Why Second Line Arts?
We strengthen the cultural fabric of New Orleans by developing and inspiring the next generation of professional artists to build sustainable careers.
The Founders
Second Line Arts Collective was built from lived experience inside the professional music world. Co-founders Gregory Agid and Darrian Douglas came up through New Orleans as working artists and educators. deeply rooted in the tradition, while navigating the modern industry in real time.
Gregory Agid
Gregory Agid currently serves as Executive Director of Second Line Arts Collective. Emerging as one of the preeminent jazz clarinetists of his generation, the New Orleans-based multi-instrumentalist maintains an active international performance schedule with GRAMMY award-winning artist Michael Bublé, Delfeayo Marsalis’ Uptown Jazz Orchestra, and his own Gregory Agid Quartet. A protégé of Alvin Batiste, Ellis Marsalis, Kidd Jordan and a NOCCA graduate, Gregory has spent his career pursuing artistic excellence—while recognizing how often young musicians are not taught the business tools needed to sustain that excellence.
Darrian Douglas
Darrian Douglas is an arts leader, drummer, and educator focused on building the infrastructure for jazz and creative music to thrive. As co-founder and former Executive Director of SLAC, he helped design and scale programs that bridge early childhood and pre-professional training.
As a performer, Darrian has appeared at Carnegie Hall and more than 30 international festivals, sharing the stage with artists including Ellis Marsalis, Jazzmeia Horn, Bria Skonberg, Marquis Hill, and Endea Owens, among many others. His performance career reflects both deep respect for tradition and engagement with today’s evolving creative landscape.
Together, they saw a gap that felt impossible to ignore: young artists were trained to play—rarely trained to thrive.
The Reality
New Orleans deserves artists who are not only culturally rich but economically empowered.
Our culture fuels tourism, conventions, festivals, restaurants, and hospitality. But the people who create that value often struggle to capture it.
$23,000
Average annual income from music (2024 Music Census)
10.4 Billion
New Orleans touism and entertainment revenue
55%
Work outside the music industry. Of those, 73% rely on their outside job as their primary income
58%
Cite stagnant pay rates as a top concern
The city profits from music. The musicians often do not.
This is not a talent problem. It is a training and systems problem.
The Solution
Sanaa Music Workshop
The first program in New Orleans to merge artistic excellence with entrepreneurial training.
For generations, New Orleans has produced extraordinary musicians rooted in tradition and technical mastery. But rarely have young artists, ages 14-24, received structured preparation in the music business: financial literacy, social media, branding, marketing, contracts, booking, and long-term sustainability.
Sanaa changes that.
Through intentional integration of rigorous musicianship and real-world business education, Sanaa prepares emerging artists to excel on stage while navigating the modern industry with clarity and confidence.
Artistic mastery and economic literacy develop side by side.
The Solution
Little Stompers
Building community and creates paid pathways for emerging artists.
Little Stompers introduces young children and families to the joy, rhythm, and cultural richness of New Orleans music through family classes and in-school concerts.
These experiences create welcoming spaces where kids move, listen, and learn in community—strengthening appreciation for local culture from the very beginning.
Little Stompers also serves as a workforce development opportunity for Sanaa graduates. Emerging artists gain hands-on experience teaching, leading classrooms, and working professionally in educational settings—while expanding their income and building career sustainability beyond the bandstand.
In short: Little Stompers supports two generations at once—children discovering music for the first time, and young professionals learning how to sustain a life in the arts.
"We strengthen the cultural fabric of New Orleans by developing and inspiring the next generation of professional artists to build sustainable careers."
Meet Our Team
In the ever-evolving world of nonprofit organizations, one key factor stands out in determining an organization's success: the strength of its team. At Second Line, we recognize the vital importance of assembling a top-level team that can drive our mission forward and make a lasting impact on the communities we serve.
Executive Director (Co-Founder)