Poverty places children at disproportionate risk to factors that may impair brain development and affect social and emotional development. In addition to the physical and mental health risks, poor children are at higher risk for decreased cognitive development, reduction in school attendance, and higher rates of grade failure. Youth are also more likely to exhibit behavior problems such as increased aggression and, in teenage years, to engage in delinquent behaviors.

“Facts about America’s Youth” (http://guide.helpingamericasyouth.gov) reports the negatively spiraling relationship between poverty and violence – which American Children’s Orchestra’s for Peace seeks to counteract through music.

Service to an Underserved Population

ACOP’s programs are currently running in the following areas of Miami Dade County (*demographics sourced from City of Miami’s Planning Department):

• Allapattah (*72% Hispanic): Has become an extremely dysfunctional community, riddled with crime, and a large homeless population.


• Overtown (*75% African American): One of the most economically depressed areas of Miami, with the main issues being drug-related crimes, inadequate funding for public education, homelessness and unemployment.


• Little Havana (*90% Hispanic): The community is familiar with deterioration, poverty, ethnic discrimination, and neighborhood crime.


• Little Haiti (*65% African American): The most concentrated area of Haitian settlers in Florida. Little Haiti's poverty rate is at 45.6%, roughly four times the rate of the state of Florida.


• Hialeah City (*90.3% Hispanic): 18.6% of the population live below the poverty line, and has the second highest percentage of Cuban and Cuban-American residents of any city in the U.S.

“Every student in the nation should have an education in the arts.”  This is the opening statement of “The Value and quality of Arts Education: A Statement of Principles”, a document from the nation’s ten most important educational organizations, including the American Association of School Administrators, The National Education Association, The National Parent Teacher Association and The National School Boards Association.

In the sometimes harsh reality of limited time and funding for instruction, the inclusion of the arts in every student’s education can sometimes be relegated to a distant wish, rather than an exciting reality.

Statement of Need

The children that we serve receive free or reduced lunch from Miami Dade County Public Schools. Percentages at the Schools and Parks:

• Paul L Dunbar Elementary: 3% receive reduced lunch, 90% receive free lunch.
• Santa Clara Elementary: 6% receive reduced lunch, 94% receive free lunch.
• Lenora Braynon Smith Elementary: 90% reduced lunch.
• Jesse McCrary Junior: 5% reduced lunch, 80% free lunch.
• Centro Mater Child Care & Neighborhood Center: 100% free lunch.
• Jose Marti Park: 100% reduced lunch.
• Hialeah Gardens:  15% receive reduced lunch, 85% receive free lunch.
• Creative Children Therapy: the majority of the families are financially underprivileged

Lack of Art Education in the Public School System

“The Benefits of the Study of Music: Why We Need Music Education in Our Schools.” Numerous, prestigious studies are cited in this report covering every area of child functioning – from neurological to cognitive improvement – to language skills – to social skills development – to deepening learning and intelligence – to successes that range from future musical careers to a lifelong appreciation and love of music.

In the sometimes harsh reality of limited time and funding for instruction, however, the inclusion of the arts in every student’s education can sometimes be relegated to a distant wish, rather than an exciting reality. The benefits conveyed by music education can be grouped in four categories: Success in School, Success in Society, Success in Developing Intelligence, Success in Life. 

Research has shown that musical study helps to improve: Critical thinking and self-discipline skill, a child‘s early cognitive development, basic math and reading abilities as well as self-esteem, SAT scores, ability to work as a team, spatial reasoning skills, and school attendance. Children’s attitudes and behavior patterns improve overall, and the likelihood that a child will graduate from high school and attend college goes up.