About Expression Engine

East Lake Expression Engine is an El Sistema based, after-school and summer music education nonprofit working in the East Lake neighborhood of Chattanooga, TN.

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We believe that creating music together can help young people develop not only musical mastery but also self-esteem, mutual respect and cooperative skills — qualities that can change their lives and the lives of their families and communities.

Our unique combination of music education and tutoring, in partnership with a local church, provides a safe and nurturing environment where students Pre-K through 12th grade can learn instruments, participate in ensembles, perform in various settings, and build relationships with peers and mentors. We believe that music instruction is a powerful tool for individual growth and social transformation. We are inspired by the musical ideals of the El Sistema movement, viewing music as an effective avenue for developing children’s creativity and problem solving skills, and building up strong communities.

Our Classes
Musical Notes

Our Mission

East Lake Expression Engine is an after-school and summer music program that seeks to develop the creativity, discipline, problem solving skills, social skills, and spiritual maturity of its students through musical instruction and collaboration in a gospel-centered environment. 

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Our Vision

Our purpose is to serve underprivileged students in our community. We offer open access to the underserved by taking away typical hurdles to music instruction such as tuition charges and ability-based auditions, enabling us to include students of many skill levels and backgrounds.

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Our Team

Staff
  • Libby O’Neil

    Libby O’Neil

    Executive Director

  • Evelyn Brandes

    Evelyn Brandes

    Creative Ambassador

  • Kyron Walker

    Kyron Walker

    Artistic Director

  • Rachel Duke

    Rachel Duke

    Program Manager

  • Elisa Velasquez

    Elisa Velasquez

    Director of Operations

  • DJ Griffin

    DJ Griffin

    Program Coordinator

Board of directors
  • Jason Bowers

    Jason Bowers

    President

  • William Darby

    William Darby

  • Henry Currin

    Henry Currin

  • Greg Davick

    Greg Davick

  • Noami Emmet

    Naomi Emmett

    Treasurer

  • Stefan Arroyo

    Stefan Arroyo

  • Charley Crichton

    Charley Crichton

    Board Chair

Program interns
Program Interns Photo
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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! If you are a student grade K-12, you can join our ranks. Most of our students attend East Lake Elementary, but we welcome anyone in Hamilton County.

6 years old, or school-aged children are the youngest we typically accept.

We work out of the New City East Lake church building (they’re very kind!). You can find us there during most afternoons. Feel free to come through and check us out anytime!

2903 E 37th St.
Chattanooga, TN 37407

We get this question a lot. Here’s the inside scoop. We cannot stress this enough: if you want to be here, we want you here! Yes, we can always use help in the music classrooms, but supervision is the number one need and there’s no musical proficiency required. Maybe you’re a stay at home parent and you want to get your kids more involved in the community; come join us on the playground for recess! Only have 20min to spare in the afternoon? We would love for your help walking the kids over from school. Our point is, we love all of our volunteers equally!

Additionally, we always welcome advice from professionals. If you’re a legal consultant, or an accountant, or maybe you are the best darn file cabinet wiz in the world. We’d love to borrow some of your time for a chat.

Our Volunteer Form »

Nope! Our mission is to make quality music education available across the board, no matter what kind of household situation or income level. We’re based on an El Sistema model so we believe in music education creating social change. We welcome any & all donations of course, but there is no cost for any of our after-school programming.

So glad you asked. It’s awesome.

El Sistema (The System) is an extraordinary cultural, educational, and social program that pursues the goals of social engagement and youth empowerment through ensemble music education. Founded in Venezuela in 1975 by the visionary musician and economist José Antonio Abreu, El Sistema has been growing for decades in the form of “núcleos,” or music learning centers, where children living in impoverished or otherwise challenged circumstances gather daily to play and sing together in orchestral and choral ensembles. Today, over one million children are involved in El Sistema programs across the globe. (Video)

We’ve had many students from different schools who need classroom hours for a class, or volunteer hours for a service project. Make the Engine the place you complete your requirements!

Amazing! We want that too. If you reach out to us, we can put you in contact with our tutoring coordinator and they will get you set up!

We’d love to hear from you!

Contact us if you’re interested in getting more info on the Engine, have a specific question, are looking to volunteer, are donating an instrument, or if you just want to say hello!

Contact Us