The beginning: Hidden Treasure Music Academy

Jeremy "Vessel" Holmes founded Hidden Treasure Music Academy in 2008 as a nonprofit dedicated to reaching at-risk youth in Chicago through something they already loved: music. He saw that many young people were disengaged from traditional instruction but lit up when creativity and rhythm entered the room. So he blended edutainment with Social Emotional Learning (SEL)—using songwriting, performance, and music-based activities to teach self-awareness, emotional regulation, teamwork, and goal-setting.

The “hidden treasure” was always the potential inside each student: their talents, their voice, their resilience. HTMA created a safe space where youth could explore who they were, gain confidence, and see new possibilities for their future, all while learning important life and social-emotional skills.

The shift: seeing a bigger vision
As the years passed, the impact of that work became clear: SEL through creative learning didn’t just change how students felt—it changed how they performed in school, how they related to others, and how they saw their own future. The vision had outgrown the original structure and name. “Hidden Treasure” was still at the heart of the mission, but the work was expanding beyond music, and beyond just youth.

The evolution: Treasureville Academy
To reflect that expanded mission, Hidden Treasure Music Academy was dissolved and reborn as Treasureville Academy, The metaphor shifted from a single “hidden treasure” to a whole “Treasureville”—a community where treasures of all kinds are discovered, developed, and shared across every stage of life.

Treasureville Academy now offers a comprehensive suite of programs that still carry the DNA of the original music academy—edutainment infused SEL, creativity, and empowerment—but in a broader way:

Edutainment-infused SEL: remains a core foundation across programs
STEAM education: helps learners build critical thinking and innovation skills
Adult professional development and workforce initiatives: prepare learners for real-world opportunities and industry-recognized certifications
Institutional Support: prepares entire districts and schools with the systems and protocols needed to effectively support student development

Where Hidden Treasure Music Academy focused on developing the minds and hearts of at-risk youth through music, Treasureville Academy builds on that legacy by serving learners of all ages and stages—academically, personally, and professionally.

One continuous story
The through-line from 2008 to today is simple:

Same heart for at-risk and under-resourced communities
Same belief that learning should be engaging, creative, and deeply human
Same commitment to uncovering the “hidden treasure” within every learner

Hidden Treasure Music Academy was the seed. Treasureville Academy is the tree—wider roots, broader branches, and more people sitting under its shade.