Music Will

Music Will, a nonprofit organization founded in 2002, is leading the charge to bring the inherent benefits of music-making to all students—regardless of background, family income, or grade-level.

We believe every kid is a music-maker, and that music education is a right, not a privilege. By removing traditional barriers, we bring access to music-making to schools and students that may not have it, thereby democratizing music education. We aim to expand music education access to every student in the U.S.

To support our ambitious goals, we launched the modern band movement in public schools and colleges and universities, transforming the way students and music teachers are being taught. Our play-first philosophy invites students to begin making music without having to first master scales or traditional music notation, and our student-driven approach fosters collaboration and brings the joy of experimentation.

As a result, teachers report greatly enhanced participation in music programs, far beyond the
20% or so that traditional programs attract. Our teachers also report improved outcomes not just in music but in students’ total academic performance.

Music Will is distinct as a systems-change organization because we leverage existing infrastructure while building new capacity in ways that enhance and expand the current system. No other service provider combines teacher training, instruments, curriculum, and community and offers them as a direct investment in a school or school district. As a result, our approach is implemented by full-time district employees, offered during the academic day or as a sustained after-school program, and is made available at no fee to the students, teachers, or schools.

Since 2002, Music Will’s program impact has grown exponentially having reached more than 1,200,000 total students, trained more than 5,000 teachers, and distributed more than 95,000 instruments to classrooms across the country.

It took us 20 years to reach our first million students. By building systems to sustain our exponential growth pattern with students and teachers, we believe that we can reach our next million students in half that time. To do this we will:
- Provide ongoing professional education for public school teachers through live and remote classes, online resources, and an annual summit.
- Work with colleges and universities to incorporate our approach into music-ed curriculums.
- Work to engage more teachers of color and diverse backgrounds, who are traditionally underrepresented in music education.