The Season of Giving: Music Stylee

Regardless of your religious leanings, or lack thereof, most people celebrate some type of holiday around this time of year. Receiving gifts from your favourite relatives (or perhaps an end of year work bonus, if you’ve been especially good this year) coupled with the overall merriment that tends to fill the ether around Decembertime, tends to put people in the mood to donate to all varieties of charities.

Interested in giving your donation a musical spin? Here are a few suggestions~

This past summer saw one of the greatest tragedies to hit the music industry in quite some time. The June 16, 2012 stage collapse in Toronto, Ontario that tragically took the life of Radiohead colleague and drum technician Scott Johnson left the entire music industry gobsmacked. While Mr. Johnson will certainly never be forgotten by his loved ones, a fund has been established in his honour so that fans may pay tribute to his legacy as well. The Scott Johnson Bursary uses all donations to further the education of young musicians, particularly in Rotherham, South Yorkshire (UK), Johnson’s hometown.  

Scott Johnson

Music in Hospitals is another UK based organisation and the wonderful thing about them is their acknowledgement of the healing, cathartic, and therapeutic properties of music.   For over 60 years, MiH has brought concerts to patients in hospitals, day care centres, hospices, and special needs school across the United Kingdom. Their web site lists expansive information on various conditions and diseases which find great relief in the presence of music. Clearly, listening to Brahms isn’t going to cure cancer, but it will certainly improve the mental state, alieviate anxiety, and positively impact overall well being.
     
Since 1997, the Save the Music Foundation has raised $49.5 million to provide new instruments, raise awareness, and provide music education in the public schools of America. With over 2.1 million children reaping the benefits of this program over the past fifteen years, it’s easy to understand why this charity is a favourite of so many. From the Save the Music web site; “As we examined the music education system throughout the nation, we found that music education is not only important for its intrinsic value, but research consistently demonstrated that students who study an instrument enhance their critical thinking skills and their ability to work together as a team. They are more engaged in school and less likely to drop out; and they do significantly better in all of their academic endeavors. Upon seeing the facts about the benefits of music education in a young person’s life, VH1 started The Foundation.”                                                                              

The National Endowment for the Arts is a federal agency, which does mean that they receive federal funding from the United States government. That said, when budgets are cut, among the first programmes to be slashed are those involving the arts and music. While the NEA does promote the education of all of the arts, when you make a donation, you do have the option of choosing where your donation goes. Perhaps it isn’t particularly important to you to support dance but you’d love to make a donation of some kind to music in general or local opera programs; the NEA allows you to make that choice if you wish.                                                                                                                                  

Also, do a quick Google search for your favourite artists. Much of the time, artists will contribute unique editions of albums, handmade artwork, and all varieties of other things~ all in the name of charity. If you’re looking to make a slightly larger donation, maybe you can get a cool collectible from your favourite band as well as benefit a worthy cause.

Another thing to consider is local music schools, independent music teachers, or underprivileged schools  in your neighbourhood. Teachers are always looking for donations of any kind, be they new or gently used items. Perhaps your budget is a bit tight this holiday season but you’d love to give in another way. Maybe you have some music books you don’t use any longer? A nearby school who doesn’t get funding for such things may love to take them off of your hands.                                                                                                                   Have you got a bunch of mismatched drumsticks, guitar strings or picks you won’t be using? A music teacher, or even an art teacher, would be most grateful to get their hands on your throwaways. Kids don’t need a drum to make music, they need a stick and something to hit. Strings and picks are great to use for art projects and crafts, as well as making music. Look around your music room and see what you have lying in a pile to be tossed.

Also keep in mind that you can always donate yourself! If you can sing or play an instrument, you’re a sought after commodity! Maybe you can donate an hour to lead a singalong for kids at a homeless shelter. Does your schedule allow you to offer free or discounted rates to teach an instrument to the children of veterans or active military personnel? Perhaps you’d be able to donate a performance or your performance fee to a charity event for a sick resident of your community.

There are plenty of things we can all do to help our communities on a local, national, or global level. No matter what we each decide the right option for us is, the most important thing is that we help in some way.