History

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AFMA's mission is to engage the community with hands on experiences through the arts. It is our goal to teach music, theatre, and art in a nurturing, interactive environment.

The arts are a way to cut across racial, social, and economic barriers to enhance cultural appreciation and awareness. They help simulate creativity and improve academic achievement, yet it is something that has gone relatively unappreciated in the North Miami Dade community.

Through our programs, individuals will learn teamwork, confidence, dedication, and self-expression, all of which will help to shape their character in a way that is both meaningful and timeless.

The Alliance for Musical Arts Productions is a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization founded in 1993 by Jo Ann Harris.

Jo Ann recognized a need to introduce musical arts into a community that did not otherwise have the means or access to such opportunities.

What started out as just one program with 35 youth has flourished into a multifaceted organization that has touched the lives of over 7,000 individuals of all ages in the North Miami Dade community.

Jo Ann Harris is a former international opera singer whose infectious spirit and passion for music shines through in all aspects of her life. She was the first Florida born African-American female selected to participate in the Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Program.

With a knack for music and a passion for all things arts related, Jo Ann proved that there is never a wrong time in your life to try something new. At age 50 she picked up playing the drums and, to put it in her words, "now she is pretty dang good!" 

Her unique teaching style has helped educate and inspire hundreds of individuals in the North Miami Dade communit