The American Children’s Orchestras for Peace provides music instruction to underprivileged children in public schools, parks, and community centers to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness that often leads to juvenile violence.

This year-round program is designed to provide instruments and free lessons to underserved, at-risk children in Miami-Dade County, using music to improve individual achievement, social skills, parental involvement, and ultimately – children’s lives. ACOP targets communities with acute needs and social problems. Our vision is to not only focus on the children’s artistic development but utilize music as a tool for peace and social change.

ACOP music programs cater to the artistic, social, personal and cerebral development of our youth, and represent an extraordinary opportunity for special needs and disadvantaged youth to enrich their lives through music. Our main program goals are to; improve the musical aptitude knowledge of each young person, reduce negative behaviors while improving social skills and peer-to-peer relationships, increase parental involvement in their child’s activities, connect youth with a positive and influential mentor to keep youth away from unhealthy patterns and those dangerous idle times during after-school hours when they may tempted to get involved with street gangs and other violent activities.

American Children’s Orchestras for Peace reach children ages 5 – 18 years old from underserved areas of Miami-Dade County. When ACOP began its program activities, special outreach efforts were made to ensure a high participation level from disadvantaged children at school and parks. Since the beginning more than 10,000 children have participated in The American Children’s Orchestras. Auditions are not conducted and our program is completely free of charge.

The American Children’s Orchestras for Peace music after-school programs are based on weekly activities that take place in the schools, parks and other institutions by pre-screened and qualified specialists in the area of music.

The programs of the American Children’s Orchestras for Peace awakens the competitive spirit of youth, inspiring youth to improve their own abilities while it promotes and provides opportunities to build cultural understanding and goodwill, and at the same time involving family members, and the neighboring communities, regardless of social and economic barriers to participate in the magic of music.

ACOP’s Program Goals are to:

• Improve each child’s musical aptitude knowledge.
• Reduce negative behaviors, while improving social  skills and peer-to-peer relationships.
• Provide children with significantly positive and influential mentor-child relationships in their  adult  music instructors.
• Increase parental involvement in child activities.
• Keep children away from unhealthy patterns and those dangerous idle times in after school hours when  they may be prone to getting involved with street gangs  and other violent activities. In the at-risk  communities served by ACOP, after school hours are  the most dangerous time for children to be outside in  terms of becoming unintentional victims of community or street violence

Stage One: Placement
Youth are divided into separate orchestras; Classical Music Orchestras, Latin Music/ Afro-Caribbean Orchestras, Chorus, Recorder Orchestras for Pre-K children and Parents for ACOP Orchestras which is composed of Youth & Parents.

Step Two: Customized Curriculum
The renowned Suzuki method that Every Child Can! is used in adapted fashion. ACOP has found consistently that the Suzuki Music Education Method is highly effective in teaching music to underprivileged children in needy communities in the city of Miami. The late Dr. Shinichi Suzuki was a violinist, educator, philosopher and humanitarian. Dr. Suzuki devoted his life to the development of the method he called “Talent Education”. The approach is based on the belief that; “Musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability which can be developed”, and that any child who is properly trained can develop musical ability. He declared that “The potential of every child is unlimited”. Dr. Suzuki’s goal was not simply to develop professional musicians, but to nurture loving human beings and help develop each child’s character through the study of music.