The Songbirds Foundation announces the launch of its new online curriculum and student learning portal. As a part of the Foundation’s Guitars for Kids program, the “Learn Guitar” series provides over 30 instructional videos that teach guitar basics along with 100+ curated songs with sheet music.
This curriculum was designed to turn novice guitarists into proficient players—focusing on guitar fundamentals and exposing students to a wide variety of playing styles and techniques. This new curriculum will allow the Foundation to expand to reach a national audience—providing opportunities for students outside Tennessee to apply for guitars, lessons, and music therapy.
Songbirds Foundation Executive Director Reed Caldwell said, “This is a huge move for us. It has been a crazy push over the past two years to create this robust curriculum, and it will allow us to provide more guitars to more kids—wherever they live. Our team of creatives has gone above and beyond to make this happen, and I can’t praise them enough!"
Songbirds Foundation has also partnered with Musack, a non-profit based out of Los Angeles that aims to give kids and teens a voice through music by providing guitars, drums, and support for music teachers. Musack will implement the Foundation’s “Learn Guitar” curriculum at all of its locations—putting this curriculum to work in Acoma, Apache, and Navajo Reservations, Haiti, Cuba, Alaska, El Salvador, and across the United States. This partnership provides a starter package for developing musicians who now receive both the equipment and learning tools needed to get guitarists started.
Over the past three years, the Songbirds Foundation has provided free music lessons, instruments, and music therapy to thousands of youth across the state of Tennessee. It serves over 30 schools, 14 partner programs, and 2,000 students— with over 1,000 guitars distributed across classrooms throughout the state. This year, the organization expanded to Memphis and plans to add additional schools in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Cleveland, and Fort Oglethorpe. These programs will add an additional 1,000 guitars with 2,500 students completing the program by Spring 2021.
For every $100 raised, the Foundation can provide a kid a guitar and 12 weeks of free lessons. To donate visit www.songbirdsfoundation.org/give.