New Nonprofit to Address Charter School Funding Gap by Supporting K-12 Music Programs

Sound Foundations offers music education grants to offset “pervasive and harmful underfunding” of public charter schools

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK – JUNE 4, 2026 – A new nonprofit, Sound Foundations of Rochester, is helping increase music education in charter schools by providing resources to expand music programs across the sector. The investment in music education is designed to address funding disparities between Rochester charter schools and district schools, which is a source of increasing frustration for charter school leaders and education advocates in the region.

The disparity in public investment for each charter school student in Rochester versus each student at a district operated school is $20,809 per pupil, which means charter schools receive just 42 cents for every dollar that district schools receive per student. Sound Foundations aims to help close this funding gap with an innovative new approach.

“Of the 9,200 charter school students, roughly 30% of the city's public school population, we estimate fewer than 2,000 are meaningfully engaged in music education,” said Joe Klein, Sound Foundations Board Chair, a longtime advocate for urban education. “Our mission to champion investment in public charter school music programs will combat the pervasive and harmful underfunding of charter school students in Rochester.”

On its new website, Sound Foundations describes itself as “a coalition builder bringing together funders, educators, school leaders, parents, students, musicians, and community partners to promote student success in school and in life.”
 

New Data Reinforces Need for Charter School Funding
According to Kris M. DeFilippis, Ed.D., from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Rochester is a hub of innovation that faces a defining contradiction. In his Educational Equity Under Constraint: Charter School Funding in Rochester, New York, DeFillipis said, “Charter schools are overwhelmingly high-poverty (up to 97% economically disadvantaged at representative schools) and serve predominantly students of color (approximately 87%). Most produce academic outcomes that significantly exceed district averages. Yet Rochester is the only major city in New York State where charter school per-pupil funding has actually declined, even as statewide education spending reached historic highs.”

Music Drives Academic Success
For decades, researchers have studied how music impacts young, developing minds. The results are clear — children who study music perform better in school. In fact, researchers recommend music education for every child across all grade levels. However, music programs are frequently eliminated in challenging economic times. “Despite the proven, positive impacts of music on students’ academic performance and emotional well-being, when budgets are restrained, music is often cut,” said Klein. “That’s why expanding access to high-quality music programs at charter schools is so important.”
 

Beyond Academics: The Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Benefits of Music
In addition to positively impacting children's cognitive development, music also helps students develop emotionally. Music-making is a vital component of childhood development and can be especially impactful at a time when loneliness, anxiety, and depression are skyrocketing among young people. “Music education fosters social emotional learning by building self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making,” said Sound Foundations newly appointed Executive Director Melinda Goldberg. “Activities such as ensemble performances, songwriting, and improvisation help students manage anxiety, express emotions, and build empathy.”
 

Pilot Programs Show Promising Results
Goldberg said, “Several Rochester-area charter schools are already benefitting from pilot grants they received for the current school year.” Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “As a result of Sound Foundations’ investment, Hochstein now sends three trained music instructors to our campus each week to deliver three distinct programs: Music Mindfulness, Chorus, and General Music,” said Lindsay Swanson, Co-Founder, Innova Girls Academy. “This is an opportunity that simply would not exist without Sound Foundations’ support.”

“The impact of this program has been meaningful and measurable,” Swanson explained. “Our K–2 students begin every Tuesday morning with Music Mindfulness, a practice rooted in self-regulation. We have observed a consistent pattern of stronger behavioral days on Tuesdays, reflected in notably fewer referrals to our Behavioral Support Specialists. We believe this is directly connected to students beginning their day with tools and strategies they can draw on throughout their school experience. This is a remarkable outcome that speaks to the holistic value of the program Sound Foundations made possible.”

Dr. Tolga Hayali, Superintendent, Science Academies of New York said, “The pilot music program with Ray Mahar and the Local Sound Collaborative quickly proved its value through the joy, discipline, and creativity it brought to our students. As a result, we are integrating music education into our long-term budget to ensure this opportunity continues for every scholar in our community.”

Goldberg said, “Sound Foundations is evaluating applications from Rochester charter schools for the 2026-2027 school year to fund activities such as in-school music education, group music classes or ensembles, purchase or rental of instruments, sound production, and music-related programs, all of which will lead to improved classroom behavior, attendance and academic performance. Schools will be tracking a variety of metrics to show a clear picture of what is and isn't working. We want to fund programs that have the biggest impact on student success.”

Ultimately, by advocating for charter school music programs, Sound Foundations hopes to spur investment in Rochester’s next generation of scholars. “As we continue to demonstrate the profound impact music is making on young people’s lives, we invite more funders to join the movement,” concluded Goldberg. “Our work will not be complete until the funding gap is closed, and every charter school has a robust music program available to every child who wants to participate.”

To learn more about partnership and funding opportunities, please visit the Sound Foundations website.
 

About Sound Foundations
Sound Foundations is a 501c3 nonprofit that is championing investment in public charter school music programs. We are a coalition builder bringing together funders, educators, school leaders, parents, students, musicians, and community partners to promote student success in school and in life. Our vision is to ensure high quality music programs are available to every scholar in Rochester.

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Jonathan Ghent
WritLarge PR LLC
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