FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Music Moves Arkansas is branching out from concerts into classrooms.

If you are a music fan in Northwest Arkansas, there is a chance you have enjoyed shows put on by Music Moves.

“The mission of music moves is to bring, culture, black art and culture to our region,” Music Moves President Reginald James said.

But now, the non-profit really wants to help people take the next step from just enjoying those great performances to truly understanding the music.

“The performative pieces are going to be there. They’ll always be there. But the educational component, we hope that the sustainability of that will reach a little bit deeper and go generational wise,” James said.

So Music Moves teamed up with Grammy Award winner Dr. Jeffrey Allen Murdock, A UA professor. Together, they have created a new curriculum.

“We’ve written it in a way that K-12 is able to use it. We’ve had a couple of pilot schools in Northwest Arkansas and even in the River Valley area and they’ve been able to give us good feedback on that,” James said.

It will help Blend a music education with the history behind it.

“Being inspirational but to be taught the reason why it’s inspirational or why it means so much to black communities or why those songs are so enriching, so powerful, so moving,” James said.

If you want to support Music Moves, it needs donations and volunteers. Click here to learn more.