Our society is at war with our artistic culture. In particular, music is fast becoming both an elitist pursuit as well as an artifact, increasingly manipulated for financial gain. The toll of this battle has scene an increase in music teacher dropout at as well as a larger, future generation being deprived of the study of music and, in effect, an examination of themselves. These non-traditional ti
mes call for non-traditional measures. That’s where The Music Guerrilla comes in. MG is a boots on the ground, in the trenches method of teaching, connecting with music-makers as well as academic classrooms directly. The Music Guerrilla is a 501c3 that uses music to provide traditional, cross-curricular and non-traditional educational opportunities spanning a variety of music genres. The brainchild of Dr. Milt Allen, The Music Guerrilla accomplishes its mission through
Traditional instrumental rehearsal clinics
Primary school instrumental presentations (with
Maestro Hilarioso!)
Cross-curricular lectures in other “core”
curriculum classes (e.g. English, History,
Math and Science)
1-day and extended residencies
Guest conducting appearances
Clinics and workshops at local, state, national
and international conferences. The Music Guerrilla Sessions, bringing
professional musicians into school
classrooms to both perform and discuss
their art in an intimate, interactive setting. This innovative, approach transcends cultural, societal, educational and musical boundaries and in so doing, allows each participant an opportunity to not only grow musically, but to grow as a whole person. Just as innovative is how The Music Guerrilla financially functions: it relies on donations and patronage. Many schools needing services don’t have the funds to bring in an outside perspective. The Music Guerrilla uses all funds from those that can contribute to assist those who can’t! The bottom line: Wage Music. The Music Guerrilla supports music education and artistry of all kinds. Whether it’s a dentist playing guitar in a weekend rock band, the 2nd chair alto sax player in the school band or a homeless bucket drummer, The Music Guerrilla encourages everyone to Wage Music – and in so doing, discover a part of themselves that makes the world a better place.
