Music Drives Us is excited to join forces with “ArtWeek” to provide five individual performers with $1,000 grants. These funds will be put towards their performances during the ArtWeek celebrations in the Greater Boston Area this spring.
 
As part of our mission, Music Drives Us strives to support musicians who have a passion for the shared musical performance experience. Throughout New England, talented musical groups are struggling to find the monetary means to bring their music to interested listeners through complimentary concert series in schools, afterschool programs, and public town spaces.
 
Music Drives Us will work with the selected grant recipients to underwrite a program that, through our funding, compensates them for their time and expenses. In order to be eligible for a grant, the individual must:

• Provide a performance in the Greater Boston Area between April 28 and May 7
• Provide complimentary access to his/her performance for all patrons
• Include a musical education component to his/her performance 

To learn more about ArtWeek or to submit a proposal, please visit http://www.artweekboston.org/get-involved-support/host/. 
 
What is ArtWeek?
Celebrated twice a year (fall and spring), ArtWeek Boston is affordable fun for anyone with a creative sense of adventure. It is a ten-day award-winning festival featuring unique and unexpected experiences that are participatory, interactive, or offer behind-the-scenes access to artists or the creative process. Each ArtWeek event is a one-of-a-kind celebration that people won’t want to miss (especially since many are FREE, although some range in price up to $50). Since Fall 2013, ArtWeek has featured nearly 800 events involving more than 750 organizations and partners!
 
About Music Drives Us
Music Drives Us is a registered 501(c)(3), New England nonprofit organization supplying grants to music programs designed to effect positive change for people of all ages. We seek organizations and individuals interested in using music as a tool to better the lives of people in all segments of society.

Music Drives us supported Artweek Boston by providing  five performance grants to local organizations for this event.  Congratulations to our recipients:

Saturday April 29th & Sunday April 30th - Norwood Space Center
Join Music Drives Us for an exciting ArtWeek event in Norwood! ArtWeek Boston and Vintage Market MA come to Norwood Space Center on Saturday, April 29 from 10:00AM to 4:00PM and Sunday, April 30 from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. For two days, the Norwood Space Center will come alive through a variety of free family friendly exhibits conversations, live music and more.

Vintage Market MA, a pop-up market, will feature vintage finds and accessories, unique items for home and garden as well as up cycled furniture and select artisans.

On Saturday, April 29 join our founder, Ernie Boch Jr., for a conversation about music education at 11:30am, hosted by Cha Chi LoPrete of WZLX.  Followed by an appearance from legendary WZLX DJ, Carter Alan,  with a reading from his new book “The Decibel Diaries”.

Mad Science will offer SLIPPERY SCIENCE, an education and interactive opportunity for kids to learn about polymers and allow them to make their own Slime to take home and experiment with. The Fireseed Arts, a collective of artists committed to raising awareness of the impacts of our lifestyle on the environment through art and music, will host a hands-on workshop sponsored by Music Drives Us focusing on creating rock steady music from instruments handmade almost entirely from recycled materials from bucket drums and electric guitars, to the more exotic madinda and cajon.

For more information about the Norwood Space Center please norwoodspacecenter.com/springmarket.html

Friday, May 5 Assembly Row,  Somerville 7:30-9:30pm
The Brown Box Theatre invites guests to arrive at 6:30 pm to see the end of their set construction/ set-up phase and fight call before engaging in a brief pre-show discussion with a member of the Brown Box team.  Brown Box Theatre Project’s mission is to create high-quality theatre and deliver their own work directly to communities to expand the reach of impactful, professional performing arts. 

Saturday, May 6 Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown 11:00-3:30pm
Kids Really Rock will be presenting an all-day performance centered around the theme “All We Need is Love”. Kids Really Rock performance includes nationally acclaimed bands for families and kids, including Karen K & the Jitterbugs and Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys, to name a few. Additionally, participants can experiment with clay, printmaking, and mixed media as well as a very special printing project to create print masterpieces. Watertown Children’s Theatre will also host fun theatre-based activities for children, and New Repertory Theatre will showcase their exciting family-friendly theatre programming. 

Saturday, May 6 Stony Brook Sun Stage, Jamaica Plain 12:00-2:00pm
BOMBAantillana presents A Lady’s Journey from Bomba to Hip Hop, a short musical that explores how identity, achievement, sense of belonging, and self-confidence is all relative to your environment and ancestry. This event will be presented outdoors where families can attend and participate free of charge. The audience will enjoy a performance by the cast of singers, dancers and musicians from Boston and New York and will also have the opportunity to join in on this fun.

Newbury Street Music Crawl Sunday, May 7 Newbury St. 12:00-8:00pm
Newbury Street Music Crawl invites you to experience a performance by Vincent King and friends who will perform live on Newbury Street. Here, audience members can meet Vincent, a local singer/songwriter and Berklee Alumni, who wrote the song “The Boston Song.” Not only do you get to meet Vincent you will be able to learn about the creative process, hear what inspired him to write the song, which eventually becomes the jingle for a Ford commercial. 

Harmony & Hope Sunday, May 7  First Church, Roxbury 3:00-5:00pm
Harmony & Hope: Responding to Violence with Music invites you to experience a 2 hour performance centered around the expression of feelings of violence through art making and music. The concert will also provide the opportunity for a meet and greet with the musicians.