Nonprofit pitches after‑school music pilot for Liberty City

Arbie Nickerson, president of the American Music Initiative, told the Miami Lakes Cultural Affairs Committee that his newly formed nonprofit plans to launch an after‑school music pilot in Liberty City and asked the committee for support with space, advertising and seed funding.

Nickerson said the program will focus first on orchestral percussion this school year and add strings, chorus, brass and guitar in subsequent years. “Our goal in the next 10 years is to establish 4 to 6 chapters in every state … serving over 33,000 students with over 300 chapters across the nation,” he said during his presentation to the committee.

Why it matters: Nickerson told the committee he is targeting schools and neighborhoods with fewer cultural and music‑education resources and argued that music access is linked to academic outcomes. He said he had discussed literacy and arts statistics with representatives from the Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts and that students with consistent access to music programs perform better academically. He described his organization’s pilot plans as a model the group intends to replicate across Florida and beyond.

Program and asks: Nickerson said the pilot will operate in Liberty City, initially offering percussion instruction (xylophone, glockenspiel, drums) with strings and chorus to follow. He said the group will provide instruments and instruction and is seeking two kinds of collaboration from municipal committees: (1) invitations for students to perform at local cultural events such as the committee’s Black History Month programming, and (2) access to public space for recurring “pop up and play” workshops and after‑school programming. “To the community, there is no cost,” Nickerson said when asked whether families would be charged.

Funding and next steps: Nickerson said the American Music Initiative is seeking seed funding and municipal partners to provide space and promotion; he said the group will supply instruments it already owns. Committee members asked clarifying questions about the mix of singing and instruments; Nickerson replied the first year focuses on instruments and percussion and later phases will add chorus and additional ensembles. The committee did not take formal action at the meeting; the chair said staff would follow up with Nickerson to explore next steps and potential scheduling for performances and workshops.

Quotes: “Our goal in the next 10 years is to establish 4 to 6 chapters in every state … serving over 33,000 students,” Nickerson said. When asked whether families would pay, he replied plainly, “To the community, there is no cost.”

Ending: Committee members encouraged Nickerson to remain engaged; staff and the chair said they would follow up about possible dates, space and participation in upcoming cultural events. No funding commitments were made during the meeting.