Music Will, Sweetwater Launch National Instrument Fund

Celebrating a decade-long partnership, Music Will and Sweetwater have launched the National Instrument Fund to help under-resourced schools establish music programs. Music Will, the largest nonprofit music program in the U.S. public school system, and Sweetwater have announced the 34 schools chosen as Fund recipients.

Nearly 4 million students in the U.S. are without access to music education resources. The National Instrument Fund is an innovative partnership designed to help schools overcome one of the biggest barriers to music education: access to instruments.

“With the generosity of Sweetwater, we’re helping teachers across the country set up new music programs in schools where they didn’t exist, and expand existing programs where more students want to participate than teachers currently have the resources to support,” said Mike Wasserman, Music Will CEO. “Talent is universal, but opportunity is not.

We are grateful for Sweetwater’s long-standing leadership and ongoing investment to help close gaps in access to classroom instruments and provide more young people the opportunity to become lifelong music-makers.”

Over 300 schools applied for the National Instrument Fund, signaling the need for broader, industry-wide collaboration to close the gap. Most of the Fund-awarded schools serve communities facing socioeconomic challenges. According to The National Association for Music Education, schools with music programs see a nearly 18% increase in graduation rates and an almost 10 percent increase in attendance rates.

“At Sweetwater, we know that music education is a powerful way to build students’ confidence, foster inclusion and belonging, and learn how to collaborate with others,” shared Mike Clem, Sweetwater CEO. “These are life skills that every student should have access to develop, and we’re proud to play a role in helping unlock their potential and creativity through the gift of music.”

musicwill.org; sweetwater.com