Recommended Resources for Young Music Creatives

Founded by world champion beatboxers Kaila Mullady and Mark Martin, the Academy of Noise helps people of all ages to express themselves and find the power of their voice through beatboxing, writing, and storytelling. Offerings include school assemblies and workshops, group and private beatboxing lessons, and a research-based speech therapy curriculum.

ASMAC promotes the art of arranging, composing, and orchestrating live performance, television, and film music. For Musical Theatre, see ASMAC NYC. Nami Melumad and Macy Schmidt are members. Low-cost Student Memberships are available.

Singer-songwriter Kate Schutt unites two nonprofit organizations: BAMA Kids (a rural Alabama-based organization dedicated to the holistic development of youth and their families) and Zara Aina (NYC-based actors who use theater, storytelling, and performance to help at-risk children recognize their potential). Kate raises funds to cover the cost of bringing ZA's performing arts programs to BAMA Kids.

Broadway Coaching offers private lessons and masterclasses in musical theatre voice, auditioning, and more, led in person or online by industry leaders including Music Maven Janet Dacal.

Drake Music is a leading organization in the United Kingdom that "strives to create an inclusive environment where people with disabilities in music work together with the nondisabled." Recommended by instrument designer Lia Mice.

Geri Allen Jazz Camp is a week‐long workshop series for female-identifying and nonbinary performers (age 14‐26). Led by Regina Carter (artistic director) and a distinguished faculty of jazz musicians, GAJC is offered both in New Jersey and virtually, so aspiring musicians can attend from anywhere.

Girls Make Beats featured on the Grammy Awards telecast, GMA, & Forbes, hosts educational seminars, summer camps, industry panels, and networking events for girls aged 5–17 to help further their careers as music producers, DJs, and audio engineers.

GOCOO are known for their unique style, sometimes referred to as “groove taiko” or “tribal taiko”, breaking away from more traditional forms of taiko drumming. They are the first group to perform at a wide range of music festivals around the world, Sziget Festival, Montreux, Womad, and many more.

The Hiawatha Institute of Indigenous Knowledge, cofounded by Joanne Shenandoah, brings sustainability and Iroquois cultural knowledge to the world.

Inner-City Arts, widely regarded as one of the nation's most effective arts education providers, is an oasis of learning, achievement and creativity in the heart of Skid Row, and a vital partner in the work of transforming the lives of young people in Los Angeles and beyond. Their programs provide in-depth instruction in Visual, Creative, and Performing Arts. Offering instrumental and vocal instruction for K-12th graders, their music program provides a wide range of learning and performance opportunities promoting self-discovery, self-discipline, and self-expression. They focus on fostering the student's personal and artistic development through activities designed for discovery, learning, skill mastery, sharing, teamwork, and growth. The World Music Ensemble and the Inner-City Arts Chorus both allow students to experience the magic of performance.

Launched in 2014 as a US branch of Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten, kaDON is the world's premier subscription-based online taiko and fue (Japanese drum and flute) learning platform with a continuously growing library. Its instructional and repertoire courses are taught by the world's most respected taiko artists, including Kaoly Asano (GOCOO), Kenny Endo, Shoji Kameda, Kaoru Watanabe, Shogo Yoshii, PJ Hirabayashi, Eri Uchida, Sumie Kaneko and Leonard Eto. kaDON is for anyone interested in learning or improving their taiko and fue skills. Many courses include downloadable play-along tracks, exercises, and scores to make learning as fun and as easy as possible, and best of all, you can learn at your own pace! 

Los Angeles Inception Orchestra infuses music education with composition, orchestration, and music theory. Their tuition-free classes provide the tools essential for any young musician across the country to find well-rounded success in a future music career. Composer Nami Melumad volunteers as an LAIO mentor and teacher.

Luna Composition Lab provides mentorship, education, and resources for young female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming composers ages 13-18. Beginning and advanced classes are delivered online. Need-based scholarships are also available.

Mission11, founded by rock photographer Katarina Benzova, provides complimentary campaign design, photography, and cinematography to organizations combating Earth’s challenges. Its missions range from global warming and deforestation to animal poaching and human rights. 

Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation sees that students from low-income circumstances, whose parents can’t afford to rent or buy instruments for them, are given an opportunity to play music in school. Their instrument grants go to qualifying schools and school districts, not individuals. 

Music teachers and social workers can apply to another organization, Hungry For Music, on behalf of aspiring individual musicians  who need a specific instrument.

Music Bridge, founded by renowned Vietnamese traditional musician Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ, aims to motivate young music composition artists to contribute to the enrichment of the Vietnamese traditional music archive through workshops and mentorships. 

The One‐Handed Musical Instrument Trust, through which Lia Mice built her one‐handed violin, enables musicians with physical impairments to take part in music making. 

In Recording Unhinged: Creative and Unconventional Music Recording Techniques, authors Sylvia Massy and Chris Johnson dare you to “put the pedal to the metal” with adventurous recording techniques.

The Rock Photography Museum preserves, promotes, and presents the photographic legacy of rock and roll, including works by music maven Katarina Benzova.
 

The 5-time Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus and Artistic Director Valérie Sainte‐Agathe prepare girls for success, on stage and in life, through rigorous, empowering music education. 

(Not in the Bay Area? Consider joining a chorus where you live.)

She Is the Music, founded by Alicia Keys, is dedicated to increasing the number of women working in music. Programs include an all-female songwriting series, an industry database of women creators, and a mentorship program that includes producing-songwriting duo Nova Wav. SITM serves women in the industry today while fostering the development of future generations.

Soundgirls supports women working in professional audio engineering and music production while empowering the next generation. Resources include a podcast, video library, and mentorship program. Mentors volunteering their time are audio professionals working in recording arts, live sound, post-production audio, audio manufacturing, and more. Recommended by Maria Elisa Ayerbe.

SJO Music In The Schools brings much-needed music education to 175 classrooms in L.A. County (preK through 5th grade) each week. With a focus on schools in underserved neighborhoods, they reach 4,500 students annually. Some of the schools they work in have had NO arts education for decades. SJO's year-long program integrates with and enhances students’ understanding of math, reading, science, history, and creative writing. 

TAWOO is a Tokyo-based organization, produced by GOCOO and its leader, taiko drummer Kaoly Asano. Their four pillars include performance activities, a taiko dojo, a taiko workshop, and a taiko program for children.

The Villa Sinfonia - founded by music educators Lynn and Roy Oakley - is a San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to developing string musicians of all ages and abilities, through the performance of chamber music and chamber orchestra music. Assisted and coached by professional musicians, Villa Sinfonia students have performed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and around the globe.

We Are Moving the Needle is a nonprofit organization founded by Grammy winner and 8-time Grammy nominee mastering engineer Emily Lazar to support female recording industry professionals. They award scholarships and grants to college and university music technology and recording programs, provide educational programming, and have a mentorship program, where audio engineer Maria Elisa Ayerbe serves as a mentor.

Women In Music is committed to advancing equality, visibility, and opportunities for women in the musical arts through education, support, empowerment, and recognition. WIM encompasses chapters around the world, from L.A. to Tokyo. Orchestrator and Broadway Sinfonietta founder Macy Schmidt is a member.