performance opportunities and the potential to serve as leaders in NEMPAC’s Community Holiday Choir.

Over the years, the CWT Music Theatre Troupe has evolved into a collaborative environment where older students and seasoned performers act as mentors to younger and beginner students. This collaboration embodies the community-centric values of NEMPAC and their commitment to providing opportunities to learn, to teach, and to grow in many roles as artists, and ultimately support the longevity of a career in the arts. “The instructors and staff at NEMPAC are terrific. My daughter has really enjoyed Theater and has gained so much self-confidence,” offered a NEMPAC Music Theatre Troupe Parent.

Both NEMPAC’s Music Theatre Troupe partnership with CWT and the A Capella Choir are performance-based programs which prepares students for multiple public performances throughout the year such as the North End Trellis Lighting, NEMPAC Perform-a-thon, and final production performances, in addition to basic techniques and practices that further develop their music education. The performance-based programs offered at NEMPAC include Music Theatre Troupe, Music Theatre Troupe – Broadway Intensive, A Capella Choir, Eliot Music Ensemble, and NEMPAC Music Ensemble.

In addition to above mentioned powerful partners in Charlestown, NEMPAC has worked with the Good Shepherd School to provide music experiences in-school once per week to all the students enrolled. Last year an after school program was added for students enrolled in after-school care to expand on music enrichment offerings. This year NEMPAC will continue to impact children in the Charlestown neighborhood by continuing these wonderful music offerings in this school.

NEMPAC’s expansion of programming into Charlestown is thanks, in part, to the Charlestown Community Impact Fund, which provided $2,500 to support NEMPAC’s commitment to accessible, high-quality programs and continued growth throughout Boston.

To learn more about NEMPAC’s programming, please contact Educational Programs Director Manda S. Amodio at mshepherd@nempacboston.org, or visit www.nempacboston.org.