The Urban Youth Harp Ensemble, which is closely affiliated with the Carver School of the Arts, had a feature story broadcast on CBS News Sunday Morning on December 16, 2012. APS music educator Roselyn Lewis and principal harpist for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Elisabeth Remy Johnson founded the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble in the year 2000.
The Urban Youth Harp Ensemble started with two students at Brown Middle School and moved to the Carver School of the Arts to accommodate the growth of the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble program. Today, the program thrives under the leadership of Ms. Roselyn Lewis, now retired from the Atlanta Public Schools, and artistic director Carolyn Lund, an accomplished musician and gifted teacher. More than 45 students ranging in age from 10 to 18 are enrolled in the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble.
The Urban Youth Harp Ensemble is a project that is free and open to students from across the region. Aside from the rooms the school provides, the program is entirely funded by grants and donations, among them are grants and donations from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council and the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs.