Leadership
Initiative
Get inspired. Get involved.
Get recognized.
Leading the Way
Hi, I’m Danny Pylee. I’m the Secretary of the Junior Program and a member of the Leadership Initiative. I’m a pianist and saxophonist who started playing music around 10 years ago. I attend Medway High School, where I am a sophomore, and there I am part of the school band. Recently, I have found a new love for music, and decided to pursue it through the organization Volunteer Musicians of the Arts Junior Program.
Whether you’re in Massachusetts or Minnesota, Texas or Tennessee, join the Junior Program! Start your own chapter, and consider applying to the Leadership Initiative.
Leading Empathically.
Building Bridges
The VMA’s Leadership Initiative (High School Division) is a comprehensive educational approach built upon connecting our most dedicated Junior Program members across America, and inspiring collaborative outreach projects with VMA-mentored guidance.
Through our Virtual Workshop series and Google Nonprofit Workspace, every Junior across the country is connected to one another, to our cause, bouncing off outreach performance, fundraising, and community engagement ideas, while receiving access to professional VMA mentorship. Our focus is to cultivate compassionate leadership qualities for classically trained high school musicians, giving every Junior the tools to succeed in a leadership role.
National Recognition
Juniors who complete the one year Leadership Initiative (2 semesters) receive the VMA Leader Award and are eligible to receive the nationally recognized Americorps’ President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). Our long-term goal is that at least one of our VMA Leaders will draw upon the advantages bestowed upon them to enact positive change, in any theatre, on the global stage: non ministrari, sed ministrare (“not to be served, but to serve”).
Income-Based Tuition
Just as we believe everyone deserves orchestra seats, we believe every family enrolling in the Leadership Initiative should be able to access the incredible wealth of knowledge, experience, and compassion our team provides. Families earning up to approximately the median household income of middle-class America (“Supported Families”) pay a fraction of the Leadership Initiative’s annual cost. Supported Families are also equally as eligible as Resourced Families to receive presidential recognition.
Volunteer Hours Simplified
We at the VMA know how classically trained performers need to practice throughout the year in order to maintain and improve upon fundamental technique and artistry. The Leadership Initiative is designed to encourage the constant pursuit of excellence in the performing arts whilst satisfying the minimum volunteer hour requirements required for presidential recognition.
Therefore, once a Junior Program High-Schooler completes the Leadership Initiative, the title of VMA Leader is earned, and every VMA Leader is eligible to receive the Gold Medal President’s Volunteer Service Award.