Our Story

MeMA-Music grew from a lifetime spent listening to music that meant something.

Founder Jeanne Warsaw grew up on 60s and 70s music built around peace, community, and change — songs that didn’t just play in the background; they said something about the world and asked you to pay attention. After 20 years as an executive in the music industry, she wanted to put that same power in young people’s hands: not just to entertain them, but to give them an entry point into the issues shaping their own lives. Lyrics became a way in. An easier, more exciting way to connect what’s happening in a classroom to what’s happening in a neighborhood, a community, the world. And she wanted young people to see the thread: that the music of that era isn’t a relic; it’s still alive in what they listen to today. That songs, then and now, carry our history, our culture, and the emotions we all share.

That idea became MeMA-Music: music can do more than entertain; it can teach, connect, and inspire people to see themselves as thinkers, creators, and contributors.

Founded in 2011 in response to shrinking access to the arts, MeMA-Music has evolved into a trusted youth development and arts nonprofit serving youth and young adults across Chicago. Through partnerships with schools, community organizations, and specialized groups, we create supportive spaces where young people are seen and heard, and where their ideas, perspectives, and experiences matter. Music becomes a starting point for learning, dialogue, reflection, and creative expression.

“MeMa” was the name Jeanne’s mother, Janine N. Warsaw, used with her grandchildren. Though she never attended college, Janine built a life around the written word as a fiction writer, playwright, legal journal editor, and author of two books profiling some of the nation’s leading trial attorneys. Her life as a writer creates a meaningful connection to MeMA-Music, where writing, creativity, and self-expression are central to the work.

What began as a response to a need has become a 15-year commitment to learning and human development. Today, MeMA-Music continues to create opportunities for participants to build skills and confidence, honor their stories, and imagine new possibilities for the future.

Our Approach

Using music to connect literacy, learning, and lived experience.

MeMA participants analyzing music lyrics

MeMA participants’ song & live performance

Music has the power to engage, inspire, and create meaningful learning opportunities. At MeMA-Music, participants explore the meaning in music through lyric analysis, guided discussion, reflection, and creative expression.

Through arts-integrated learning experiences, participants strengthen literacy, critical thinking, communication, and historical and civic awareness while examining the past and present through music and media. By connecting what they learn to their lived experiences and the world around them, participants develop greater self-awareness and a deeper understanding of themselves and society.

Our approach provides space for participants to build confidence, express themselves creatively, and discover new ways to communicate and connect. For young people facing significant life challenges, music and creative expression can offer additional pathways for reflection, self-awareness, and personal growth.

Our Core Beliefs

Two Core Beliefs Guide Everything We Do

1. Music is a vehicle for personal expression and growth.
Meaningful songs give participants of all ages a way to explore ideas, reflect on experiences, and express their perspectives in creative and authentic ways.

2. People have the potential to create positive change in their lives and communities.
With guidance, support, and meaningful creative engagement, individuals can build confidence, develop skills, and gain the insight to grow academically, socially, and personally.

What Makes Us Unique

Industry-Rooted Expertise
MeMA-Music was founded by a music industry executive with over 20 years of experience working alongside some of the world’s most iconic artists. That direct connection to the music industry shapes how we integrate music, learning, and creative expression; uniquely engaging and authentic, not generic.

Music as a Rigorous Tool, Not Background Noise
We use music as a lens for critical thinking, not entertainment. Participants explore the stories, themes, and context behind powerful songs, then apply that thinking to their own lives and experiences.

Professional Mentorship
Our programs bring the real world into the room. We connect participants with working musicians, producers, and creative professionals who share how they use their craft for storytelling, communication, and navigating the world.

What Participant Gain

Literacy
Strengthen reading, writing, and analytical skills through meaningful music.

Critical Thinking & Media Literacy
Explore ideas, perspectives, and real-world issues through lyric and media analysis.  

Communication Skills
Build confidence expressing thoughts through discussion and creative work.

Self-Awareness
Reflect on personal experiences, identity, emotions, and choices.

Civic Awareness
Examine history, society, and individuals’ roles in their communities.

Creative Confidence
Develop original ideas through writing, media, music, and artistic expression.

Under her leadership, MeMA-Music has spent 15 years partnering with schools and community organizations across Chicago to bring music-based learning to youth and young adults.

