BAY YOUTH MUSIC ASSOCIATION

Bay Youth Music Association, Inc. (BYMA) is a nonprofit 501c3 organization created to help youth through music. Music is a vital tool for helping youth become involved in the arts. Sadly, the arts are being cut from school curriculums and kids need our help.  BYMA has stepped up to the plate, taking responsibility to make certain the music arts are available to youth.
 

Since January of 2014, BYMA has helped kids and band programs all over Bay County. President and founder Will Thompson says “We love giving back to our musical community and there is no better seed to sow than in these generation of kids”. Will Thompson is an active musician in Bay County whose parents are both retired Bay County schools teachers.
 

According to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Florida’s grants and scholarships for the arts have dropped from 10th to 48th in the Nation so there is a lot of work to be done to reverse this trend. BYMA has given away multiple instruments to band programs like Arnold, Bay, Mosley and Bozeman High schools. Another focus of BYMA is funding scholarships for those pursuing music arts education on the next level. We look to motivate those to now help their next generation by teaching the wonder art of music, and have already given away thousands of dollars in scholarship assistance to support that goal. This year another focus is to provide those who have a passion for music, a positive outlet in which to express themselves through music. Will also states “Music is a great way for a student to plug in, we want to encourage them to pursue music and get involved with programs that are available”