Harmony Project – Helping Kids Make Beautiful Music of Their Lives
One Sunday, Margaret Martin was at an outdoor market in Los Angeles. She was there watching her son play the violin, making music for people on the street to hear. While standing there, Margaret watched a group of tough-looking gang members approach her son. As she looked on, she saw the tough demeanors of the gang members soften as they expressed their appreciation of the music they were hearing!
Margaret’s experience at the market that day led her to realize that music could be used to reach out to kids, particularly the underserved kids of Los Angeles who often dropped out of school and turned to gangs and crime. Thus the idea for Harmony Project was born. In 2001, Margaret founded Harmony Project, offering free musical instruments and lessons to underserved kids in Los Angeles. It hoped to use music to motivate the kids to develop good habits and life skills that would help them stay in school and achieve success in life. Today, Harmony Project has helped hundreds of kids truly make beautiful music of their lives!
This video tells all about Harmony Project and the great work it is doing.
Additional Resources:
- Here is an article that tells about Harmony Project and its amazing success.
- Here is another video that shows how Harmony Project is making a difference in young lives.
Topics for Discussion:
- Why do you think learning music has such a positive effect on kids?
- Do you play a musical instrument? If so, what good habits have you gained as you’ve learned to play?
Take Action:
- Visit the website for Harmony Project to learn more about this worthy organization and how you can help support it!
- Visit the Playing for Change website to learn about another group that hopes to make positive change in the world through music!
Teacher Features:
- Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
- Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.
