Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Bosarge.
Music Doing Good, Inc. was founded in 2011 by Mari. As music programs began disappearing from the classroom, she realized that something had to be done to fill the gaps. Her long-held belief that music is a necessity, not a luxury, propelled her into action. As their tag line states, Music Doing Good is “Creating a world where we all live in concert.”
Established in 2011, Music Doing Good in Schools was the first outreach program that would fulfill the mission to inspire and transform lives through innovative music-based programs and performance experiences. The TEKS-aligned program challenges students to develop important “21st Century Life Skills,” including collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. This program just celebrated its sixth year serving Houston’s at-risk youth in Title 1 schools.
Shortly after establishing the after-school fine arts enrichment program, Music Doing Good with Instruments was born. Patrons of the organization donated a drum kit and two guitars that their children no longer played. Around the same time, they heard from a teacher at a Title 1 school that he had a student who was on the verge of going down the wrong path. The teacher noticed that every chance he got, the student would rap on desktops, books, and lockers with pencils, rulers – anything that would simulate the sound of a drum. Music Doing Good donated the drum kit to the student to give him a healthy outlet for his energy, creativity and focus. In 2017, approximately 204 instruments have been donated to individuals and schools who wish to create or maintain band and/or orchestral programs.
She had long supported the idea that students who wish to study music should always have access to instruction. In 2014, Music Doing Good with Scholarships was created to ensure that students had the opportunity to take private lessons and attend music workshops. The outreach program initially focused on grades 6 – 12, but in 2016, it was extended to students in grades 4 – 12. Each year, the number of scholarships and the amount granted has grown exponentially. In the initial program year, they granted 20 scholarships totaling $13,400. In 2017, 106 scholarships were granted totaling over $83,000.
In 2017, Music Doing Good launched the College-Bound Scholarship Fund. The program sent six students to three leading Houston Universities, granting $40,000 per student over the next four years. Additionally, Music Doing Good sent four students to community college, granting $10,000 to each student to complete a two-year associate’s degree.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Fortunately, most of Music Doing Good’s outreach programs have developed organically. The community has been extremely supportive in every way.
When the decision was made to create the instrument granting program, Music Doing Good was introduced to an organization that was bringing palettes of instruments to Houston from a music store in Austin. They only wanted broken instruments to create art pieces to auction off to support their own outreach programs. So right from the start, we had a steady stream of instruments available for redistribution.
Music Doing Good in Schools has acquired numerous community partners in the last few years that ensure the highest artistic quality of the program. A noted fashion designer and make-up artist provide services to the program free of charge. Two Houston-area restaurants and caterers donate food for the children the day of their performance at the Hobby Center every spring. The musicians who accompany the children on stage for their performance are some of Houston’s most sought-after performers.
The Bosarge Family had been granting music scholarships for several years before the establishment of Music Doing Good in 2011. By 2014, the scholarship program was clearly focused and has grown exponentially each year. In 2017, a total of 106 scholarships and more than $83,000 was granted to music students in 4th – 12th grade for private lessons and music workshops. Music professionals from the Houston area also aid in evaluating scholarship applications each year. In 2017, the program had its first community partner who raised funds for six additional scholarships.
Music Doing Good College-Bound Scholarship Fund was created through our President’s Leadership Council, which is made up of business leaders and professionals. They have galvanized other leaders in the community to support this effort. In just two years, Music Doing Good was able to raise $280,000 through six concerts to enable 10 music students to study at the college and university level.
So Music Doing Good has seen tremendous growth in a very short period of time thanks to Houston’s very generous and philanthropic community.
Please tell us about Music Doing Good.
Music Doing Good provides access to music programs for students in low-income areas and who attend Title 1 schools. As music programs disappear from the classrooms, Music Doing Good is filling the gaps with our after-school fine arts enrichment program, as well as providing support to public schools to ensure the survival of existing orchestra, choral and band programs.
Recent studies confirm that children who study music develop better learning skills for math, science and languages. Music is the only art form that accesses multiple parts of the brain simultaneously. It is like super food for developing minds. For this reason, Marie Bosarge adamantly states, “Music is a necessity, not a luxury.”
There are no other local organizations in Houston that grant instruments to individual students and/or music programs. The relationships that we develop with the students we serve are long-lasting and meaningful. Once a student participates in any of our outreach programs, they become part of the Music Doing Good family. They stay very connected to our organization and there is a fair amount of cross-over between the outreach programs.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Marie Bosarge:
“As a child, I could not wait to get home from school and lose myself in playing the piano. I would play from the moment I got home until my Mother called us in to dinner. Music is my love and my salvation.”
Pricing:
- Average cost to repair a stringed instrument is $25.
- Music Scholarships for private lessons and workshops range from $250 – $1,500 per student.
- Ticket prices to attend a President’s Leadership Council concert to support the Music Doing Good College-Bound Scholarship program are $250 and $100.
Contact Info:
- Address: Music Doing Good
4203 Yoakum, Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77006 - Website: www.musicdoinggood.org
- Phone: 346-571-4091
- Email: info@musicdoinggood.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicdoinggood/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicDoingGood/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/musicdoinggood
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/musicdoinggood/
Image Credit:
Rodney Waters
Quy Tran
Jay Ford
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