Musicopia Music in Motion asks its audience to get out of their seats. The benefit takes place on Sunday, November 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Loft on Passyunk, 1919 Passyunk Ave., and it puts Philadelphia students and teaching artists on stage next to guests who are invited to dance, drum and move along with them.

What Musicopia Music in Motion Looks Like

The afternoon combines live performance with participation. Guests can watch or join in, and each demonstration is built so that anyone in the room can try the music, the dance or the movement. A raffle and a silent auction run alongside the program, with light appetizers and soft drinks, and a bar serves alcohol.

The benefit gives people a direct look at what Musicopia does in schools and afterschool programs. Aljavar McFarland, a Musicopia String Orchestras alum, hosts. The format follows the organization’s mission, which is to connect children, youth and their extended communities through collaborative music and dance experiences.

For Musicopia Music in Motion, that means the audience is part of the show. Student musicians play, dancers and drummers lead, and the room joins in, so a guest might clap a rhythm with a body percussionist in one hour and learn a dance with student drummers in the next.

The Lineup at Musicopia Music in Motion

The program is expected to feature student musicians, the HOME Band, a youth rock band at Fanny Jackson Coppin School, and it moves through genres from there. Ballroom dancers Andrew Polunin and Elizaveta Ibeme perform, and Bethlehem the Artist leads a body percussion experience with The Lullaby Project that turns the audience into the instrument.

Rasaq Lawal leads an Afrobeats dance experience with the Mindfluness program and student drummers from Lincoln High School, and Tony “Mr. Y Not” Royster, known as Philly Elmo, runs a drumline movement workshop. The lineup is subject to change, so the details are best confirmed on the day.

The two-hour window leaves room for each segment to stay short and hands-on, and the participation is optional, so a guest who would rather watch can do that and still see every act, from the ballroom dancers to the student rock band. Musicopia Music in Motion works as a sampler of the programs, one act at a time.

^{From left to right: Host and Musicopia String} Orchestra ^{alum Aljavar McFarland, Bethlehem, the artist of Vocussion Discussion, and The Lullaby Project and Rasaq Lawal AKA Afrovibes of Afrobeats and Mindfulness.}

Tickets for Musicopia Music in Motion

Musicopia Music in Motion has three ways in. General admission is $50 and covers entry, light appetizers, soft drinks and access to the performances and interactive demonstrations. The $100 Super Supporter ticket adds a contribution to Musicopia’s programs, one drink ticket and five raffle tickets.

A $50 sponsored ticket pays for a student’s family member who might not otherwise attend, and donations of any amount are accepted with or without a ticket. Everything goes through the event page on Give Lively, and the donation section sits below the ticket choices. The support goes to Musicopia’s programs.

Musicopia Music in Motion and the Work Behind It

Musicopia was founded in 1974 and counts nearly half a million young people among the students it has reached, with more than 20,000 in school-based music and dance programs each year. In 2026 it merged with Musicopia Dance, formerly Dancing Classrooms Philly. The merger puts dance education and music education in one organization, and the benefit is built to show both.

Its programs include an afterschool string orchestra, an afterschool drumlines program, the Walter R. Garrison Arts Leadership Academy, a ballroom dance academy, community arts programming, the Philadelphia Lullaby Project and a Gift of Music Instrument Donation Program. Musicopia’s drumlines expo at Cherry Street Pier and its spring string orchestra concert show the same work on stage.

Come ready to move on Sunday, and leave knowing the afternoon’s rhythm keeps going in Philadelphia classrooms long after the last drum stops.

About Post Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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