At the beginning of the year we committed $10.000 of our 2020 sales to our non-profit partner Kids In a New Groove. We split this commitment up into quarterly goals that get larger as the year progresses and we're proud to announce that we were successful in meeting our first quarter goal of donating $1000. We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made this possible. From our music partners to our customers, Thank You! We're shooting to donate another $2000 in July. If you want to follow our journey you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter at the bottom of this page. Thanks again and we'll talk to you soon.
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Michael Kelton here, and today I wanted to talk a little more in depth about our non-profit partner, Kids In a New Groove.
In a nutshell, Kids In a New Groove (or KING for short) provides central Texas kids in foster care with a one-on-one mentoring relationship through free, weekly, private music lessons.
Why is this important?
Children in the foster care system are a highly vulnerable and underserved population. A child in foster care is moved, on average, SIX times while in the system. This means a new home, new foster parents, new school, etc.
KING mentors and their students build a lasting relationship that stays with them through these transitions, providing support, which helps them succeed academically, emotionally, and socially.
Speaking of academics, over the past five years:
100% of eligible KING seniors graduated high school.
That’s pretty amazing, considering the national average for students in foster care is only 47%!
KING mentors are 100% volunteers, each committing a minimum of one year’s worth of weekly, half hour music lessons. This translates to 25 hours of free, private music lessons and mentorship per year for each student, in the instrument of their choosing.
BTW if you’re interested in becoming a KING mentor, there’s a link to their website below. We’ve heard some powerful stories from KING mentors, all of which say they feel like they get just as much out of the relationship as their students. The feeling of having that sort of positive impact on someone else’s life can be pretty amazing.
KING has been around, operating in its current model since 2009 and has since then, served over 700 students.
In addition to the weekly music lessons, KING puts on a number of special events including summer workshops for the students, quarterly concerts for donors, and more.
Michaela and I got to attend the KING
Concert Club event back in February, and it was so cool to see people rally around this great organization. This particular event featured performances from a few KING students, music from The Peterson Brothers, and took place at The Parish on 6th Street in Austin.
Although the next Concert Club event will be taking place virtually, we're just as excited to "attend" and will be making some exciting announcements on the days leading up to it!
There’s a link below to KING’s website where you can learn more, get in touch, sign up to become a mentor, enroll a new student, or join their newsletter to stay informed. I hope you’ll check it out. Thanks for reading!
www.kidsinanewgroove.org
Last but not least of our objectives here at More Than Music Creations: CONSERVE. CREATE. CONTRIBUTE.
Why do we give back?
When we decided to take MTMC from an artistic outlet to a legitimate business, it was not the first business we had started together, but it was the first time that we were able to put conservation and giving back at the forefront of the business plan. We felt that if we were in the position to work for something more than profits, we were obligated to do so.
Why Kids In a New Groove?
More Than Music Creations is fueled by music, both physically and inspirationally. Not only
do we recycle used music gear, but we use music to inspire the pieces we create. It seemed only natural then that our philanthropic efforts complete the circle and give back to the community that makes it possible.
After looking into a number of music related non-profit organizations and foundations, we fell in love with Kids In a New Groove. Their mission resonated so strongly with us that it seemed like it was meant to be.
Kids In a New Groove (KING) is an Austin, TX based non-profit that provides Texas youth in foster care with a committed one-on-one mentoring relationship through weekly private music instruction, giving students the ability to build concrete strategies for life-long success.
Music played a huge role in my childhood. I got my first drum kit at eight years old and my father was a bass player. Needless to say, music became my everything. It was a constructive and creative outlet; a safe place to direct my energy that gave me a sense of confidence and self-worth. Music was my passion and my dad was my mentor.
Looking back, I realize how fortunate I was to have that opportunity and feel privileged to be able to share that same gift with other children through KING.
For this reason, we have committed $10,000 of our 2020 sales to KING. With your support we look forward to spreading the joy of music for years to come.
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I will be sharing more info on KING and our partnership in a future post so be on the lookout that. If you're interested in following our journey as it develops we'd love to keep you up-to-date with a monthly newsletter. Subscribing is as easy as entering your email address at the bottom of the page. We appreciate your support!
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