Transparency is our priority.

We make sure our supporters know exactly how we manage our resources.

  • BRIGHT SPOTS

    Awarded by the White House and U.S. Dept of Education for programs that are helping close the achievement gap & support Latino educational attainment and excellence.

    COMING UP TALLER AWARD

    Awarded by the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities in a White House ceremony by First Lady Michelle Obama, the award is the nation’s highest honor for an arts-based youth program.

    PRESIDENTIAL CITIZENS MEDAL

    For Dr. Margaret Martin, Founder. Awarded by President Barack Obama, the Presidential Citizens Medal is the nation’s second highest civilian honor.

    PARTNERS IN EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD

    Awarded by the Association of California School Administrators for Region XVI for exemplary school-community partnerships that promote effective educational performance, enhanced student achievement and strong community involvement in educational quality.

  • Click here to view the annual report

  • NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

    We know from experience that long-term engagement with music is good for kids. We’re also interested in the science explaining the cognitive benefits of music, which is why we’ve teamed up with researchers at Northwestern University to uncover how Harmony Project changes a child’s brain.

    The team from Northwestern found that kids who studied music at Harmony Project become better listeners, which will improve their reading skills as well as their ability to focus in a noisy classroom. According to lead researcher Nina Kraus, music may play a crucial role in closing the academic achievement gap between affluent and low-income children.

    Auditory Neuroscience Lab at Northwestern University

    GUIDING RESEARCH

    The following studies have been used to inform the creation, development, implementation and evaluation of Harmony Project programs:

    Arts and Pro-Social Impact: RAND Corporation

    Self-Determination Theory

    40 Developmental Assets, Search Institute

    21st Century Learning Skills

    The Benefits of Music Education: An Overview of Current Neuroscience Research

    COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

    Harmony Project has partnered with research institutes to produce the following results:

    Kraus N, Strait DL (2015). Emergence of biological markers of musicianship with school-based music instruction. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1337: 163-169.

    Slater J, Skoe E, Strait D, O'Connell S, Thompson E, Kraus N (2015) Music training improves speech-in-noise perception: Longitudinal evidence from a community-based music program. Behavioural Brain Research 291: 244-252.

    Kraus N, Hornickel J, Strait DL, Slater J, Thompson EC. (2014). Engagement in community music classes sparks neuroplasticity and language development in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Frontiers in Psychology, Cognitive Science. 5(1403). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01403

    Kraus N, Anderson S. (2014). Community-based training shows objective evidence of efficacy. Hearing Journal. 67(11): 46-47.

    Kraus N, Slater J, Thompson E, Hornickel J, Strait DL, Nicol T, White-Schwoch T. (2014). Auditory learning through active engagement with sound: Biological impact of community music lessons in at-risk children. Frontiers Aud Cogn Neurosci. 8(351). doi: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00351.

    Slater J, Strait DL, Skoe E, O’Connell S, Thompson E, Kraus N. (2014). Longitudinal effects of group music instruction on literacy skills in low-income children. PlosOne. 9(11). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113383

    Kraus N, Slater J, Thompson E, Hornickel J, Strait D, Nicol T and White-Schwoch T (2014). Music enrichment programs improve the neural encoding of speech in at-risk children. Journal of Neuroscience. 34(36): 11913-11918

    Skoe E, Krizman J, Kraus N (2013) The impoverished brain: Disparities in maternal education affect the neural response to sound. Journal of Neuroscience 33(44):17221–17231.

    Slater J, Tierney A, Kraus N (2013) At-risk elementary school children with one year of classroom music instruction are better at keeping a beat. PlosOne. 8(10): e77250. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0077250.

  • Click here to view the audit

  • Click here to view the tax return

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