Meet Our Founder – Jeanne Warsaw

A trailblazer in the music industry, Jeanne Warsaw, a Chicago native, brings more than 20 years of experience working with iconic artists, including Janet Jackson, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Isaac Hayes, Lenny Kravitz, and many others.

She began her career at the legendary Chicago music retailer Rose Records before joining Sony Records in New York as a Radio Promotion Assistant. Over the years, Jeanne held executive promotion and marketing leadership positions with Sony Music, RCA, Elektra/Warner Bros., and Virgin Records before founding her own consulting company, JW Promotions.

Throughout her career, Jeanne witnessed the power of music to capture attention, communicate ideas, and bring people together. That experience inspired her to establish MeMA-Music, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to expanding educational and creative opportunities for youth and adults in underserved communities through innovative, music-centered programming.

For 15 years, Jeanne has developed original curricula and transformative arts-integrated programs that use meaningful music and creative expression to strengthen literacy, communication, critical thinking, and self-awareness. Participants explore history, society, civic understanding, and contemporary issues through music while developing new perspectives and a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.

Through partnerships with schools and community organizations across Chicago, Jeanne has helped create engaging learning experiences that encourage reflection, creativity, and meaningful dialogue while empowering participants to recognize their potential and contribute to their communities. Her work also includes trauma-informed programming for youth and adults, including veterans, providing supportive spaces for reflection, resilience, and personal growth through music.

Mali brings her music industry experience, voice, and influence to champion our mission and help expand opportunities for young people through the power of music.

Meet Our Creative Arts Partner – Mali Wilson

Grammy-nominated, Emmy-winning artist, producer and music industry executive Mali Wilson brings decades of experience and a shared belief in the transformative power of music to her role as a MeMA-Music Creative Arts Partner. Founder and owner of Stone Wood Music Studios, Mali has worked with and helped nurture the talents of some of music’s most recognized artists, including Whitney Houston, Drake, Lenny Kravitz and Usher.

Her commitment to creative expression, developing talent and creating opportunities for the next generation closely aligns with the values at the heart of MeMA-Music.

“I’ve watched Jeanne and the MeMA-Music family show up for Chicago’s young people before the world changed, through the hardest days of the pandemic, and long after. That’s the kind of leadership I believe in. Music gave me a future, and I know it can do the same for the next generation. I’m honored to serve as a MeMA-Music Creative Arts Partner, not to stand on the sidelines, but to stand beside Jeanne in the trenches, helping every child discover that their voice, their story, and their dreams matter.”

— Mali Wilson

Our Experience & Partnerships

 

Long-term program partnerships that support meaningful, sustained youth engagement

Collaboration with educators and community leaders to develop relevant learning experiences

Professional artists and creative practitioners who bring real-world expertise to our programs

Support from foundations and individual donors committed to arts and youth development

Our Partners

Voices Of Our Participants and Partners

Thanks again for having us at your last period class. I really enjoyed being an 8th grader in your program. I am positive that the 8th graders will be excited when they start their own projects. I can’t thank you nor stress enough how helpful this class has been in my first year in high school. While all the other freshman were having trouble understanding the new open discussions we were having in class and making connections to real life events, I was already a pro!!!
-Abu, Student

My favorite part of the MeMA program was that it helped me more understand society, and I can understand what’s on the news. I learned new things about my topic that I didn’t know before and learned new things in everyone else’s topics. –Cynthia, student

The MeMA program and project helped me develop a better sense of our society because I learned more about the past and how it was affected by the music made by the people of the time. It also helped me by telling me that you need to see what else is happening in the world and why you need to analyze and learn how things can be solved.
-Emily, Student

There was some really stunning work, and each piece illustrated how the students engaged with the material creatively and from their unique perspectives. The students must be so proud, and will likely never forget what they learned, both through their own work and from others. Thank you for bringing this excellent program to our school. History comes alive and becomes relevant and participatory, instead of something interpreted only by “experts” and merely received. With luck, the kids will carry the seed of recognition that we are all agents of history. Gwenan-Parent of MeMA student

I loved hearing my students with diverse learning needs singing lyrics to songs that were popular decades before they were born, and understanding why those songs are relevant today. 
Karen Jarosz, Stone Academy Special Education Teacher

A component that helped me a lot was your own weekly reflections really helped me put my opinions into words rather than thoughts. Listening to music was also useful because the music was inspiring and informed the people of what was happening at the time. The research was also a good component because it helped me understand more about the topics of today.
Nabeha, Student