Although he was only 26 when he died, Mac Miller was always on the lookout for younger, upcoming artists to showcase.
In that spirit, The Mac Miller Fund, established last year at The Pittsburgh Foundation, has awarded $100,000 to music programs for teenagers and young adults at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA.
The grant, to be paid over a three-year period, will provide operating funds for The YMCA Lighthouse Project and for apprenticeships at Tuff Sound, a program operated at the YMCA that trains young adults to be sound engineers.
“[Mac] cared very much about working to make the world a kinder place and we will continue to do just that,” the Mac Miller family said in a statement.
Managers of the programs will host an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 17 so that students can tour the facility and learn about upcoming programs.
The YMCA Lighthouse Project is a teen center where young people are encouraged to explore their interests in music, film, photography and visual arts.
“These programs give young people a voice and empower them, through technical and transferable skills, for life after high school,” said James Brown, director of Creative Youth Development at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA. “There is a lot of emphasis [in the music business] on who is standing on the stage, but to build an industry, you also need people behind the scenes. We’re helping to grow the music industry in Pittsburgh by making sure young people of color from neighborhoods like Homewood are involved.”
All YMCA Lighthouse Project students have access to industry standard technology and software, studio time, a daily snack and dinner, transportation home within a 3-mile radius, presentation and performance opportunities across the city, and artist mentorship.
The Tuff Sound Apprenticeship Program is a year-long educational initiative based at the YMCA Lighthouse Project that teaches Pittsburgh’s young people ages 16 to 24 the art of audio engineering, mixing and production. Participants receive hands-on instruction from Herman Pearl, head engineer and owner of Tuff Sound Recording, and Amos Levy, music coordinator at The Lighthouse Project, on how to work in an industry-quality studio.
The grant allows the program, which has been on hiatus since May 2017, to serve about 30 young people between early next year and 2023. Recruitment begins Dec. 17 for the next class, which begins this spring.
The Mac Miller Fund now has raised nearly $1 million due to proceeds from the “Mac Miller: A Celebration of Life” concert presented last October and donations from the public. More information about The Mac Miller Fund, including how to contribute, may be found at https://pittsburghfoundation.org/macmiller.
First Published: December 11, 2019, 3:07 p.m.
