Local Dickinson non-profit The Dickinson Music Enrichment Center is offering two music programs for area kids attending Dickinson I.S.D. The two flagship programs will include free music lessons for kids interested in band and free band instruments. The Dickinson Music Enrichment Center is pleased to announce that thanks to support from Dawn Foods, our mission has received a tremendous boost.
“The grant that Dawn Foods awarded will provide the underserved students we with serve free music lessons for an entire term of 9 weeks” said Executive Director of TDMEC.” We are grateful and blessed for the commitment that Dawn Foods has shown our organization and the families we serve.“
“Music has the power to transform lives and communities, and at Dawn Foods, we are honored to support The Dickinson Music Enrichment Center in its efforts,” said Sarah Richmond, Director, Dawn Foods Corporate Giving. “We are committed to supporting the arts and fostering creativity in the places where we live and work. We hope our contribution will help to inspire and empower the talented young musicians of Dickinson.”
The Dickinson Music Enrichment Center (TDMEC) is a newly founded 501(c3) organization located in the city of Dickinson. We serve children and families that are economically underprivileged. TDMEC programs strive to remove impediments to children wishing to have earlier exposure to music and band. Three of these obstacles are the costs of lessons, the costs of instruments, and the costs of supplies. TDMEC founders experienced these impediments firsthand and wanted to tackle these obstacles by offering free music lessons, free musical supplies, and free instruments for children whose families fall beneath a certain yearly income level. Dickinson I.S.D. band is not offered until 6th grade. It has been meticulously documented through several major studies that earlier exposure to music is beneficial for young children during their education. With these two programs TDMEC will fill the music opportunity void by starting their free music lesson program with 4th grade students.
The founder and co-founder of TDMEC have a great love for music and operate TDMEC in line with the words of the reformation leader Martin Luther.” Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.” They adhere to these words by putting forth every effort to make sure that all children in Dickinson have a personal opportunity to share in that treasure.
The Dickinson Music Enrichment Center was founded on the heels of a terrible accident along a busy street in a Dickinson neighborhood, with no sidewalks and no streetlights for safety or visibility, where a wonderful young lady lost her life due to a hit and run driver. This young lady was a member of the Dickinson H.S. marching band. The Founder did not know what could be done to honor her memory but knew something had to be done. As he focused on what could be done, he thought of her life as a young person doing what she loved in a band and living in an area that has been left behind along with its residents. So, he came up with a way to offer other kids in these areas the opportunity to develop a love for music the way this young lady did and the way his son has.
As a result, The Dickinson Music Enrichment Center was conceived.
