Music access can shape lives long before anyone steps on a stage. This episode explores how instruments, community support, and partnerships help keep music programs alive while supporting musicians at every stage of their journey.
At the Guitar Center Foundation, music is treated as a shared resource rather than a luxury. During this conversation at the NAMM Show 2026, Michelle Wolff, representing the Foundation, explains how access to real instruments can change the trajectory of a student, a patient, or a veteran simply by making music possible in the first place.
The Foundation’s work centers on donating thousands of instruments to schools, hospitals, and veteran centers, with a focus on communities where funding for music programs is often the first thing cut. Through a structured grant process, organizations apply for instruments quarterly, with roughly 150 requests reviewed each cycle. About 30 of those requests are fulfilled, helping sustain programs that might otherwise disappear.
Beyond instrument donations, the Foundation is expanding how it shows up in communities. Plans include live donation events that bring instruments directly into schools and hospitals, often paired with artist participation to create meaningful, memorable moments. New donor and ambassador programs are also taking shape, designed to broaden awareness and bring more voices into the mission.
Partnerships play a major role in that effort. The conversation highlights recent collaboration tied to the 100 Billion Meals initiative, where music, visual art, and social impact intersect to amplify multiple causes at once. These partnerships extend the Foundation’s reach while reinforcing the idea that music can support broader humanitarian goals.
Wolff also shares a personal connection to the mission. As a former vocal performance major at the University of Texas Butler School of Music, she understands how deeply musicians identify with their craft. After experiencing vocal injury herself, she speaks to the importance of supporting musicians through change and helping them build identities that extend beyond a single instrument, without losing music as a core part of who they are.
That perspective brings the Foundation’s work full circle. Access to instruments is not only about creating future professionals. It is about expression, resilience, and giving people the chance to discover what music can mean in their own lives.
Part of ITSPmagazine's On Location Coverage at NAMM 2026.
🌐 https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-california
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Guitar Center Foundation: https://www.guitarcenterfoundation.org
100 Billion Meals initiative: https://100billionmeals.org
The NAMM Show 2026: https://www.namm.org/thenammshow/attend
Music Evolves: Sonic Frontiers Newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7290890771828719616/
More from Marco Ciappelli on Redefining Society and Technology Podcast: https://redefiningsocietyandtechnologypodcast.com/
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KEYWORDS: music charity, instrument donations, namm show 2026, music education access, supporting musicians, music nonprofit, guitar center foundation, music programs schools, music and community, philanthropy in music, guitar center, michelle wolff, marco ciappelli
[00:00:00] Marco Ciappelli: We are at NAMM Show 2026. This is the third day that we're here. Of course, the first day was just for the media, but we got to explore a few things ahead of time and ahead of the crowd.
[00:00:11] Michelle Wolff: Yeah, it's been amazing.
[00:00:13] Marco Ciappelli: Right? It's like paradise for people who love music.
[00:00:22] Michelle Wolff: It really is.
[00:00:35] Marco Ciappelli: We cannot avoid noticing that you support musicians.
[00:00:36] Michelle Wolff: I do. I support musicians.
[00:00:39] Marco Ciappelli: And you do that with the Guitar Center Foundation. I'm very curious to hear what you do, who you are, and how you got involved.
[00:00:50] Michelle Wolff: Absolutely. I'm Michelle Wolff, and I'm here with the Guitar Center Foundation. We donate thousands of instruments to schools, hospitals, and veteran centers. We also supported communities affected by the January wildfires. We're giving music, which is a powerful gift.
[00:01:24] Marco Ciappelli: Many people cannot afford instruments. Having access to real instruments matters.
[00:02:00] Michelle Wolff: Charlie Puth spoke at NAMM and mentioned how music programs are often the first to be cut in schools. Providing instruments helps keep those programs alive.
[00:02:11] Marco Ciappelli: Unfortunately, that's true.
[00:02:20] Michelle Wolff: Schools, hospitals, and organizations can apply for grants. We receive about 150 requests each quarter and are able to fulfill roughly 30.
[00:03:00] Michelle Wolff: We're building donor programs, artist ambassador programs, and exploring live donation events where we bring instruments directly to communities with artists.
[00:04:00] Michelle Wolff: We recently partnered with Tony Robbins' 100 Billion Meals initiative, spearheaded by Jimmy Jam. We hosted a recording at iHeartRadio and donated a custom guitar signed by participating artists to help raise awareness.
[00:05:09] Marco Ciappelli: You mentioned you were an opera singer.
[00:05:10] Michelle Wolff: I was a vocal performance major at the University of Texas Butler School of Music.
[00:06:00] Michelle Wolff: I developed vocal nodules, which changed my path. It helped me build an identity beyond singing while keeping music central in my life.
[00:07:22] Marco Ciappelli: You can be more than one thing. Brian May of Queen is both an astrophysicist and a guitarist.
[00:08:00] Michelle Wolff: Music gives people a way to express themselves. That access matters.
[00:08:28] Marco Ciappelli: Thank you for taking the time to share this conversation.
[00:08:31] Michelle Wolff: Thank you for having me.