Newport News Shipbuilding supports many charitable causes in Hampton Roads, creating a lasting positive impact in the community.

Among the organizations receiving NNS support is Soundscapes, a nonprofit whose mission is to invest in local communities by providing immersive, engaging music-making and ensemble performance opportunities for young people to strengthen social, emotional, creative and critical thinking skills. NNS is sponsoring all of Soundscapes’ after-school program concerts this year.

Soundscapes launched in 2009 with 40 students at Carver Elementary School playing “drums” on orange buckets from Home Depot. Since then, the program has served over 2,000 students and grown to include an orchestra, jazz ensemble and a professional student ensemble, serving students at Carver Elementary, Greenwood Elementary and Discovery STEM Academy.

Earlier this year, Soundscapes expanded from its local roots in Newport News to establish a program in Chesterfield County.

As a homegrown Newport News program, many of Soundscapes’ students have family members who are shipbuilders.

Sara Balgoyen, Soundscapes’ director of community engagement, said that the NNS sponsorship is a hit with the Soundscapes audience.

“When we announced the NNS sponsorship, there were cheers from the families,” she said.

On April 26, the students of Soundscapes will perform a program themed “We Are America’s Story” at the Ferguson Center for the Arts as part of the Virginia Community Music Festival.

For a full list of organizations that NNS supports, visit NNS Gives on MyNNS.