Milwaukee is the first city in the country to plug into AMP, a new nationwide after-school music effort from Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The program plants qualified, paid music instructors inside existing after-school sites and outfits them with instruments and curriculum, with Smith personally helping bankroll the launch so more kids can get their hands on real gear and real lessons.
To jump-start things, the Chad Smith Foundation is running a dollar-for-dollar donation match through April 30, matching contributions up to $100,000 to help fund AMP teacher placements and equipment, according to the Chad Smith Foundation. The idea is to make it easier for after-school partners to bring instructors on board and keep them paid while the program builds enrollment.
Milwaukee is serving as AMP’s launch city through partnerships with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, the Salvation Army, Notes for Notes and Running Rebels, and AMP-funded lessons are already underway in the city, as reported by OnMilwaukee. Jeff Snell, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, told the outlet the Club is “excited to be the first Boys & Girls Club in the country to partner with the Chad Smith Foundation to bring even more music-based opportunities to our students.”
How AMP will work
The foundation’s plan is for AMP to underwrite instruction by finding and placing qualified music teachers at partner locations while covering the cost of lessons so instructors receive fair, sustainable wages, according to a press release from the Chad Smith Foundation. On top of staffing, the program is set to provide instruments, equipment and curriculum resources that let students actually plug in and play.
AMP will also run a “Perks Program” that rewards kids who consistently show up for lessons. Perks include concert tickets, artist meet-and-greets and performance opportunities, including a shot at taking the stage with Smith himself.
Built on existing local work
Rather than starting from scratch, AMP is connecting to a music ecosystem that is already growing in Milwaukee. Notes for Notes has installed multiple youth recording studios in the city, including one at Milwaukee Academy of Science and a new studio at Running Rebels’ east location, giving partners ready-to-use rooms for instruction and production, according to Notes for Notes.
Industry support has been flowing in too. Employees at music publisher Hal Leonard collectively directed more than $7,500 last fall to the Boys & Girls Clubs’ expanding music teacher placement program, Music Inc. reported.
How to help and what’s next
Supporters can effectively double their contributions while Smith’s match is active through April 30. Details on how to give and where AMP is operating locally are available through the foundation’s published materials and local coverage. Organizers say they plan to track participation and outcomes in Milwaukee as they refine the AMP model and prepare it for expansion to additional cities.
