Entrepreneur Profile: Jessica McKay of Rock to the Future

Jessica McKay started her afterschool music education and youth development program, Rock to the Future, with the simple desire to pass on the gift she received in her own childhood. “When I was growing up I played all sorts of instruments. I started with violin, clarinet, saxophone, drums, and ended up learning a wide variety. I really attribute my success in and after college to playing instruments.”

Jessica knew that her music education had had a huge impact on her personal development, and that in Philadelphia, it is the first focus dropped when schools are making budget cuts. “I am an advocate for music education and a lot of Philly schools don’t offer music and arts programs—it’s the first thing cut.”

Jessica decided to offer what the schools couldn’t by creating Rock to the Future. “The goal is to give kids ages 9 to 14 the chance to play an instrument in a place where they can express themselves creatively, work together, write music together, and hang out and be kids.”

Rock to the Future is open to all kids in Philadelphia, but their goal is to reach those who otherwise would have no chance to embrace the study of music. “We target low-income, at-risk kids whose parents don’t have the money for extracurricular activities or daycare. Without our program, some of these kids would be stuck wandering the streets or watching TV afterschool.”

Although Rock to the Future is free for students, it requires as much as it offers them. All the musicians must sign a contract, committing to the entire year. “We have a lot of fun, but they have to come every single day from 3 to 6. We want kids to really commit to the program.”

Rock to the Future has flourished in its first year in a way that occurs when a business springs from passion and a desire to make a difference. “Everybody’s been really supportive. Women for Social Innovation gave us a $15,000 grant to start, we had a lot of instruments donated and lots of volunteers, and we even had a music education sorority from Rowan University come every other week to do workshops with the students on music theory, performance, and singing.” Local organizations have been especially involved in helping Rock to the Future get off the ground. “Girls Rock Philly has been our fiscal sponsor this year, and Philadelphia PR Associates and the Daily Magazine have both sponsored fundraising events and helped us with press and photography.”

With the success of this past year, Jessica is excited to see what’s next for Rock to the Future. “We’re looking into possibly doing a summer camp, and then we’re back in session in September. All our 14 current students are coming back, and as of now we’ll be adding 8 more.”

In addition to its success with students, Rock to the Future was also the winner of Entrepreneurship Week’s EG Stake Competition, and we look forward to see how they’ll use their winnings to make the music even louder.