Everyone deserves music.

Bring a Music Program to Your Y

Group classes, private lessons, a curriculum for 15+ instruments under your Y’s brand, and full training for your staff, installed at your branches and paid for by donors.

  • No cost to your association for three years, counted from the day each branch launches.
  • Practicing Musician has formed a Foundation to help raise the funds that cover your branches. Your Y is the beneficiary.
  • Two minutes now: what you tell us below becomes the case we make to donors for your Y.

Installations are scheduled as donor funds come in, in the order associations commit. Early partners are already in motion. Don’t let your community wait.

Questions? pmlistens@practicingmusician.com

Tell us about your Y

Two minutes. Your answers help us make the case to donors on your behalf. The line that matters most is the one in your own words: donors respond to what a music program would mean for your community more than to anything we could write. Our team follows up within 48 hours.

At the Assembly? A paper version is at booth 2613

 


What Happens Next

TODAY

Two minutes on the form. Check any next step you want: information, a Letter of Intent, the Priority Funding Agreement, or a meeting at the Assembly.

THIS WEEK

We follow up within 48 hours. If you asked to meet, we’ll confirm a day and time during the Assembly.

WITHIN 30 DAYS

Your Letter of Intent or Priority Funding Agreement is executed and your association is added to the rollout list. The Letter of Intent is non-binding. The Priority Funding Agreement places your association first in line for installations as donor funds are secured.

AS DONOR FUNDS ARE SECURED

Onboarding begins at your branches: platform live under your Y’s brand, facilitators trained, first group class within 90 days. Your Y keeps 100% of group-class revenue from day one, and the program is built to sustain itself before the three donor-funded years end.

In the U.S., only about 8% of adults play an instrument, and around 17% wish they had learned. The Y in San Diego showed what happens when the barrier comes down.

“The most interest I’ve ever seen for a first-time program.” — Ann Conway, Programming Director, YMCA of San Diego 

“If the YMCA is listening to this, you gotta keep this going.” — Alicia, Pilot Participant 

“Before this, a music program just seemed like too much to take on.” — Adrian Araiza, Program Director, Copley-Price Family YMCA

32 Participants, ages 30–83 (1% of branch membership) | Percussion Class (14 other instruments available) | 83% Rated the program Mission-Critical for their YMCA  | 89% Said they’d Refer Friends and Family | 100% Would continue paying | $0 Paid marketing spend

500+ YMCA executives signed a petition for the program at NAYDO 2025. Representatives of 431 branches asked for it at NAYDO 2026. Eleven branches have signed Letters of Intent.