MINDY PETERSON, NCTM

Music Educator & Podcast Host

Ep. 145: Helping students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music; with Henry Donahue

Photo courtesy of Save the Music Foundation

VH1 and their Divas Live concerts laid the foundation for today’s Save the Music Foundation, which invests in school music programs, provides support for teachers and administrators, and advocates for music education. We discuss the resources offered, trends in music education, and how to get involved in this innovative non-profit.

Guest

My husband and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary; and around this time, I ran across an organization that was also established in 1997 and celebrating its 25th anniversary. Its mission really caught my attention – its mission is “to help students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music.” Since it started 25 years ago, this nonprofit has helped over 2,500 schools across the country develop music programs and has donated $68M worth of instruments and technology to these schools – impacting millions of students’ lives in hundreds of communities nationwide. The organization is called Save the Music, and joining me today to tell us all about it is Executive Director Henry Donahue.

Henry Donahue

Notes

We discuss:

  • What is Save the Music, and how and why was it started?
  • Save The Music Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music. For 25 years, Save The Music (STM) has addressed the systemic inequities in music education by investing in culturally rich communities across the US. Since its inception, STM has donated $68M worth of instruments and technology to over 2,500 schools – impacting millions of students’ lives in hundreds of communities nationwide.
  • How does it work?
  • What resources are available to students, teachers, and parents?
  • How is STM funded?
  • What’s next for STM?
  • What are some ways for listeners to learn more, and to get involved?

Connect/Other Resources

Other episodes we mentioned or that you may enjoy:

In-Episode Promo

Ultimate Music Business Summit 2023

Coda

Henry discusses the 1980s Washington, DC, punk rock scene and the personal impact it had on him, especially the band Fugazi and Dischord Records.  It led to him forming his own band (check out the recent re-release of his old band’s record here!).

Closing Words

Thank you, Henry, for joining us today and for all you do to enhance lives with music for so many students and teachers across the country – and, indirectly, for the rest of their communities.

As always, there are lots of links in the show notes to resources discussed in this episode, as well as a transcript of the episode. You’ll also find a list of related episodes you may enjoy. All Enhance Life with Music episodes are evergreen; so check out the back catalogue for more ways that music can make your life better.

If you know of someone who would enjoy this episode, please share it with them! It’s easy to do right in your podcast listening app – just look for your app’s “Share” function to share by text, email, or social media. And of course you can always share the show notes webpage as well.

You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, may your life be enhanced with music.

View Episode Transcript

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