As leaves hint at changing colors in my neighborhood, I realize another school year begins, filled with lessons, recitals, festivals, and all the activities that our students can enjoy through music. This issue shares the significance of MusicLink in students’ lives through camp experiences, instruments and new projects begun through our Grass Roots grants.
- Joanne Haroutounian

Kurzen Camp Scholarship

Jesse and Leah Nieman with PDX conductor, Raul Gomez

The MusicLink Foundation was pleased to send Jesse and Leah Nieman to the PDX Orchestra Academy in Portland, OR, through the newly initiated Dorothy B. and Mel Kurzen Camp Scholarship. The $1000 scholarship was established to enable a student to attend a camp whose fees extend above our $250 limit, enabling this brother and sister to attend the academy in both piano and violin.

Jesse and Leah are MusicLink students of Pauline Eidemiller.

Jesse: This was a tremendous experience that I doubt I would have been able to enjoy had it not been for the generosity of MusicLink. Our concert on Friday was fantastic and the solos that I had went very well. It was a great opportunity to be the concertmaster. I learned so much and I made a lasting memory which I am greatly thankful for.

Leah: The camp was a huge highlight of my summer. The opportunity to learn from such talented professional musicians and other performers in the orchestra was amazing. This camp taught me discipline, endurance, music technique and skills. I enjoyed the time every day with friends and teachers. I learned so much from it that will help me not only in music but in daily life.

Pedaling for Pianos - An Enjoyable Day for All!

Bikers Ready to Go


Pedaling Around Town

Thirty bikers gathered at the St. Paul Cathedral on the morning of September 14th to bike a ten-mile route around St. Paul raising money for the MusicLink Foundation. The bikers enjoyed musical performances along the way by various local musicians including Lillie Imm, Michelle Rose Bergh, Hailey James, the Dolce Cello Quartet, Kathryn Karg, Rachel Luchsinger and several students. Eric Bell, Kathryn & Rachel organized the event which raised $625 to purchase practice keyboards for Minnesota MusicLink students.

MusicLink Provides Instruments to Students

The MusicLink Foundation provided $5,549 worth of instruments to students during the 2018-19 school year. Instruments donated to the MusicLink Foundation are provided for use by students and are moved into homes whenever possible. If students are in the program for four years or more, the student keeps the instrument. If they leave the program (going to college or ending lessons), we find another student in need of the instrument. Here are several stories showing the significance of these instrument donations to our MusicLink students.

In our March 2018 eLINK, we welcomed Day Violins (VA) as a new business partner and shared a photo of Daeon Lynch, who received a full-size cello donated by this business. His teacher, Jean Vilkelis, explains the significance this instrument played in his studies on this year’s annual student evaluation:

"Daeon has grown so much this year thanks to the cello donated through MusicLink. It has enabled him to play on a quality instrument and his commitment toward practicing has improved, which is apparent in his playing. He will be entering Arlington High School in Lagrangeville, NY. The school is reknown for its music program offering multiple levels of orchestra, quartets, and chamber music and he is in a great position to succeed. He plans to practice hard and audition for the next tier orchestra this year. He's done wonderful work and is a pleasure to teach."

Charles and Daniel with Sophia's Mom and Sophia


Nashalae and her dad with Charles and Daniel

NY: On August 18, 2019 two volunteers, Charlie McLaughlin and Daniel Pincus (a professional musician) moved a keyboard from one Bronx family to another. The excellent keyboard was initially donated to the MusicLink Foundation by Hungry for Music. Nashalae Martin, age 17, former student of Mary Douglas, was leaving for college in the fall so there was a keyboard available for another MusicLink student.

Fortunately, Sophia, age 7, was starting piano lessons with Paul Kirby and in need of a keyboard for these lessons. After Sophia’s father died last fall, she, her mom and brother were living in a homeless shelter. They were finally able to move to an apartment in June.

Sophia asked for piano lessons, telling her mom she thought music would help with her sadness about losing her dad. Her mom found MusicLink. The volunteer movers enjoyed seeing the joy on Sophia’s face when she tried out the keyboard as soon as it came through the door of her apartment. "I hope our story helps someone else with their coping mechanism also." said Sophia’s mom. "Sophia will be happy to hear her story will inspire others."

Our thanks to Julie Wegener, our New York City MusicLink Coordinator, for arranging this move and lesson link. Special thanks to Paul Kirby for charging no fee to a family dealing with a devastating loss. Thanks also to the Kanter Kallman Foundation for their generous funding of MusicLink in New York City.

MusicLink Foundation Grass Roots Grants

The MusicLink Foundation provides Grass Roots Grants in the amount of $300 to assist teachers or organizations who want to begin a new MusicLink program or project. The MusicLink Foundation awarded a total of $1700 in grants during the 2018-2019 year. Applications are found on the website.

