About YEAH!
Our Mission
To further empower youth voices from all backgrounds through music education.
Our vision
A world where every young person has access to music education and an inclusive community that fosters belonging and empowers them to thrive.
Our values
Empowerment: We empower youth through music education, equipping them with tools to express themselves, grow as leaders and contribute positively to society.
Inclusivity: We celebrate diversity, ensuring every young person's voice, talent, and perspective is valued and embraced in our community.
Collaboration: We cultivate a culture of collaboration over competition, fostering teamwork, mentorship, and creative exchange among youth, educators, artists, and partners.
Access: We remove barriers to participation, providing equitable access to high-quality music education, regardless of background or circumstance.
Justice & Legacy: We honor the historic impact of music as a force for justice and change, inspiring youth to use their voices to build a more equitable future.
Our purpose
Our purpose is to empower youth through music pathways to exploration, appreciation, self-expression, community, justice and cultural engagement.
Overview
YEAH! is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable youth arts organization in Nashville, Tennessee, founded to further empower young people ages 6-17 through music.
YEAH! prioritizes expanded diversity among its students, teachers, volunteers, staff, and its board. YEAH! reaches out to underrepresented populations, such as our non-English speaking, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse, and Title 1 public school communities in Middle Tennessee. We encourage their participation in our organization and programs, making YEAH! reflective of the community’s strength.
YEAH! values diversity of age, race, economic status, gender expression, size, physical ability, developmental ability, musical interests, learning styles, nationality, religion, and sexual orientation. We promote respect and do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, or other discriminatory behavior or expression.
Our summer camp, weekend, and public school programs support social responsibility and self-esteem. Participants gain proficiency on an instrument of their choice (bass, drums, guitar, keyboard, ukulele, or vocals); work together as a band; write songs and compose music; attend workshops and live performances; and showcase their work at the end of each program.
More broadly, participants take risks and create art representative of their similarities and uniqueness. Band collaborations develop entrepreneurial and life skills that lead to future success in all fields.
YEAH!’s lending library provides access to personal instruments, and our scholarship program removes financial barriers for applicants.
Our history
YEAH! traces its roots to 2003, when Middle Tennessee State University student Kelley Anderson organized and kicked off the first Southern Girls Rock Camp - the second-ever female only Rock Camp in the world - as a joint project between the feminist student organization Women for Women and the June Anderson Women's Center. Anderson was inspired by her experience volunteering at the girls rock camp program in Portland, Oregon and envisioned a more egalitarian music community in Tennessee.
YEAH! was founded in 2006 by Kelley Anderson, Anna Fitzgerald, Courtney Vickers, Andrew Jacks, Ryan York, and Nicole Tekulve to enable self-expression for youths from all backgrounds through yearlong music education programming. YEAH! has increasingly connected participants who have limited access to music education. It moved away from its volunteer run model to providing equitable wages for local teaching artists. Collaborations with community organizations have supported our programs’ planning, promotion, recruitment, and curriculum. The organization’s scholarship fund was made for all applicants, regardless of economic background or status.
For more about YEAH!’s commitment to child safety and our organization’s safeguarding policy, please click here.
Our Programming
YEAH! Rocks Music Camp - A one-week summer day camp for youth ages 6 - 17
Rock Block - A 10-week band-based program on Saturday afternoons for middle and high school youth
Rock Block MNPS - A one hour, 10-week, after-school enrichment program at Title 1 middle and high schools and community centers
Rock Block NPL - A one hour, 10-week after-school and Saturday afternoon program at Nashville Public Library branches for youth ages 11 and up
Local Legends Tour - Alumni perform at festivals, museums, and cultural events
Scholarships - Need-based scholarships are available for all camp participants, with a limited availability for Rock Block
YEAH! Music Gear Lending Library - Free loaner instruments are available for participants to use during the programs and at home
YEAH! Nondiscrimination statement
All of YEAH!’s programs and services are fully accessible to all artists and citizens. No person of on the grounds of disability, age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin or any other classification protected by Federal, Tennessee State constitutional, or statutory law shall be given preferential treatment or excluded from participation in services, programs and employment provided by YEAH! and its contracting agencies. If an individual believes they have been subjected to discrimination, they may file a complaint with the Civil Rights Enforcement Division of the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office at Online Complaint Portal; phone: 615.741.5825, email CRED@ag.tn.gov; or by mail to P. O. Box 20207, Nashville, TN 37202.