It’s Time for Generosity

Too many Colorado schools have lost their music teachers — and with them, the sound of tambourines, ukuleles, and children discovering their voice through music. 🎵 🎁 This year’s Colorado Gives Day campaign highlights a simple truth: when a music teacher is missing, a school falls silent — but when music returns, everything changes. From November 18 to December 31, ETM-Colorado joins a statewide movement of generosity to help bring music teachers back into under-resourced classrooms.

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🧰 CAMPAIGN TOOLKIT

Let’s Celebrate It Live

Join us above the city lights for an evening of live music, wood-fired pizza, and craft cocktails — all to help bring music teachers back to under-resourced schools.

Enjoy a captivating performance by Tom Knowlton & Taylor Shuck of The Fretliners at Rare Bird’s rooftop bar, where a portion of all food and drink sales will support ETM-Colorado’s music education program, serving 3,000 students.

With gratitude to Halcyon Hotel, a Cherry Creek landmark, for hosting this celebration, and to Metis Systems, whose Project Illumination champions arts and education throughout our community.

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PD Workshop Recap

On Thursday, October 24, music educators from across Denver gathered at Dora Moore ECE–8 for a two-hour professional development workshop led by ETM-Colorado. The session explored a brain-based, culturally responsive approach to teaching, with a focus on improving winter lessons and concert preparation. Participants learned how to use the Ignite–Chunk–Chew–Review framework to design engaging instruction, strengthen rehearsal planning, and collaborate with fellow educators.

It was an energizing afternoon of ideas, sharing, and community—thank you to all the teachers who joined us!

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Schoolhouse Rockout

🎸 On September 11, our back-to-school benefit concert lit up Cervantes’ Other Side with music, community, and generosity.

Together we raised $35,076 from 274 donations — nearly doubling last year’s results!

💜 Your support fuels a powerful start to the school year, bringing music education to thousands of students across Colorado.

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Serve, Spike, Support!

🏐 On Sunday, August 3rd, our community came together at Majestic View Park in Arvada for a joyful volleyball tournament supporting Education Through Music-Colorado.

🙌 We are deeply grateful to board member Madison Kissel and The Kissel Group for organizing this special summer gathering — filled with friendly competition, great company, and free ice cream from High Point Creamery’s Big Pinky truck.

Your presence helped bring 🎶 music back into Denver’s public schools — thank you for serving, spiking, and supporting with us!

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The Spring Concert

On April 24 at Dazzle, 🎷Jazz in Bloom brought our community together for a night to remember — a true milestone for Education Through Music-Colorado.

❤️ Thanks to your incredible generosity, we raised enough to fund an entire school’s music program for a full year, giving over 300 students the opportunity to learn, create, and grow through music.

🙏 We are so grateful to our guests, students, volunteers, teachers, musicians, and generous sponsors for making this evening unforgettable.

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Empowering Educators

​On March 8, ETM-CO hosted an engaging Orff Workshop led by internationally acclaimed educator Matthew Stensrud. Music teachers explored creative, student-led learning techniques, enhancing their skills to inspire young musicians.​

🙏 A huge thank you to Matthew for leading such an engaging and insightful session, and to all the educators who participated with enthusiasm and open minds!​

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Winter Performances

As is tradition, our partner schools hosted their annual ⛄ Winter Performances, where students showcased their musical talents to parents, families, and the broader community. These concerts celebrated the hard work and creativity that students and teachers poured into their music throughout the semester.

From vocal to instrumental performances, these events highlighted the incredible growth our students made in their music education journeys. The warm atmosphere and 🌟 sense of community were truly inspiring. Parents, children, and teachers came together to celebrate the students’ achievements, from improved musical abilities to greater confidence and belonging.

Welcome Centennial!

📣 Exciting news! We’re thrilled to welcome 480 students into our program through a new partnership with CENTENNIAL, A School for Expeditionary Learning. These young learners now have the opportunity to experience the joy and enrichment that 🎶🎓 music brings. This milestone is about more than just music classes—it’s about providing students with a powerful tool for self-expression, creativity, and growth.

Centennial, an inspiring neighborhood school serving ECE through 5th grade, is built on a mission of exploration, compassion, and a commitment to learning about the 🌎 world. For the first time since 2018, students, staff, and families are celebrating the return of music, bringing the school’s motto—”We are learners of the WORLD, and we CARE”—to life in a new, vibrant way.