THE MIKEY HOUSER PRE-AMPED MUSIC PROGRAM

WHAT IS THE PRE-AMPED PROGRAM?

The Mikey Houser Pre-Amped Music Program is a primary education music program for 4th & 5th-graders. The program is free of cost for participants, and is provided by Nuçi’s Space at various Athens Clarke County Boys and Girls Club locations.We are currently running the program at the Joel E. Smilow Clubhouse​, The Club at H.T. Edwards​ and the Rocksprings Community Center.​

Founded in honor of Widespread Panic founder Mikey Houser, the primary objective of Pre-Amped is to provide 4th and 5th-grade students the opportunity to explore musical instruments and engage in small group music lessons run by professional musicians and educators. 

Our goal is to spark a passion for music in the students we work with - ideally, a passion that they can rely on throughout their lives. As the young people we serve continue to grow, they often age into our other youth programs, such as Camp Amped. This gives us the chance to engage with our students throughout their time in middle and high school, ultimately helping us cultivate resilience, emotional stability, and creative thinking skills in the young people we serve.

Over the past 2 years we’ve disbursed more than $25,000 in scholarships for our programs. Thanks to a network of generous donors, (including Widespread Panic) we are able to provide Pre-Amped to children in our community free of cost! As an added bonus we provide the students with an instrument of their own to practice with and if they complete a whole year of lessons they get to keep it!

The Pre-Amped Program was conceived in 2019 as an expansion of our esteemed Camp Amped summer program, which started at Nuçi’s Space in 2007. With nearly 20 years of experience we’ve seen firsthand the positive impact our programs have had on children in the Athens community. 

Families have attributed this effect to “the power of practice, drive, communication.” As one parent put it, by “working in cooperation with a group toward a shared goal”, we are setting the stage for our campers to become successful communicators, self-aware leaders, and active members of the music community.

WHAT THIS PROGRAMS OFFERS:

• Free music instruction in an engaging small group setting

• Instruments on loan for students to take home and practice with

• An Introduction to rock band instruments ( guitar, bass, drums, keys)

• An environment for students to build effective social and emotional skills, cultivating an understanding of topics including communication, coping, teamwork, conflict resolution, work ethic, leadership, and more

• An opportunity for students to continue their musical exploration through our variety of programs geared towards creative young people

OUR EXPECTATIONS:

• Presence - we expect students enrolled in our program to be present at every lesson.

• Communication - if a scheduling conflict does arise, we expect the guardian(s) to  communicate that conflict with our team as soon as possible. 

• Care - to preserve equipment for future use, we expect that both students and parents will handle the instruments we loan to them with care.

WHAT IS NUÇI’S SPACE?

Nuçi’s Space is a musicians’ resource center and community hub in Athens, Georgia. Our mission is to prevent suicide. With a focus on musicians, we advocate for and help to alleviate the suffering of those living with a brain illness. Nuçi’s Space was created in memory of 22-year-old musician and UGA student Nuçi Phillips, who died by suicide after years of suffering from major depression. Nuçi’s Space seeks to provide a sense of community and maintain an open dialogue surrounding mental health, particularly through the lens of musicians and other creative people.