2021 ANNUAL REPORT

A headshot of Vasheti smiling at the camera. She has a fair skin tone, shoulder length brown hair, and a navy blue blazer.

Letter From the Executive Director

Dear Faithful Community Members,

This year has been a challenge for us all.  The Music Project’s greatest priority has been to maintain the safety of our staff and our community and to keep our doors open to those most in need.

So many of you helped to make this possible. Thank you doesn’t even begin to express the depth of our gratitude.   

The response, support, and financial assistance from individuals, program partners, corporate sponsors, funders, and the philanthropic community were almost immediate.  The commitment from our community to sustain the critical services we provide was evident.  Donations, flexibility, and emergency funding made it possible to continue to care for our community while taking critical measures to maximize safety.  Those dollars made it possible to ensure that we were taking every step imaginable to protect against COVID-19.

While it felt like so much of the world hit the ‘pause’ button, our staff continued efforts to reach our clients, even in the face of this pandemic, to respond to those in crisis.  Our services remained uninterrupted.  And we adapted, quickly. I am continually humbled by the work that our music therapists do, the spirit in which their work is carried out, and the depth of their commitment to those we support. 

We are grateful for so much in this past year, but we are certainly looking forward to a new year of creativity and innovation.

We continue to partner with our community and collaborate on new program development. Additionally, we remain committed to sustainable access to music therapy and the Music Project will maintain virtual programming with new hybrid and in-person options. 

Our devotion to dismantling systematic oppression and its personal impacts stands strong. We continue to work cooperatively with our board, staff and community to work towards equitable practices and cultivating an authentic sense of inclusion and belonging.

It has been a year of adaptation and drastic change, of problem-solving and loss, but also a year of strengthened partnerships and heartfelt gratitude. 

We look forward to sharing all that lies ahead with you and all that this new year brings.

 
 
 

PROMOTING BETTER MENTAL HEALTH

With the onset of the pandemic, the Music Project swiftly pivoted by providing virtual music therapy for mental health to support those with trauma and/or other mental health challenges. Clients and their loved ones reported that the sessions helped relieve stress, improved self-acceptance and confidence, increased engagement in other therapies and activities, and improved relationships with others.

 
A dark red background with white text at the top, “How is music therapy creating a very positive impact?” Four white rectangles in the center. Each with black text, “[60%] Providing emotional support; [90%] Providing a positive & creative experience…

At the end of the year, an evaluation questionnaire was sent out to clients and families to assess the benefits and impacts of the provided services on areas such as relaxation, emotional development, social relationships, and self-awareness. Responses indicated that music therapy had a “positive impact” or “very positive impact” in all assessed categories, with no answers reflecting neutral or negative effects.

Sixty percent of respondents also stated that they would like music therapy to continue. These responses and observations indicate the positive outcomes of therapy that have been sustained over time, as well as the diversity of needs that music therapy has been able to meet within the Snohomish community over the past year.

 

Rock Band Releases Original Music

Songwriting is powerful in expressing the full range of emotions. This year, The Rock Band of America, part of a community music program for disabled adults, released two original songs and produced a video presentation of Toy Story: the Zoomsical including all original music! Through writing original songs, the band came together to process difficult emotions related to being in lockdown.

 
 
A red background with white text, “2000 people engaged in music therapy.”
A green background with white text, “Incarcerated teens reported an increase in mood by 74% after one music therapy session.”
A blue background with white text, “Children and families watched over 373 hours of music enrichment videos from Music Project.”
A yellow background with white text, “The Rock Band of America released 3 original songs.”
A red background with white text, “Music enrichment videos on Facebook Live reached an average of 139 people weekly.”
A yellow background with white text, “Music therapists engaged Indigenous community in 370 sessions.”
A green background with white text, “89% of students enrolled in second quarter of community music program after one year in lockdown.”
A blue background with white text, “Many volunteers donated 343 hours of their time.”

Program Highlights

 

Teens Grow Meaningful Friendships

With intern leadership, the Music Project relaunched the Teen Community Music Group. The program provides youth opportunities for individual exploration, social connection, mindfulness-based activities, and music engagement. Its evident the program fostered meaningful friendships as highlighted in an original song Sam and Jack wrote together in the lines “finding our people has made us feel loved” and “with friends like these we’ve got luck.”

Being a Team Player

The Music Project creatively supported students through the pandemic including a weekly online games group for participants in the Casino Road Community Music Program. It provided an outlet for students attending music classes to continue work on communication, cooperation and develop leadership skills. In the secure and safe online space, the students played on a variety of games including those that encouraged team collaboration. The games supported relationship growth and students began playing with each other outside of the group context.

Music for Big & Small Emotions

Children often need guidance on ways to process their emotions, big and small. For one preschool child, music therapy supported them as they processed grief and other life challenges. Since starting music therapy, the child discovered creative ways to express himself on his electronic keyboard including developing music as a skill to self-support when he feels upset.

Support From People Like You

The Music Project successfully piloted a new Support Group for Neurodivergent Adults. This group engages in discussion, lyric processing, shared music-making, and songwriting to build a non-judgmental and community-oriented space. The facilitating music therapists, Yana Ramos and Cassie Fox, share neurodivergent identities with group participants which embodies organizational values community representation and accountability.

Incarcerated Youth Connect with Music

In collaboration with Arts with a Purpose, the Music Project transitioned a multidisciplinary arts program for youth incarcerated at Denney Juvenile Justice Center to a fully virtual setting. Despite the changes, relationships continued to strengthen comprehensively. Juvenile detention officers and detention supervisors began to attend portions of sessions and show support for teens engaging in music. Youth consistently engaged in programming and initiated contact with the music therapist including frequent questions about when in-person programming would return. Music therapy is a valuable resource and an integral part of the support systems for incarcerated youth.

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

A rectangle outlined in red titled, “Revenue.” Black text underneath says, “Total: $590,339.” A simple bar graph depicts Earned Income at 16% or $96,083, and Grants at 84% or $494,256.
 
 
A rectangle outlined in red title, “Expenses.” Black text underneath says, “Total: $560, 174.” A simple bar graph depicts Programming at 87% or $485,938, Administration at 11% or $59,167, and Fundraising at 3% or $15,069.
 

The fiscal year for the Snohomish County Music Project is from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

Community Partners

The Music Project collaborates with several key partners to support vulnerable and underserved community members. Each partner organization contributes knowledge and resources creating a powerful support system. These partnerships help promote the sustained growth of music therapy programs in Snohomish County.

  • Angel Of The Winds Arena

  • Angel Of The Winds Casino Resort

  • ArtsFund

  • ArtsWA

  • Boeing Company

  • Boys & Girls Club of Snohomish County

  • Brookdale Senior Living

  • Catholic Community Services

  • Child Strive

  • City of Everett

  • Climate Pledge Arena

  • Coastal Community Bank

  • Cocoon House

  • Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center

  • Denney Juvenile Justice Center

  • Developmental Disabilities Administration

  • Eagle Wings disAbility Ministries

  • Edward Jones Investments

  • Evergreen Recovery Center

  • Housing Hope

  • Marysville School District

  • Mukilteo School District

  • Music Therapy Association of Washington

  • National Endowment for the Arts

  • Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation

  • Pacific Treatment Alternatives

  • Pride Foundation

  • Providence Medical Center

  • School’s Out Washington

  • Seattle Pacific University

  • Seattle Storm

  • Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital

  • Snohomish County Human Services

  • Snohomish County Juvenile Court

  • Starbucks

  • Tulalip Cares Charitable Contributions

  • United Way of Snohomish County

  • YWCA Everett