Program areas at From the Top
Rom the Top is america's largest media platform dedicated to classically-trained young musicians and nurturing their leadership potential. Through its nationally syndicated show heard on 198 radio stations, weekly audiences of more than 350,000 people have enjoyed inspiring original content that shines a spotlight on remarkable young people for over 20 years.during the pandemic ftt leveraged its advantage of being a media organization. Ftt was able to remain fully operational at a time when many performing organizations were shuttered, offering musicians a safe and powerful "venue." Ftt changed its operating model to accommodate the changing environment and ultimatley developed a more cost-efficient and flexible way of working.
Over the past decade, ftt has recognized the power in providing a space for young musicians to slow down, reflect and build leadership skills and "citizen artist" muscles. Through workshops and facilitated peer exchange, these young artists examine their passions, what skills they have in and out of music, and what the world needs. Then they put their learning into practice in a community setting. In fy21 ftt transitioned this training to the digital space, inviting young musicians to a 7-zoom -session series over a 4-week period.
the admissions, recruitment, and scholarship department is the engine that fuels From the Top, bringing young musicians of different ages, geographic regions, socio-economic, and racial backgrounds into the organization. the admissions team facilitates communication andawareness of From the Top to a vast network of music educators, programs, and camps, ftt holds auditions throughout the year via zoom andannually awards $200,000 in scholarships, approximately 20 musicians received $10,000 each. Since 2005, From the Top has awarded nearly $4 million in jack kent cooke awards to over 300 exceptional young musicians with financial need.
Ftt's platform to bring visibility to young musicians and build audiences includes ftt and npr social media efforts. In june 2021, ftt's second npr tiny desk concert was released as part of npr's very popular tiny desk series. Npr also featured 13 instagram takeovers led by From the Top alumni that performed extremely well. Ftt's fy21 social snapshot: 70,434 hours of online content watched. 956,731 views on facebook. An instagram audience that is comprised of 55% people ages 13 54. 11,178 new facebook and instagram followers.