Meet, Alexis Aguilar a former Music Will student and intern at the organization, music instructor, and an industry professional from Jersey City, NJ. Alexis started with Music Will back in 2012 at Franklin L. Williams Middle School #7 in Jersey City. He was involved in John Flora’s modern band program and credits Mr. Flora, including several other mentors for “encouraging him to continue playing and to not lose track of the fun and beauty of making music.” During this time, Alexis’ friend, Ignacio (who was also a Music Will student), formed a band together known as The White Skies. Alexis fee ..read more

Meet Tom Morello of the band Rage Against the Machine, our 2023 Music Will Humanitarian of the Year award recipient. Tom has spent his career not only making music but also making a difference in the lives of others. From his activism to philanthropic efforts, he embodies everything this coveted award stands for.  Tom says of the award to FOBES, “My favorite part about this is not just the work that [Music Will does], but as someone who is a recipient of one of the awards, you get to pick 20 places where there are going to be new schools” that receive teacher training, curriculum, and re ..read more

Meet Jose Vergara, a music educator, modern band workshop trainer, and a Music Will board member who teaches 2nd through 8th-grade students at Miramonte Elementary of LAUSD. Jose has been teaching for the past 22 years beginning with an after-school program. He noticed the impact music had on his students and 6 years ago he became motivated to pursue a full-time position. He believes that music is an art form that reaches people in ways like nothing else, allowing people from any background and socioeconomic class to come together.  “I focus on creating an environment where music makers ..read more

We’re excited to introduce you to 2024 New York State Teacher of the Year, Music Will educator Zachary Arenz. He has been teaching Kindergarten through 6th grade music at Flower City School 54 in the Lyell-Otis neighborhood of Rochester, New York for the past 12 years.  Zachary says he always dreamed of becoming a teacher, influenced primarily by his mom’s career in education when he was a child. He also felt at home in his high school’s music department, which made music and teaching a natural pairing. He says, “I dreamt that one day, my classroom would be that same place for students; s ..read more

Meet Rubi Chavez, a former Music Will student and an active classical vocal performance major at the University of Southern California. Rubi started with Music Will back in 2014 at Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA. The program has been apart of most of her life, so she often reflects on her modern band teacher, Mr. Vergara. She shares, “he was the one who raised me in a way, I grew up with him.” After receiving her acceptance letter to the Thorton School of Music at USC, she even sent him a thank you because he helped inspire her to continue her musical studies. This was Rubi’s ..read more

We’re excited to introduce you to 2024 New York State Teacher of the Year, Music Will educator Zachary Arnez. He has been teaching Kindergarten through 6th grade music at Flower City School 54 in the Lyell-Otis neighborhood of Rochester, New York for the past 12 years.  Zachary says he always dreamed of becoming a teacher, influenced primarily by his mom’s career in education when he was a child. He also felt at home in his high school’s music department, which made music and teaching a natural pairing. He says, “I dreamt that one day, my classroom would be that same place for students; s ..read more

Native and Indigenous Peoples are the original music-makers and storytellers, long before European contact was made on what is now the United States. Rooted in rich cultural tradition, their music is ever-evolving and thriving —  and it is as diverse as the 570+ tribal groups who call this land home. To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, we’re featuring Native and Indigenous artists that are currently shaping today’s music. Here are five artists we think you should know. Stella Standingbear Stella Standingbear stands out as a breakout star with her rise to fame over the last 12 mo ..read more

Native and Indigenous Peoples are the original music-makers and storytellers, long before European contact was made on what is now the United States. Rooted in rich cultural tradition, their music is ever-evolving and thriving —  and it is as diverse as the 570+ tribal groups who call this land home. To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, we’re featuring Native and Indigenous artists that are currently shaping today’s music. Here are five artists we think you should know. Stella Standingbear Stella Standingbear stands out as a breakout star with her rise to fame over the last 12 mo ..read more

Meet music educator Mia Ibrahim, who teaches 9th-12th grade students at Health Opportunities High School in the South Bronx. Additionally, they are on the Board of Directors for the Association for Popular Music Education, serve on the development committee, and they are a fierce advocate for bringing music to marginalized students and communities. Mia says, “I always knew I was a music teacher in my heart,” even when their parents urged them to pursue ‘something practical’ as a college major. But they couldn’t shake that feeling that there was no other career path that felt quite as right as ..read more

Meet Nancy Villegas Santos, one of our original students from even before Music Will became the nation-wide nonprofit it is today.  After moving to the US and struggling with English as a small child, Nancy connected deeply with her teacher Mr. David Wish through his ability to speak to her in Spanish as she was learning English. This connection meant the world to both Nancy and her family as they navigated life in a new country.  When Nancy was in elementary school, Mr. Wish brought music into the classroom through his after school guitar program, which would later become the Moder ..read more