Impact Report 2023-24

This year we celebrated 20 years of Willie Mae Rock Camp—from our roots as a summer rock camp to year-round music and tech programs serving hundreds of girls and gender-expansive youth. As I reflect on our history, I am amazed by how much we have grown while still remaining grounded in the transformative power of music.

I am also struck by how much our creative culture has changed since those early days and the increasingly urgent need for young people to develop tech-based skills to succeed in creative fields and beyond. At the same time, there is also growing awareness of the importance of creativity in STEM.

Our expanded program model addresses these needs by bringing music, tech, and STEM together, creating a new path forward that gives girls and gender-expansive youth the skills to thrive wherever their future takes them.

In 2023-24, we reached over 600 girls and gender-expansive youth throughout NYC, unlocking possibilities for their creative expression—from developing songs with software and electronic instruments, to building sound-making electronics, to live coding, and so much more.

We also launched an alumni fellowship program supporting former students who are emerging artists with mentorship and creative resources. Our first two alumni fellows developed and presented new works—demonstrating what’s possible when we continue to nurture the creative potential of our young people.

Thank you to the entire Willie Mae Rock Camp community: teaching artists, mentors, champions and supporters. Our community has made our work possible this year and every year since 2004.

Together, we are building a new vision for the future—one that places girls and gender-expansive youth at the forefront of creative innovation.

LaFrae Sci, Executive Director