Imagine our city streets transformed with the joy of music. The MusicianShip brings this vision to life for people of all ages, and especially for youth of color in underserved communities with less access to high-quality music education. Each year, more than 1,200 students across the city receive free vocal and instrumental music instruction after school, performing for multi-generational audiences and participating in interactive master class field trips taught by world-renowned musicians. Summer programs further hone these young adults' performing and music producing skills in preparation for becoming professional artists and instructors themselves. Through the Wammie Awards and the DC Funk Parade, The MusicianShip continues to honor and advocate for hundreds of musicians while supporting them with professional learning opportunities and connecting thousands of audience members with their artistic work. This ambitious organization keeps the soul of this city alive for us all.

Headquarters: DC-Ward 8

Where They Operate: DC-Citywide; Anacostia; Randle Highlands, SE; Trinidad, NE; Columbia Heights; Garfield Heights, SE; Truxton Circle, NW; Deanwood, NE; France; South Africa; Sint Maarten

Age Groups Served: Youth (5-11); Pre-teen/teen (12-17); Young adult (18-24)

Population(s) Served: Low- to Moderate-Income Community Members; Students

Schools They Work In: Ketcham Elementary School; Wheatley Education Campus; Columbia Heights Educational Campus; Garfield Elementary; Dunbar High School; Randle Highlands Elementary School; KIPP DC


  • Number of people students we serve annually:   1600
  • Number of people (patrons, students, children) we serve annually through our DC Funk Parade and Wammie Awards brands:   70,000
  • Students enrolled in our programs for at least two years graduated from high school:   97%
  • High school graduates in our school year program enrolled in a college or university:   100%
  • High school graduates in our school year programs who received music scholarship they applied for:   100%

Awards & Recognition

2014 - Mayor's "One City" Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) award
2019 - NBC4 "Working for the Community" Award
2019 WeDC Ambassador

Press

Budget (FY2023)

  • $3 million or higher
  • The current budget for The MusicianShip is: $1 million to $3 million
  • $500k to $1 million
  • Less than $500k

Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to $3 million. This graphic indicates the budget range of the organization featured here. If you see an organizational budget above the $3 million mark, that is because the featured charity has grown in size since it first appeared in the Catalogue. We proudly present on our website the work of these "growth" charities.

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