About PCMP

Our Organization motto, "Soli Tutti" exemplifies our main goal: educating over 500 Miami public school students in a chamber instructional format, "Soli", then combining our eight programs in a symphony orchestra setting, "Tutti".

Founded in 2016, our cornerstone program Pinecrest Sprouts Strings began as an after-school program operating in coordination with the Village of Pinecrest and Miami-Dade County Public Schools South Region Office. After initially realizing the strong potential of this program and its impact on our local community, we founded Music @ The Gardens, a concert series intended to not only showcase, but to embrace the importance and value of arts education on local communities and their impact on the cultural arts. This annual concert allowed students in the fine and applied arts the platform to showcase their artistic prowess to the community at-large, while engaging in mentorship and side-by-side programming with experienced musicians.

After three consecutive seasons of success and continued growth, PCMP began to look towards expanding its programming to a larger demographic. In October 2019, the organization was established and incorporated as Pinecrest City Music Project, Inc. (PCMP). This transition allowed for the spread of programming and public access cultural arts initiatives across the greater South Miami-Dade region. In September 2016, the number of students served was just 45. To date, PCMP funds, operates, and instructs programs reaching 500 student-musicians throughout Miami-Dade County through eight weekly programs, and 7,000 community stakeholders annually through three County-sponsored public access initiatives.

As PCMP expands to cater to an ever-increasing population of young musical arts students, it continues to assist our community at-large by providing students with new and innovative opportunities to learn and grow. PCMP’s motto, ‘Soli Tutti’ coincides with its continued mission to create programs that are available to all students — ‘tutti’ meaning ‘everyone.’ As over 65% of PCMP students are low income and receive free-lunch services, all activities undertaken by our organization are 100% free-of-charge. With the continued expansions of the program, PCMP seeks to continue to provide for its students in any and all means possible.

Upending the status quo is one of the pillars of PCMP. As the only student-run organization to execute an Affiliating Agreement with the School Board of Miami-Dade County, PCMP’s mission is to educate students to become holistic arts leaders, both in and outside the classroom. Programming is designed to act as a full-circle initiative. Students begin their music education during elementary school, where they learn the foundational skills of their discipline. As they transition into middle school, students continue developing their musical prowess through in-school arts residency initiatives through the organization’s peer-based curriculum platform. In this phase, middle school students develop leadership, communication, and advocacy skills through the Youth Arts Advocacy program – a program that couples students’ passion for the musical arts with communication & advocacy skills that leads to social advocacy for the arts in Miami-Dade. Transitioning into high school, the student has come “full-circle,” now serving as an instructor in the program in which they first began their music education. Students also have the opportunity to serve in an administrative capacity within the organization, which allows for real-word career-building development in finance, operations, curriculum, and marketing. In this phase, high school students lead all aspects of the organization and oversee its programming, public access initiatives, and administrative responsibilities, while reporting to the organization’s Board of Directors.

As a peer-based learning platform, students greatly benefit from observation and interaction with high school mentors. By facilitating a sense of inclusion, equity, and diversity in the administrative team, PCMP continues its mission to develop holistic arts leaders, both in and outside of the classroom. As a coalition of student-leaders, PCMP must lead by example in ensuring that all demographics are heard, appreciated and represented: 68% of staff is female, 60% POC, 28% LGBTQIA+, and 8% disabled.