The Norwalk Art Space Announces Kick-Off Event for The Petty-Drayton Music Program for under-served students honoring the legacies of Tom Petty and Bernard Drayton. Registration for FREE music instruction is open now for January 2023.

Norwalk, CT — The Norwalk Art Space will host a performance in celebration of the launch of The Petty-Drayton Music Program directed by INTEMPO. This will take place on Sunday, January 22, 2023 from 3:00 - 4:30pm, featuring student performances with world renowned multi-instrumentalist Charley Drayton and an introduction to the program by Bernard Drayton and Adria Petty.

This will be a great opportunity for families in Norwalk to meet the founders and teaching artists, try out some musical instruments, and learn about all the new offerings TNAS will have for the 2023 Spring Semester and beyond.

The Petty-Drayton Music Program provides free, high-caliber music education to under-served students in grades 1 - 8 from the Norwalk area. Registration is now open for classes which begin January 25th at www.thenorwalkartspace.org/music.

The Petty-Drayton Music Program will officially launch after-school programs in January 2023 and will include two inaugural classes: Intro to Guitar (Saturdays) and Choir (Wednesdays) in the first semester. The curriculum will be well rounded, teaching lessons on guitar and vocal technique; improvisation; ear training; and performance skills, and will have music professionals drop in from time to time for further mentorship and inspiration.

A three-year commitment of financial support for the program, which will be free for all students, comes from the Petty and Drayton families, two legendary musical families.

Adria Petty, a filmmaker and a managing partner at the Tom Petty Estate, and Charley Drayton, an acclaimed world class multi-instrumental musician who is currently on tour with Bob Dylan, gave their support for the program to honor their fathers' legacies.

Their fathers respectively are: the late Tom Petty, world-renowned, Grammy Award-winning musician and songwriter, and Bernard Drayton, a commercial music producer and music innovator who pioneered diversity in music for advertising.

Bernard Drayton will be involved with the program and provide hands-on mentorship and experience.

Adria Petty and Charley Drayton said in a joint statement. "Our fathers are self-made men who were and are dynamic mentors in music. We honor Tom and Bernard with this program because they are both an inspiration to anyone who wants a career in music. They blazed their own unique trails to great success. We are thrilled to lean in to contribute to the program and provide professional support, access and resources in these small classes."

TNAS Artistic and Educational Director, Duvian Montoya adds "Growing up in Norwalk I could only dream of attending a program like this. I am so proud that in addition to our free visual art classes for the students of Norwalk we can connect the young vibrant artistic community here to music instruction as well."

The program will be run in partnership with INTEMPO, a local organization that provides “high-quality classical and intercultural music education to children predominantly from immigrant backgrounds and from communities underrepresented in the arts.”

“INTEMPO is really excited to work with The Norwalk Art Space as well as the Petty and Drayton families,” said Angélica Durrell, founder and leader of INTEMPO. “All three have shown a commitment to the arts at an extremely high level and understand the power it has to change lives. We cannot wait to get started working with the youth of Norwalk through this program."

Learn more about the program at www.thenorwalkartspace.org/music