Meaningful Music in the Community: How The MusicianShip is Spreading Justice and Joy

Here at VidMob, we believe and stand behind equality, justice, and human rights regardless of the time of year. That said, this Black History Month we want to recognize and amplify the message of one of our inspirational nonprofit partners, The MusicianShip.

Based in the Washington D.C. area, The Musicianship is composed of an incredible assortment of impact-driven music programs. From a festival drawing 70,000 people to an epic award show that celebrates creatives from the area, each program is focused on using music as an “instrument” of change for youth in the communities they serve. At its core, The MusicianShip believes in the healing power of music to advocate for joy, justice, representation and equality.

Last month, in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, The MusicianShip further emphasized the role music played in the civil rights movement by highlighting how musicians used their personal platforms to protest and advocate for anti-racism throughout the 20th Century. Dr. King’s future wife, Coretta Scott, steered her musical career under the wings of activism organizing “Freedom Concerts” to support the civil rights movement. Dr. King, himself, was a huge fan of Jazz music, famously calling it “triumphant music,” and citing that, “Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.” For more on The MusicianShip’s effort around “Music in the Life of Martin Luther King Jr,” read here.

In coming together with The MusicianShip, we were able to harness these rich musical insights that have been passed down through time and create unique content that could reach their communities of color and disadvantaged youth.

“Because of this partnership, we’re a sharper marketing team that’s learning best practices and how to drive content based on real, measurable KPI & demographic goals versus based on what’s easiest for us to create in our back office.”
– Jessica F. Teachey, Senior Director of Community Engagement, The MusicianShip

The Results:

• Reach: 6,000+ people. The nonprofit’s largest campaign to date yielded 794 nominations and 3,902 voters for their 2022 Wammie Awards, a 35-year-old premier music awards show celebrating Washington D.C. area artists and musicians.
• Access: Identified and engaged a completely new target group.
• Efficiency: Agile creative process and analytics gave The MuscianShip more time back to focus on their community driven initiatives.
• Confidence: By understanding their content better, the organization now deciphers preferred shots and video cuts needed to stand out with emotional prowess.

Big thanks to the VidMob team who made this all happen: Susan Choe, Sophia Deutch, Loren Berrier, and Brenda Lopez.