SOUNDS Academy Provides Music Education Opportunities to Arizona Youth

SOUNDS Academy is a non-profit music education organization that teaches, mentors, and provides musical experiences and opportunities for underserved youth. Students receive individual lessons, group classes, and perform on the violin, viola, cello, guitar, and piano.

Instruments are provided to those who cannot afford one. In SOUNDS Academy, students learn the character values of creativity, leadership, perseverance, resilience, and teamwork through music education. We teach these values in our Musical Access Program, which connects students to live music and instruments through our Instrument Petting Zoos, our School Programs for lower income schools and community centers, and our SOLO Program, which provides one-on-one instruction.

SOUNDS Academy’s mission is to teach, mentor, and provide musical experiences and opportunities to underserved youth. The vision of SOUNDS Academy is to provide music education opportunities to a wide variety of children while removing any barriers that children may have in receiving quality music education.

SOUNDS Academy began its work in September of 2014. SOUNDS Academy started in a room at Buchanan Music in Mesa, Arizona with 10 students and 1 teacher. These students worked hard and used the community as their stage, performing at places such as The Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Orpheum Theatre, and various festivals in Phoenix. As time progressed, more students began to sign up and get involved. SOUNDS Academy quickly learned that many more families wanted to participate in instrumental music education opportunities.

In 2018, SOUNDS Academy has grown. SOUNDS Academy now has 300 students in our School and SOLO Programs. SOUNDS Academy exposes an additional 4,000 students to live performances through our Musical Access Program and our Instrument Petting Zoos. There are now 10 teaching artists that contribute to the mission of SOUNDS Academy.

SOUNDS Academy has given over 8,000 lessons and classes to students in Arizona. Over 11,000 students have been exposed to musical performance or Instrument Petting Zoos through our Musical Access Program. SOUNDS Academy has given over $60,000 in scholarships for students to take lessons and classes so that they can learn how to play instruments. The greatest impact that SOUNDS Academy has made is in creating a pathway for students to go to college. Exactly 100 percent of the students who graduate from our SOLO Program now attend a college or university to pursue various degrees such as biology, business, and music education!

As SOUNDS Academy continues to impact Phoenix youth through music education, the organization is looking to connect with students that would be interested in learning an instrument and community leaders that can help us find resources for teaching and performance space, teachers, instruments, and funds to cover operational costs. As a Qualifying Charitable Organization, any tax paying individual can receive a tax credit for donating to SOUNDS Academy.

At SOUNDS Academy, the team believes that the zipcode of a child should not dictate their access to music education. If you believe the same, then please visit www.soundsacademy.org or send an e-mail to info@soundsacademy.org to learn how you can join the movement to spread music education opportunities to underserved areas in Phoenix.