The Lewis Prize for Music—a philanthropic music arts organization advancing systems change through creative youth development—has selected New Orleans’ own Derrick Tabb of The Roots of Music as a finalist for the third annual Accelerator Awards.

Founded in 2018 by philanthropist Daniel R. Lewis, The Lewis Prize for Music will give three $500,000 Accelerator Awards to leaders across the country who are creating positive change through youth music programs. The Roots of Music has been recognized as an organization that is advocating for creative youth development in underserved communities in the New Orleans area. By supporting music leaders across the country to continue their great work, The Lewis Prize for Music hopes to inspire other partners to work together to ensure every young person has the opportunity to access transformative music learning, performance, and creation.

Derrick Tabb and students from the Roots of Music, 2010, photo by Elsa Hahn

Tabb is one of eight finalists. Since his nomination as CNN’s Hero of the Year in 2009, Tabb has perhaps received more attention for his work helping New Orleans’ kids than for his role as snare drummer in the Rebirth Brass Band. He cofounded The Roots of Music in 2007 with Allison Reinhardt as an after-school program that believes music has the power to transform lives. The organization empowers the youth of New Orleans through music education, academic support, and mentorship while preserving and promoting the unique musical and cultural heritage of New Orleans. Tabb was awarded OffBeat’s Best of the Beat Award for Music Education in 2010.

Music history and theory, as well as instrumental instruction and ensemble performance preparation, are all program offerings provided by the organization. The Roots of Music serves kids ages 9 to 14 from low-income households and provides students with hot meals and round-trip transportation to reduce common barriers to participation. For five days a week and 12 months a year, the program delivers over 2,500 hours of music education and academic tutoring, over 30,400 nutritious hot meals, 1,400 bus journeys, and supplies over 150 instruments for student use.

Awardees for The Lewis Prize for Music, which is split into three categories and includes both long-term and single-year support, will be formally announced on Tuesday, January 11, 2022.

Additional finalists lists include, INTEMPO (Stamford, Connecticut), Media Rhythm Institute (Baltimore, Maryland), RYSE Youth Center (Richmond, California), The Heartbeat Music Project (Navajo Nation Reservation), Totem Star (Seattle, Washington), We Are Culture Creators (Detroit, Michigan), and White Hall Arts Academy (Los Angeles, California).

“These finalists are examples of the creative youth development field,” says Daniel R. Lewis. “Their multifaceted commitment to young people, which pre-dates COVID-19 and the parallel racial justice movement, stands out as the model for 21st-century artistry and activism. They give young people tools to express themselves and their culture while also incorporating them into program decision-making processes. Simultaneously, they are attentive to the holistic needs of young people, including their social, material, physical, emotional, and educational well-being. The insight and trust this engenders make these Finalists natural initiators of equitable systems change across the education, foster care, justice, workforce development, and other youth-oriented systems.”

For more information about the Lewis Prize for Music, visit here. For more information about Roots of Music, visit here.