Reverb has issued a new round of musical instrument grants through its Reverb Gives initiative. Twenty-nine organizations received grants from Reverb to purchase musical instruments for their youth music education programs, benefiting an estimated more than 37,000 students.
Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reverb Gives recipient organizations have continued to show resilience by adjusting their programs to meet the evolving needs of their students. One of those organizations is Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls (WMRC). WMRC’s curriculum focuses on social justice and music technology education, and they are working to place a greater emphasis on modular synthesis, sound design, electronic music production and DIY synth building informed by the philosophy of Afrofuturism in their programming.
“Our existing instruments and gear were not well-suited for a virtual music camp, which will now include electronic music and circuit bending components,” said LaFrae Sci, director of artistic programs. “With the help of Reverb Gives, we’re pivoting our program to meet the new needs of our students — both online and in-person — and outfit a sound instruction space to house a sound system, modular synths and recording gear.”
Additional organizations that received Reverb Gives grants this quarter include:
- Today’s Future Sound, which plans to purchase more MIDI controllers, headphones, condenser microphones, monitors and audio interfaces thanks to their Reverb Gives grant.
- Musical Arts Institute, which plans to use its Reverb Gives grant to acquire instruments like acoustic guitars, basses, snare drums, bass drums, cymbals and quad sets for its loan-an-instrument program.
- Guitars Over Guns, which plans to use its grant to invest in USB microphones, pop filters and small MIDI controllers.
- Särö (former Girls Rock! Finland), which plans to use its grant to purchase new bass guitar amps and other gear for its practice facility, and to help the transgender, non-binary, and cis-girls and women it serves to start bands, practice and play gigs.
Other grant recipients include the Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii (ATRC), Austin Classical Guitar, Cathedral Arts Project, Colorado Springs Conservatory, Fallsburg Elementary, Friends of Noise, High Point Academy, LightHouse Holyoke, Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience, Moon Area School District Electric Guitar Building Club, Music Art Puppet Sound Inc. (MAPS Arts), My Voice Music, North White School Corporation, Oakland Youth Chorus, One City at VanderCook College of Music, Opportunity Music Project, Riverside Arts Academy, Rock ‘N’ Roll Camp for Girls, Rock to the Future, Sequoia High School Education Foundation, Spy Hop Productions, West Hawaii Explorations Academy, Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), and Youth Music Project.
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