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Chops, Inc.

Chops, Inc. is a Minneapolis-based music nonprofit with three decades of experience in music education and award-winning performance ensembles. Our mission is improving lives through music education and performing arts.

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Chops is governed by an all-volunteer Board of directors and our programs and operations are driven by our incredible staff.

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Stay up to date on events, concerts and Chops' news by visiting our Blog.​

history, programs & funders

Chops was founded as Chopstix Percussion, a marching percussion unit, in 1991. The group was incorporated as a nonprofit organization and obtained 501(c)(3) status in 1997. Top Chops Brass Line was formed in 1994 with the same high energetic, crowd-pleasing philosophy that was the foundation of Chopstix Percussion. In 2014, Chops launched our steel-pan programs launched with the debut of Pan-handlers Steel Drum Band. In 2024, we celebrated a decade of steel-pan programs. Click here to learn more about Chops' history.

 

Chops' current programs include:

  • Steel drum programs:

    • Pan-handlers, the region's premiere steel drum band

    • Tin Cups, our fan-favorite parade band

    • Pan Outreach, our National Endowment for the Arts grant-winning educational outreach program that provides free classroom steel-drum instruction to urban K-12 public schools

  • Drumline programs:

    • ChopsLIVE, our DJ drumline ensemble

    • DrumUp, our program to support under-resourced scholastic and community-based youth drumlines and our collaboration with Minnesota Percussion Association to make drumline performance and competition accessible for all youth drumlines

  • Fiscal sponsorship - Chops serves as fiscal sponsor for All City Music, an HBCU-style marching arts LLC led by D'Shonte Carter. In addition to enabling All City to receive grant funding and donations, Chops supports All City with matching grants and technical expertise in fundraising, finance and operations, while leaving programmatic decision-making to All City's community-based leadership team.

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Chops, Inc receives grants from prestigious funders including the National Endowment for the Arts and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Our charitable gambling operation funds several of our programs. We also receive financial support from sponsors like the Ordway and Coulee Bank, and from individual donors. Over the years, volunteers have contributed thousands of hours to provide the best experience possible for Chops' communities. 

core values

Chops' core values are:

  • Integrity: We exercise good judgement, character, and habits; we are fair, responsible, accountable, and respectful.

  • Excellence: We strive for the best possible work product, both internally and externally, toward providing superior experiences for our members, audiences, and staff; it drives quality musicianship, performance etiquette, education, joy, and fun.

  • Personal development: We create and support leadership development, provide expert training, and lead a culture of action over inaction; all stakeholders are better for having been involved with Chops.

  • Community: We are equitable in our actions, inclusive, accessible, non-judgmental, and collaborative; communities are built when we truly engage with each other, work to achieve mutual understanding, and share experiences together.

  • Entertainment: We find our common humanity when we collectively experience the joy of performance art.

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