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Dedicated to the Synergy between Education and the Arts |
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The Inspiration Alumni Foundation, Inc. |
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About Us |
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The year 2009 will mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of The Inspiration, a co-ed cappella group on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania dedicated to educating and entertaining audiences about the rich diversity of music from the African Diaspora. After reflecting on our experiences during and after our tenure in the group, the alumni of The Inspiration launched The Inspiration Alumni Foundation to enrich the post-graduate legacy of our members and to give back to the academic and Philadelphia communities that poured into us throughout our collegiate and graduate school years. This foundation is necessary for several reasons. As alumni of the University of Pennsylvania and The Inspiration, we are strong advocates of higher education, as well as the arts. As a nation, we have witnessed the devaluation of the arts in educational curriculums, and the detrimental impact that their removal has on academic performance. Performing arts programs, having been deemed non-essential and expendable, are continually eliminated from school budgets nationwide. For many, membership in The Inspiration was an introduction to musicology. The Inspiration became a vehicle of learning for our alums, through which our members enhanced the technical and artistic halves of their vocal craft. Though blessed with amazing voices and immense natural talent, many group members had never studied musical theory, learned how to read sheet music, harmonized in more than three parts, or arranged a song. Yet upon graduation from the group, all of our members were experienced in these areas. As a musical family, we taught one another, and collectively shared our members’ strengths and weaknesses to build a stronger whole. Membership was also a lifeline, a haven amidst the surrounding chaos of college life and home life, and vital to our survival as students of an Ivy League university. We built enduring relationships from which we still draw strength and support. Essentially, we became a family. Each of us can attest to how being a member of The Inspiration affected our lives as students, and we want to encourage others to marry academia to the arts, as we have. Toward that end, The Inspiration Alumni Foundation will award merit-based scholarships and meritorious financial awards to deserving individuals. With the help of your donations, we will award annual scholarships to a current member of The Inspiration, and a graduating member who is going on to post-graduate studies. Our reach also extends to the community that supported us, wherein we will award annual scholarships to high school students in the greater Philadelphia area who matriculate to college and university as freshman, and who will continue in the study of and performance in music during their undergraduate years. We fully intend to demonstrate that The Arts can still support and enhance academics. These initial steps are just the first on a path towards encouragement and support. |
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To contact us:
The Inspiration Alumni Foundation, Inc. 1725 Eye Street, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006
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© 2009 The Inspiration Alumni Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
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To learn how to become a volunteer, click here |
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To learn about our upcoming music projects, click here |