About this Organization
At Cherry Children’s Music Outreach, we believe in the importance of bridging the arts and early childhood education. Cherry Children's Music Outreach (CCMO), was established in the spring of 2005 to address inequity in music education for young children living in disadvantaged communities throughout Maryland and DC. Our mission is to bring free research-based, music education to underserved communities throughout the region. With more than 17 years of success, Cherry Children’s Music Outreach is proud to provide our programs to over 1,500 disadvantaged children annually in 19 Head Start and Early Childhood Centers across the Washington, D.C. metro area.
Research has shown that learning through music in early childhood is an incredibly effective way for children to develop necessary social and cognitive skills (pbs.org). Cherry Children’s Music Outreach’s no-cost, mobile, program focuses on early childhood music education. Our curricula are well researched and specifically tailored to meet the unique learning needs of young children. In-person classes are held once a month, with well-qualified music educators leading small-groups of children in music-based education activities. During each visit to a classroom, the teachers utilize a structured lesson that integrates a variety of genres of music with current researched-based music instruction methods for young children.
In addition to the educational and developmental benefits, our classes bring smiles, laughter and the joy of multi-cultural music into our students’ young lives. Parents and teachers tell us again and again that our music program brings out the confidence and creativity in their children. Our classes and curriculum balance the order, structure and repetition that young children require during this critical time in their development with the flexibility, freedom, spontaneity and creative play that they love.
Over the years, we have reached thousands of children with this impactful program, but there are still many more children in need. The community need for quality music education for children from low-income families is enormous. There are 41 Head Start and Early Head Start programs across Washington, DC and over 100 in Maryland. Cherry Children’s Music Outreach can grow by 10 times and still not meet all the centers serving low-income families across the region.
