So many children and teenagers love music. They see it as a refuge from a dreary world where this is not a lot of joy. When they listen to music, it has the power to take them somewhere else – someplace happy, safe, and free of the pain in their world.

Even if these children attend school where they have the opportunity to take music classes, they would still need to come up with the money to buy or rent an instrument. And so sadly, despite the transformative power of learning to play a musical instrument, it is for other, luckier kids whose parents find a way to pay for their instruments.

It’s certainly not for kids in group homes, who have all of their earthly belongings in a plastic garbage bag for when they have to move to the next group home. And that is if they are lucky enough to not have their stuff ransacked by other kids who are desperate for something of value. Nice shoes, clothes…. it’s all at risk. They move an average of 3 – 5 times a year, so why bother to make friends, get attached, or believe in your teachers at school. You are just going to have to move somewhere else anyway.

This is the United States, and no child should live this way. But we believe in the transformational power of music. We believe it provides hope. That it dispels the weariness of depression. And we know it helps students learn better and improves academic outcomes. It’s what these children need to overcome their incredibly difficult life challenges.

Can you help? We need Music Champions for Children right now to change their outcomes – to provide hope and to create opportunity for a better future. Can you help children who have been abused, neglected, and abandoned? These children are now truly orphans right here in our own country. We can’t stand by and do nothing. Join us in the mission of transforming these precious children’s futures. Be a Music Champion for Children.