YEAH! amplifies the voices of youth from all communities through music education and exploration.
YEAH! fosters inclusive spaces through collaboration, not competition, to develop creativity, leadership, and community for youths of all identities and backgrounds, especially those who tend to be marginalized.
To provide:
YEAH! is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable youth arts organization in Nashville, Tennessee, founded to empower students 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! does not discriminate on the grounds of age, race, color, religion, gender expression, national origin, physical, emotional, cognitive, or social needs, or any other classification protected by federal, statutory, and Tennessee constitutional laws.
Our summer camp, weekend, and public school programs support social responsibility and self-esteem. Participants gain proficiency on an instrument (bass, drums, guitar, keyboard, ukulele, or vocals); work together as a band; compose music; attend workshops; attend live performances; and showcase their work at the end of programs.
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 personal instruments, and our scholarship program removes financial barriers for applicants.
YEAH! traces its roots to 2003, when Middle Tennessee State University student Kelley Anderson organized the first Southern Girls Rock Camp – the world’s second females-only rock camp ever. It was a joint project of the Women for Women student organization and the June Anderson Women’s Center. Inspired by her experience volunteering at a girls’ rock camp in Portland, Oregon, Anderson envisioned a more egalitarian music community in Tennessee.
YEAH! was founded in 2006 by Anderson, Anna Fitzgerald, Courtney Vickers, Andrew Jacks, Ryan York, and Nicole Tekulve. YEAH! enables self-expression for youths from all communities through yearlong programming. YEAH! connects participants who have limited access to the arts, and provides fair wages for local teaching artists. The organization’s scholarship fund is available to all applicants, regardless of economic background or status.
YEAH! builds on partnerships with government and community organizations to support our young people. We strive to engage 250 youths annually in instrument instruction and related disciplines that represent and supply music creators, with workshops and panels on arts advocacy, songwriting, zine making, synthesizers, light, sound, recording, podcasting, and branding. All programs increase the appreciation of music and its historical impact on positive social change. YEAH! emphasizes the joy and value in expression and collaboration through the following programs: