Dear friends,

This year we celebrated forty years of musical impact in Chicago. As I reflect back on this year’s highlights - Yo-Yo Ma! Smashing Pumpkins! Symphony Center! just to name a few - there is one overarching word that stands out: COMMUNITY.

We are a community…

... that demands excellence, both artistically and academically, ensuring each student can and will achieve their educationaland career goals.

... that works together to create a safe space for children amidstthe ever-present violence outside our doors.

... that welcomes, respects and embraces families that hail fromall over the world, speaking over 20 different languages.

... built on the spirit that our collective effort can ultimately change the life outcomes of the students we are honored to teach.

I am so proud of this community, one that is unlike any other, for how we rally together around our 600 students and the dreams they have for their future. As we look to the year ahead and the next forty years beyond that, I want to thank you for believing in the transformative impact of music – on young people, on families, on communities, on society. Because of you, we have witnessed the transformation of our own students and 10,000 alumni into individuals of strong character and achievement.

Over the next year, I invite you to stay engaged:

+ Mentor a high school SLAM student + Cheer us on at an upcoming performance+ Join us at our gala next spring + Underwrite a scholarship for a hard-working student+ Sign up for our newsletter and stay in the know

The future is bright, and you won’t want to miss it!

Sincerely,Jennifer Kim MatsuzawaPresident & Artistic Director

Transforming livesthrough music

Visit Us At: peoplesmusicschool.org

WHERE WE ARE

Awesomeness, Outcomes and Impact2016-17 Year in Review

OUR MISSION IMPACT STORY

WHO WE ARE

WHAT WE DO

Students Served

FY17 Income

Annual Revenue

FY17 Expenses

As a percussionist, 14-year old Josue is a critical part of his orchestra and jazz band - and his steady beat provides the foundation for all other players. Josue is from the Albany Park neighborhood, where he lives with his mother and two younger brothers. His mother found The People’s Music School as she searched for a safe place for her children to go after school, while she worked multiple jobs to support the family. She wanted her boys to avoid the fate of so many young men in our city - of getting into trouble, or getting hurt by trouble.

In the seven years since then, music has opened up new worlds for Josue. Josue exemplifies our values of excellence, hard work, opportunity, creativity and community. His musicality has impressed professional artists, his leadership has made him a favorite mentor to our younger students and his character shines bright for all our community to be proud of.

This summer, Josue won a limited opportunity to attend the renowned Interlochen music camp -

a rare chance to experience life outside of Chicago and be immersed in a world of music and hope. In his application for this scholarship, Josue answered the question “What MakesYou Special?”:

“As the years pass, I am beginning to become aware of the situation my mom is going through, so I decided on my own to do something big

for my family. I dreamed about being a young musician looking for this one

goal in life: to bring my family to a position that no one can do any

harm to us. I dedicate myself to things I think are going to do

good in my life.”

Our mission is to deliver access to the benefits of high-quality, tuition-free music education. Through intensive instruction and performance, our students achieve excellence in music that transfers to other areas in life. They grow musically, socially, emotionally and intellectually, and develop a foundation of responsibility, self-esteem, resilience and purpose.

BEYOND THE MUSIC Each semester, we measure our students’ musical learning, but also their social and emotional learning. Through their studies, students gain skills like discipline, focus, team-work, responsibility and listening. Early results from an independent evaluation show our students are making significant gains in these life skills, and in growth mindset - which is proven to lead to success later in life.

CREATING MORE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITYEACH YEAR

Thanks to the generosity ofour community we servedmore students this past yearthan ever before.

LEAN, EFFICIENTAND THRIVING BECAUSE OFYOUR SUPPORT

With a strong program model and a committed, growing base of donors,we are in a stable financial positionto grow and keep ourselvesaccountable to our investorswith our results.

0% Earned | 1% Government | 5% Corporate

30% Individual | 62% Foundation

8% Administrative | 18% Fundraising

74% Program

ARTISTIC EXCELLENCEArtistic partnerships and residencies provide a deeper level of instruction and mentorship for our students. This year our students performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy Chamberlin of the Smashing Pumpkins, Third Coast Percussion, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Emanuel Ax, Civic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many other renowned artists.

RISING STARS 100% of TPMS high school seniors graduate and go on to attend college. Our alums are across the country, from Harvard to Grinnell, Stanford to Loyola, Northwestern to the U of I. They are studying biomedical engineering, psychology, communications, computer science, political science, and yes… music! We’re so proud!

FY15

325

600

$898K

$1.5M

FY15FY17 FY17

G C

I

F

A

F

P

Up to 12 Hoursof instruction per studentper week

14different instruments

25ensembles acrossmusic genres

165,000learning hours delivered

98%advance rate to nextmusic level

100%high school graduation rate

100%committed to realizing a child’s potential through music

100%tuition free

600students, ages 5-18

95%of color (80% Hispanic/Latino, African-American)

60paid teaching artists

Hundredson our cappedwaiting list

7,000+hours of volunteer work

10,000students servedsince 1976

4program sites (shown on map)

40zip codes acrossChicago

4 program sites

• Albany Park

• Uptown

• Back of the Yards

• Greater Grand Crossing