Foundational Projects and Goals
HeartBEATS volunteers share a musical and cultural education with refugees while attending various events across the greater Phoenix community. For example, HeartBeats members will bring musical instruments and engage refugee children in songs and activities when visiting local apartments along with the Welcome to America Project (WTAP), a Phoenix refugee organization. The WTAP holds “Welcome Waves” in which they bring free, donated clothes to these apartment complexes and allow refugees to shop for the items they need. While the parents are shopping, HeartBEATS members will invite the kids to play with the instruments, teach each other songs from and share the joy of music to bridge cultural and language divides.
In March 2020, we hosted two "Days of Music" with Lutheran Social Services. Check out the fun we had on our Children's Day of Music page.
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HeartBEATS inspires a love for music and the arts by gathering handheld musical instruments and creating music kits for young refugee children. Most refugee families arrive with only a suitcase of essentials. Musical instruments are often left behind. Our music kits bring the joy of music to new refugee families on weekend deliveries with our partner, The Welcome to America Project. HeartBEATS members will share music with the children of the families while their apartment is being furnished and set up by fellow volunteers. Because the instruments are small, rhythm instruments that can be used by anyone regardless of age or musical ability, our hope is that the kits will bring the joy of music into their new homes with family and new friends. We also keep a small number of larger instruments for teens and adults who may have had to leave a treasured instrument behind.
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If you are interested in donating items for our music kits, we've created an Amazon Wish List. If you have an instrument to donate, please contact Riley at heartbeatsaz@gmail.com.
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HeartBEATS recruits teen musician volunteers to teach free music lessons to help newly arrived students succeed in band and music classes or learn a new instrument. For the 2020-2021 school year, we have moved to virtual lessons and that has helped expand our reach to more students in the greater Phoenix area.
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If you know of a student who could benefit from music lessons or if you are a teen musician and would like to be put on our volunteer list, please contact Riley at heartbeatsaz@gmail.com.
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HeartBEATS is currently working on a plan to host a benefit concert to raise money for organizations local refugee organizations and partners such as The Welcome to America Project. This concert will feature teenage musicians from the Phoenix area as well as local refugee musicians.
If you are interested in participating or helping to sponsor this event, please contact Riley at heartbeatsaz@gmail.com.
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Our Music Feeds the Soul Benefit Concert was held on Thursday, June 7th, 2020. We raised $3690 to help share more than 184 meals with local refugee families!

