Mann Center launches new institute to support community, arts and jobs

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, one of the nation’s largest amphitheaters, launched a new institute this month to support community arts programs and help young musicians break into the music business.

Catherine M. Cahill, Mann’s president and CEO, said the effort emerged as the center reimagined its “role as a performing arts center in the realm of urban arts education.”

The Mann wants to be responsive to the needs of the community it serves, Cahill said, including the nearby Parkside neighborhood. The idea for the new center came after community members asked for support in helping young local residents find placements in the music industry and earn wages that could help them raise families.

“We are deeply committed to Parkside,” she said. “We are not going anywhere, and we have an obligation to serve our community. We have a lot of talented young people here, but there are no professional growth opportunities for them.”

One of the center’s signature programs is the All City Orchestra Summer Academy, which currently serves students in 5th through 12th grades.a

Arts programs can have a positive impact on student academic achievement and well-being, Cahill said. A 2019 Brookings Institution study of 42 elementary and middle school students in Houston schools with arts programs, or those that partnered with community arts programs, showed improved scores on standardized writing tests, an increase in school engagement and a decrease in disciplinary actions. Cahill said the Mann will collaborate with area universities to study the impact of the new program.

A new initiative unveiled

The Mann Center for Creative Arts and Community Impact was born out of an 18-month study, which included more than 50 interviews with stakeholders, including community groups, local pastors and school district officials. The initiative focuses on three areas:

• To make the Mann a leader in workforce development in the music industry
• To increase its out-of-school arts programs
• To make its campus a hub for artists, residents and partners, and underserved groups – people with disabilities, seniors and people of color

Frank Machos will lead the new institute. Machos currently serves as executive director of the Office of the Arts & Creative Learning for The School District of Philadelphia, and is involved in community arts programs at the Mann and across the city. Machos, 44, will start his new position in May.

“I am super excited about it,” Machos said. “It is really, for me, an extension of work that the Mann has been building a foundation for in the last five years since they went into their strategic-planning process. We worked closely to try to build programs that would fill in gaps of what the district is currently providing.”

Machos plans to build an intensive training program, tailored to the music industry’s needs.

“My vision is creating a hub for youth that have an interest in the music industry across all aspects,” Machos said. “We’ve done a lot with the students on the performance side of things, but there is an incredible opportunity to build the offstage side of the work.”

A Philly icon

For nearly 50 years, the 14,000-seat Mann, located at the edge of Fairmount Park in West Philadelphia, has featured local entertainers and events such as Ballet X, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Roots Picnic. Machos’ contacts in the music industry and the arts community will be invaluable, Cahill said.

Cahill said the new center will be funded through government and private money. The overall budget is still being developed, but the program will have six employees.

Chloe Cooper, director of Generation Music, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that teaches music to young people in underserved communities, is proof of the potential of the Mann’s new institute.

At 17, Cooper played flute in the Mann’s All City Orchestra Summer Academy and mentored younger participants, often leading rehearsals.

Cooper said it helped to inspire her to start her own nonprofit and prepare her for her current role as a teacher-artist at Generation Music.

“It was the first time I had responsibility for a group of people,” Cooper said.

“It sounds like a good initiative. It would be great to be able to collaborate with the Mann Center.”

Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series that explores the impact of creativity on student learning and success. WHYY and this series are supported by the Marrazzo Family Foundation, a foundation focused on fostering creativity in Philadelphia youth, which is led by Ellie and Jeffrey Marrazzo. WHYY News produces independent, fact-based news content for audiences in Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey.