Akropolis' Community Residency — Creating New Music Close to Home
Akropolis has been in residence at three high schools in Detroit since 2017. These schools are Cass Technical High School, Detroit School of Arts, and M.L.K., Jr. Sr. High School.
Each year, Akropolis visits each school around 20 times throughout the year, helping students with their own creative projects, including teaching them how to compose. Since 2017, Akropolis has helped over 50 Detroit students write pieces of music, which are then premiered and recorded by Akropolis during their Together We Sound festival every summer. Akropolis is especially proud of several students who have gone on to pursue music and composition at colleges including the Oberlin Conservatory and Florida State University thanks to their instruction.
Akropolis also brings in guest artists and composers to these schools each year. These have included composers Omar Thomas, Steven Snowden, Peter Terry, and more to work with the Detroit students. In addition to helping students compose, they also commissioned a concerto called "Dawn to Dance" by Peter Terry for reed quintet and high school wind band they workshopped and then premiered with the DSA high school band in 2019.