Introducing our friends from The Pride Academy

Something special is happening on the near eastside of Indianapolis every Tuesday afternoon.  Betty Perry, Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, teaches a class of 3 and 4 year olds to learn patience, appreciation for their own and one another’s gifts, and of course how to play the violin.  Only a few weeks into the class, the students are already engaged and excitedly ask their teachers if today is orchestra day. 

Ms. Perry teaches the class (a pilot program for MYO) weekly at the Chase Near Eastside Legacy Center located on the campus of Arsenal Technical High School.  The Legacy Center is a new facility that has already embraced this boisterous, but charming group of students.  The kids serenade the reception and office staff each time they depart, to great applause.

The children in this class and two other weekly classes for K - 3rd grade students come from a child care center, called Pride Academy.  The three Pride Academy centers are run by Alisia Jackson and her devoted team of teachers. Many of the students have a challenging and sometimes transient home life, but the staff are committed to making each day bright and hopeful.  In addition to attending weekly lessons with the students and learning with them, the staff have incorporated daily lesson time into the curriculum.  Adult presence and participation is a part of the basic mission of the MYO program, and the teachers of the child care have taken this on with enthusiasm! 

Learn more about Pride Academy here.