Tindley Genesis Academy is dedicated to a music and arts-based curriculum.
Led by Principal Ali Ennis, Tindley Genesis Academy is a tuition-free, K-6 charter school operated by Tindley Accelerated Schools. The elementary school is the first of its kind in the state of Indiana, providing its students — primarily those of color — with performing arts training that crosses over into the classroom — using concepts from music to teach subjects such as reading, science and math.
“Everything you can think of, music can play a role in that,” Ennis said. “Sometimes incorporating music and dance and the arts and all those other variables common core types of classes can grab students who would have otherwise not have been grabbed, it engages them in a way sometimes just a teacher up and talking is not going to.”
There is a surprising amount of cross-curricular overlap between arts education and common core, according to Zaneon Meinhart, Tindley Genesis Academy’s music teacher. For example, when students struggle to read fluently in language arts class, they also struggle with in music — like phrasing and when to take a breath.
“Those little things we can embed in the music room to help with those core subject matters are really important too,” Meinhart said. “One reason it’s so important to have strong music programs – all arts, but especially music — it is a tool for social emotional growth because you really have to be vulnerable to be able to perform for others.”
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However, providing students with a well-rounded and hands-on music and arts education often requires additional funding for things like classroom instruments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tindley Genesis Academy was partially virtual, which made its arts and music centered education difficult.
“We’re supposed to be a music school, music was embedded into everything that we do,” Ennis said. “Things just got a little muddy there for a bit, and so we are slowly working our way back into realizing that vision again.”
This is where arts-based organizations like the Penrod Society come in.
For nearly 60 years, the Penrod Society’s mission is on bettering the arts community and supporting art education for diverse and underrepresented populations. What originated as a volunteer-run fundraiser offering “free beer” to raise money for Newfields quickly turned into an annual art fair and grant program for local arts-based organizations and schools, said 2025 Penrod Art Fair Chairman Ryan Stephens.
In 2024, the Penrod Society gave $250,000 to 76 local organizations. Applications open every year beginning in January, and every year, Stephens said they receive 80-90 applications to consider based on who qualifies based on their mission and how much funds they can allocate.
“One thing that we’re really proud of with that is more than half of those grants were awarded to those that serve diverse populations or individuals at or below the poverty line,” Stephens said. “So, these are largely underrepresented populations in our city, and we’re committed to helping every little bit we can to help make sure they are being enriched through the arts.”
Tindley Accelerated Schools is no stranger to the Penrod Society’s grant program, having been a recipient several years in a row, but 2024 marked the charter school’s largest gift yet: $13,000. The grant was divided up between the entire district, with a portion allocated to Tindley Genesis Academy to purchase Orff Bass Bars — a musical instrument specifically designed for education, allowing students to expand arrangement options for pitched percussion when learning about harmony and melody.
“This is really going to help us, and has really helped us, find our footing again toward that mission that we had originally,” Ennis said. “(We are) so excited to finally feel like we’re getting there.”
One of their goals is to keep students interested in music throughout high school, and having instruments like the Orff Bass Bars in their classrooms gives students a renewed interest in music and teamwork as they learn about melody and accompaniment, Meinhart added.
Tindley Accelerated School’s band director, Brandon Barnett, has been working alongside Meinhart to introduce the elementary school students to the marching band in music class — whether through recordings or live demonstrations — so they can see the opportunities in music that await them.
“It’s why we do this,” Stephens said. “A little bit goes a long way.”
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
