Founded in 2009, the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA),  is a nonprofit that transforms the lives and minds of young people in Inner City LA through high quality music education.  They teach young people about the great music of the world and provide opportunities for them to perform that music in the most magnificent settings of our community.  They prepare their members for advanced study and high caliber success in music and otherwise and do it through many programs they offer and ALL AT NO COST. They instill the ancillary benefits that music instruction provides: problem-solving skills, critical thinking, self-reliance, self-confidence, self-discipline, and the crystallization and pursuit of meaningful purpose. The ICYOLA is also the largest majority Black orchestra in America. They have are building a new, larger facility to offer their programs to evan more students. To get your child involved, to donate to help fund the new building and to find our more, click here: https://icyola.org/

In this podcast, Lisa Foxx talks to ICYOLA Founder, Executive Director & Conductor Charles Dickerson. They chat about the programs and how getting involved with ICYOLA can be inspiring and life changing. Aired August 18, 2024.