Photo Credit: Music Impact Coalition
Music charity the Music Impact Coalition donates $2 million to pilot music education programs in strategically selected states, North Carolina and Ohio.
The Music Impact Coalition, a music charity mega-group composed of over 20 of the nation’s top music and arts foundations and organizations, has aligned with Let Music Fill My World on a shared mission to ensure every student in America has access to high-quality music and arts education. The program will kick off in the strategically selected states of North Carolina and Ohio to mark the start of a multi-state pilot initiative, funded through a $2 million grant from Let Music Fill My World.
Members of the coalition include Adopt the Arts, Americans for the Arts, Artist For Artist, Arts Education Partnership, Creating Abundance Collaborative, D’Addario Foundation, Give a Note Foundation, Grammy Museum, Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts, The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, Let Music Fill My World, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, Music Will, NAMM Foundation, NASAA, National Association for Music Education, NORC, Save The Music, the Recording Academy, and Tullman Family Office.
“When members of the Music Impact Coalition gathered in Memphis this past October, the summit reaffirmed a shared truth: systemic change cannot be achieved in isolation,” said Cayley Tull, co-founder of Let Music Fill My World.
“We believe every student in America deserves access to the kind of music education that helps them grow into confident, capable adults. Music is more than an art form—it is a powerful tool that builds durable skills, strengthens school communities, and supports student wellbeing. By partnering deeply with state leaders in Ohio and North Carolina, we’re developing a model that shows how music education can deliver meaningful results for students, schools, and entire communities nationwide.”
Research shows that expanding access to arts education delivers powerful academic, behavioral, and social-emotional benefits for students. Students who participated in significantly more arts learning experiences had 36% fewer disciplinary incidents, stronger writing skills, and greater compassion for others compared to their peers.
Specifically, students in schools with increased arts education experienced a 6% drop in disciplinary infractions, a meaningful boost in standardized writing scores, and a notable rise in empathy and concern for others. Younger students exposed to more arts education showed higher engagement in school, stronger aspirations for college, and a greater ability to use art as a way to understand and empathize with others.
These students were more likely to say that schoolwork is enjoyable, sparks new ways of thinking, and offers programs and activities that keep them interested and motivated.
Overall, research finds that arts education doesn’t just enrich learning—it strengthens students academically, improves behavior, and helps build more empathetic, engaged young people.
