Music4Kids Inc
Enriching the lives of children and families through music.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
There are many children in Massachusetts who do not have adequate access to music programs or are not able to attend individual lessons due to lack of income. Some families cannot afford instruments for their children who may show aptitude in areas of music and the arts.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Children Living in Alternative Residences
We offer music programming and partially- or fully-equipped classrooms to children living in various group homes, foster homes, mental health units, substance abuse treatment programs, and other non-incarceration placements.
Our staff also look to identify those clients who present higher aptitude in music and we often offer them opportunities to receive specialized instruction, within the framework of the residence and its directorial staff.
Youth Criminal Justice Outreach - "Music Inside."
Similar to our services to kids in residential homes, we occasionally have the opportunity to enter into youth detention centers where we facilitate music appreciation. We attempt to propose that music offers peace of mind enough to help prevent violence or criminal activity, and can be used as an outlet when dealing with difficult emotions.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of youth service participants who have involvement in juvenile justice system
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Children and youth, People with disabilities
Related Program
Children Living in Alternative Residences
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
For 22020, we had anticipated a greater value for this category. This estimate pre-dated COVID-19. We also believe that we achieved a lower value as a result of the pandemic.
Number of groups/individuals benefiting from tools/resources/education materials provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We would like to prevent disadvantaged and disabled youth from missing opportunities for music as expression, discovery, healing and identity.
We believe that music changes lives across many dimensions or wellness: social, emotional, behavioral, academic, etc. Our goal is to bridge the gap for those children who are, as yet, undeserved in these areas.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Fund music programs and classes.
Provide individual instruction, mentoring and coaching.
Facilitate music & mindfulness.
Provide instruments to children who show interest and aptitude, and are pursuing instruction.
Focus on some low-income families.
Focus on some with physical, emotional, behavioral or mental health challenges.
Focus on some residential facilities.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We maintain a network of dedicated music teachers, childcare specialists, music business majors, volunteers, and parents who help to facilitate these programs.
We accept funding from individuals, groups, other nonprofits, foundations, philanthropic organizations and corporations to attain our goals. We are dedicated to our mission and are overjoyed whenever we see a child benefiting from the power of music.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have helped countless children and families with lessons and instruments, and with connecting with parents and kids that are like-minded in their own communities.
We have had the opportunity to serve children with ADD, ADHD, Blindness, Autism, Emotional Disorders, and many more who come from low-income families or who have shown extreme aptitude or dedication.
We have a large following on social media and we receive dozens of referrals a week. Word of mouth has really done wonders for us since we launched in 2019.
We are looking to expand our reach moving forward by continuing to partner with corporations, organizations and individuals to serve children in unique situations such as foster care, inpatient treatment, group homes, and incarceration. We believe that many of the problems that children face can be mitigated by involvement in music and the arts!
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We serve children (and their families) by providing low- or no-cost musical instruments and music education or therapeutic experiences related to music. We work with disabled children as well as "disadvantaged" children, meaning: low-income; those with emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges; children in alternate residential settings such as DCF facilities, foster homes, incarceration (DYS), and group homes.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Case management notes, Long-term open contact with clients and families/guardians & agencies.,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
We have several group homes in the Greater Boston Area where we provide services. We received feedback from one of the homes' direct care staff and our own instructors that the overall experience was somewhat boring, and not interesting to the children - they were not showing up to the optional groups. We were worried that we would not reach our goal of providing positive, therapeutic, spiritual, emotional, and educational outlets to kids within this home. After some careful and thoughtful discussion, we called on an associate with whom we'd worked before and asked for her help. She is a person who is highly skilled in the art of creating amazing and engaging classes and games that incorporate music. We were able to admit that we needed to improve, and we reached out for help!
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Through constant contact with clients and families during and after serving them, we are able to constantly offer them opportunities to contribute to our growth, and in determining the direction that our organization takes. We receive feedback primarily in conversation form, as we are always talking with our clients! We find that we rarely need to use other methods of collecting opinions because we train our staff and volunteers how to receive positive and negative feedback gracefully while in conversation. This helps us be approachable and offers a more interactive way for clients to speak up about how they'd like to see us evolve. We do receive data and reviews from our website and social media sites. We utilize these metrics to improve our reach and inform our work.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Music4Kids Inc
Board of directorsas of 05/30/2021
Joshua Silver
Music4Kids Inc
Term: 2039 - 2019
Sarah Silver
Music4KIds Inc
Lynne Hudson
Lyne M. Hudson, CPA
Marsha Smith
N/A
Alina Bilodeau
Compass
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/30/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.