The Institute of Music for Children (IMC) is building a community of highly engaged citizens who are arts lovers and arts makers. IMC believes that the creative process prepares children for success, endows them with life skills and self-confidence, and provides tools to realize our vision of HARMONY - Helping Achieve Responsible Motivated Optimistic Neighborhood Youth. IMC serves more than 1,000 urban youth annually. A recipient of 5 Citations of Excellence from the NJ State Council on the Arts, IMC offers economically accessible, high-quality arts training in a secure environment. IMC is proud of its diversity at every level with teachers, youth leaders and faculty representing a wide variety of cultures from around the world. Core Programs Summer Institute: Provides an intensive program that instructs 220 youth in a variety of art forms for five weeks in July and August. Afterschool Institute: Offers 12- and 24-week sessions of private and group instruction in musical, dramatic, and visual arts disciplines. Youth Leader Job Training & Readiness Program: Hires and trains 30-35 outstanding teens as classroom mentors and office assistants. Teen Arts Night: Gathers 75 at-risk youth each week for arts programming, a shared meal and support. Community Institute: Provides arts residencies in Newark Public Schools and other community venues. VISTA Member will be key to IMC's deepening fundraising capacity by helping us to submit a robust range of grant proposals to funders that include foundations and government agencies. VISTA will also support development communications by creating donor materials and supporting events. VISTA Member will learn skills that are highly transferable within the nonprofit, government or business sectors: research, writing, planning, and relationship development. VISTA will also have the opportunity to explore special skills of interest, such as communications, budgeting, program development, etc.