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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Just a few of the most regular questions we get, we hope this helps!
Can anyone come to the engine?
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.
What is the youngest my child can be?
6 years old, or school-aged children are the youngest we typically accept.
Where y’all located?
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
I want to volunteer, but i’m not a musician. Can i still help out?
We get this question a lot. Here’s in 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 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.
Do you charge for this?
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 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.
What is el sistema?
So glad you asked. It’s awesome. Learn more here »
I need class credit hours.
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!
I want to help with homework, not music.
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!