The founder of a local education program will give a TED talk this spring

Stanford Thompson, the founder of after-school music education program Play On Philly! will give a TED Talk this coming April in Vancouver, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Thompson, an Atlanta native, professional musician and 2017 TED Fellow, started the after-school program in 2009 after finding inspiration in a TED Talk delivered by Jose Antonio Abreu, who founded a Venezuelan music education philosophy called El Sistema.

As such, Play On Philly! is an after-school program geared more toward youth development than musical accomplishments. Here’s Thompson’s 2010 TEDxPhilly talk: