Reverb Announces First Round of Musical Instrument Grants for 2021

Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 — Reverb, the largest online marketplace dedicated to buying and selling new, used, and vintage musical instruments, announced that it 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. “Through hands-on beat making and music production instruction, our program is an outlet for creativity, healing, personal expression, and critical thinking for the youth in our school, community, and juvenile justice settings,” said Dr. Elliot Gann, Executive Director of Today’s Future Sound. “This gear will help us serve these groups and continue to run our free interactive public events in-person and through virtual classes.”
• Musical Arts Institute, which plans to use their Reverb Gives grant to acquire instruments like acoustic guitars, basses, snare drums, bass drums, cymbals, and quad sets for their loan-an-instrument program. “Ninety-eight percent of our students do not have the resources to purchase or rent their own guitars or basses, and our loan-an-instrument program fills that gap,” said Michael Manson, Executive Director of Musical Arts Institute. “These instruments will help us fulfill our mission to help any student in our community on the south side of Chicago with the desire to learn an instrument get wholly free lessons.”
• Guitars Over Guns, which plans to use their grant to invest in USB microphones, pop filters, and small MIDI controllers. “In the COVID-19 era, it’s essential that all students in our program have a piece of musical equipment for at-home practice,” said Andrew DeMuro at Guitars Over Guns. “This grant will help us break down the vast resource disparities presented by virtual learning in Chicago and get 60 students the gear they need.”
• Särö (former Girls Rock! Finland), which plans to use their grant to purchase new bass guitar amps and other gear for their practice facility and help the transgender, non-binary, and cis-girls and women they serve continue 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 (Portland, OR), 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.

Since 2018, Reverb Gives has benefited over 140 organizations, ranging from nonprofits to underfunded school music programs. To learn more about Reverb Gives, visit: www.reverbgives.com.