Beyond the Bars

“Beyond the Bars began as volunteer music program for youth who were incarcerated at Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Facility. It started as one teacher being asked to provide lessons for students at PICC. After realizing the dearth of music programs for youth who were incarcerated they began teaching 10 students a week at the jail. This grew quickly to several musicians and educators throughout the Philadelphia community coming together and organizing to run a program that was focused on being student centric for youth who were incarcerated.

During this time we taught far too many talented young people who grew to be incredible musicians and showcased true leadership and compassion for one another. We saw students grow through music and worked with our teachers to build not just a program but a culture where people could be themselves and express how they were authentically feeling. Students described our program as “their therapy,” and families agreed that they saw their children grow and communicate in increasingly positive manners. Sadly our youth frequently stated how much that they had wished they had an accessible musical program where their voices were heard when they were younger. Many of our students frequently further used music as a means of opening up and discussing significant amounts of trauma that they had experienced in their adolescence as the result of violence and divestment from our communities.” We provided 20 guitars to aid in expanding their music facilities across Philadelphia .

In a note to G4G after the donation, Beyond the Bars said, “THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! These are amazing guitars and our students will be thrilled!!! We are beyond grateful and couldn't be more thankful for the incredible generosity and impact of Guitars 4 Gifts!!! Y'all are amazing and make such an incredible impact for our young people! There are so many talented young people who are going to realize the talented artists that they because of y'all! THANK YOU!!!!”

Coastal High School

Coastal High School (CHS) is a tuition-free public charter school located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This school serves students in Horry and Georgetown counties. CHS has over 200 students and is home to the Coastal High School Hurricanes.

This year, music teacher Angel Thompson arrived to school to find her guitars had been damaged beyond repair due to issues with mold and mildew. She reached out to us to help find new instruments so her students could continue music classes.

We were able to send her guitars from Kennedy Violins in Vancouver, WA to use for her music programs. The students have started their own bands and have been using the guitars after school as well as during music classes. Mrs. Thompson wrote in her message to us “This class has inspired youth bands. The students have found their voices. Music is the ultimate language that brings them together.”

Austin Soundwaves

Austin Soundwaves serves student musicians across the greater Austin area, providing diverse opportunities for learners of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences. In our most recently completed fiscal year, we worked with 766 students through 23 programs.

With support from Guitars 4 Gifts, we were able to provide guitars to students at Eastside Early College High School in Austin ISD.

Their teacher, Holly Flint said, "These guitars are beautiful and sound great, they were so excited to play them!"

Musical Empowerment

Musical Empowerment, one of Guitars 4 Gift’s recipient organizations, combines the life-changing benefits of music and mentorship to impact the lives of students and their mentors. Musical Empowerment was started as a student organization at UNC Chapel Hill in 2002. For two decades, Musical Empowerment has paired children from under-resourced communities with college mentors for free weekly one-on-one music lessons! They believe that all children deserve access to music education, but children from historically marginalized communities often have fewer opportunities.

They applied for instruments from Guitars 4 Gifts because providing instruments to their students at no cost helps to eliminate the financial barriers that low-income families might face. 96% of the children they serve are from low-income families. 100% of their families report that they could not afford private music lessons without Musical Empowerment. 

Musical Empowerment strongly focuses on social-emotional support for the students and mentors. Musical Proficiency is less of a priority than the benefits of mentorship and the one-on-one relationships that help build resilience and confidence in our pairs.

Meet Josiah, one of Musical Empowerment’s students: “Ten years ago, Josiah was in second grade when he began taking piano lessons with Katherine at our UNC Chapter of Musical Empowerment. After Katherine graduated, he began lessons with Luke (also from UNC). Josiah and his Musical Empowerment mentors grew together through music and a decade of music lessons. Not only was Josiah able to perform on the piano, but he also learned to play the cello, and compose his own music. Luke was cheering from the audience when Josiah walked across the stage to accept his high school diploma last spring. Congratulations, Josiah & the Class of 2022! Josiah didn’t navigate his senior year alone, Katherine and Luke both helped to navigate the college application process, essays, and scholarships. They also wrote letters of recommendation as Josiah pursued some of the top universities in the state of North Carolina. This fall, Josiah began studies at North Carolina State University to major in Civil Engineering and signed on to become a mentor at NC State’s Chapter of Musical Empowerment. 

It’s the power of music that motivates our college mentors to reach children from vulnerable communities. Not only does music support social, emotional, and academic growth, but it also provides greater opportunities for students later in life. Musical Empowerment seeks to empower students and their mentors through music education, growing their confidence and resilience. It is our hope that students develop a lifelong appreciation for music, graduate high school, attend college, and one day become mentors themselves, just like Josiah. I am proud to be a part of this impactful organization and celebrate the hard work of Josiah, Katherine and Luke.”

Musical Empowerment has grown from one collegiate chapter now to eight. Five chapters span the state of North Carolina (the University of NC at Chapel Hill, NC State University, NC Central University, Wake Forest University, East Carolina University, Duke University). They also have two out-of-state chapters: one in New Hampshire (Dartmouth College) and one in New York (Hunter College). In 20 more years, they hope to have chapters across the country! 

They exist because of incredible college volunteers! Their programming is mutually beneficial for both the college mentor and their student. Musical Empowerment serves nearly 400 students each semester and celebrates with spring/fall recitals at each chapter! Fundraising is critical - they are 100% community-supported (from individuals, institutions, and businesses) and receive no federal funding.