*****Author’s Note: The following post was published on September 16, 2018 and has not been updated since its initial publication. As this post was written as part of a bigger, older project that has already ended, I do not intend on updating this post with new information about the organizations featured in it. This means some or all of the information in this or other posts in this series may be outdated by the time you read this post.
If you need the latest information on these organizations, it is your responsibility to conduct that research on your own. These posts can be used as a jumping off point for that research, but it is still your responsibility to look up these organizations on your own to verify whether or not their services still exist or will actually work for your needs.
***This blog post is part of a weekly series titled #SignalBoostSunday. This series will highlight organizations and social causes that are of importance and provide assistance to the Greater Atlanta area. ***
For this week’s #SignalBoostSunday, we’ll be looking at two local nonprofits that work to serve their communities through music.
1.) The Gift of Music Foundation
Located in Marietta, Georgia, The Gift of Music Foundation works to provide the programs and instruments necessary to provide access to music education to Metro Atlanta students who otherwise would not be able to afford such educational resources and enrichment.
The foundation’s two main initiatives are its Access to Instruments program and its After School Music Enrichment program.
The Access to Instruments program provides free or low-priced rented instruments to students.
The After School Music Enrichment program provides replacement band classes for public schools that no longer have their own band classes. The nine-month program serves kids in grades 3 – 5 and includes classes that teach kids how to read music and play a few instruments.
Musicians on Call is a national nonprofit organization in which volunteer musicians play music for patients in various healthcare facilities. The music played is either performed live or can also be recorded music. This organization also has a location in Atlanta.
The most notable initiative of this nonprofit is its Bedside Performance Program. This program provides a live musical performance “at the bedsides of patients.”
One of it’s lesser known services is its Music Pharmacy program which provides hospitals with collections of recorded music and players so that patients can continue to enjoy music on their own.
The Atlanta location of Musicians on Call is currently providing Bedside Performances at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, performing for military veteran patients.
Anita M. George: Journalist, Writer 