Big Dreams Students with Instruments


Dana Rice with Students

GA: Dana Rice requested a Grass Roots Grant to develop the Big Dreams Residency at Lyman Hall Elementary School where there was no music program or music teacher in the school. She reached out to 25 disadvantaged students in an after-school music program that provided instruction in singing, music theory, percussion, piano and performance. The grant enabled the program to purchase several percussion instruments and sheet music for the class. Dana and students sent a lovely video thanking us for this musical experience.

New Teachers

We welcome 18 new teachers who joined MusicLink in the past two months. Total active MusicLink teachers: 294. Total overall MusicLink teachers: 3,474.

CA: Kristen Riter; CO: Alexandra Kagan; GA: Natalie Haney; IL: Karen Brockman (returning); IN: Sarah Sponseller; MA: Chuiying Lu; MN: Stacy Julson, (returning), Rik Svien, Natalie Van Burkleo-Cabonara, Rachel Weyandt; MO: Elizabeth Karako; NY: Christina Sahloff (returning); ON: Sheila McGugan; TX: Doris May, Jose Quesada; VA: Xi Chen, Jon Sanford; WI: Kayme Henkel.

New Businesses & Alliance Partners

We welcome the following new business and alliance partners to MusicLink. Every new MusicLink teacher receives a four page discount list explaining how to connect with our business partners for free or discounted music services, or other offers: Lacefield Music (St, Louis, MO); Piano Safari (national). Alliance Partners: Oakland Symphony (CA); Greater Austin Music Academy (TX); Blessings Academy of Arts & Music (MN).

MusicLink Legacy Partners

MusicLink Legacy Partners are an extraordinary group of businesses and individuals committed to the Foundation’s mission of creating musicians, one student at a time. They recognize the unique value of music and its inherent positive impact on the life of a child. Their ongoing support creates a catalyst that insures MusicLink’s future growth and the next generation of outstanding musicians. Legacy Partners provide annual donations at two levels - Bravo ($5,000) - $4999) and Encore ($10,000 or more). If you are interested in being part of this prominent group of donors, go to www.fundmusiclink.com for details.

We thank our current Legacy Partners - Bill and Brigid Brakefield, William and Joanne Haroutounian, (Encore level) and the MusicLink Board of Directors (Bravo level).

We also wish to honor individuals who established endowments in honor of loved ones to ensure the longevity of the MusicLink Foundation. These include Arline & Russell Bridge, Gerald Christoff , and Dorothy B. and Mel Kurzen Endowments.

In Memoriam

We remember the following people who chose the MusicLink Foundation as a worthwhile charity for donations in their memory:

John Keating: John Keating passed away in August at the age of 65 after a short battle with cancer. His stepson said, "he was so very youthful and exuberant for a man his age; he barely had a grey hair on his head even several years after turning 60. He was in otherwise great health and good spirits right up until the end. We had all long since come to rely on his warmth, empathy and wisdom as the acting patriarch of the family, and in his passing he has left a great hole in all of our hearts and lives."

"John was a musician for his entire adult life. He sang and played guitar with a natural talent that made every other musician in the family quietly jealous (at least until they learned that he was also a great and willing teacher). While his main career was in the banking sector and he later left that career to retrain into the field of medical massage therapy, he sang and played guitar almost every day since his teenage years, and was an avid hobbyist performer who had played on thousands of occasions throughout his life ranging from countless gigs at Virginia's many bars, cafés, and wineries, to intimate nightly household lullabies for his once-young children."

"The MusicLink Foundation was a charity that was very near and dear to his heart. He was a past contributor himself, and he truly believed that becoming involved in music was one of the most enriching experiences that is available to us in this life. He wanted to leave a small mark on the world he left behind by voicing a parting wish that anyone who knew and loved him should make a contribution to your foundation in order to help disadvantaged children find opportunities to discover the gift of music that was so important to him in his own life."

A memorial fund in honor of John Keating has contributed $1000 for the MusicLink Foundation.

Lawrence Chalifoux: Lawrence "Larry" Chalifoux passed away at the age of 65.

He was the beloved husband of Melissa Wreath and loving son of the late George "Bud" and Mary Kay Chalifoux. He was the dearest brother of Donald, George, Carol, Mary, James and Katie. He also was the fond uncle and great uncle of many nieces and nephews. Larry was an accomplished musician and avid Cubs Fan. He will be missed by his family and many loving friends.

A memorial fund in honor of Lawrence Chalifoux has contributed $425 to the MusicLink Foundation.

Great Nonprofits

The MusicLink Foundation has the distinction of being one of the top-rated non-profits on the greatnonprofits.org website for the past six years. We encourage you to add a review to the website by October 31st so we can retain our top-rated badge for 2019. We need 10 positive reviews (4+ or above) by that deadline to receive the honor. Many thanks!