from the Press

“…a music education organization that has become a cornerstone of music instruction for students throughout New York City.”

from the Administration

“Through its extraordinary dedication to nurturing our city’s young virtuosos, Midori & Friends helps this administration provide public school students with quality arts education. We are grateful for their efforts to help our children learn, grow, and achieve their dreams.”

“The arts can help student become tenacious, team-oriented problem solvers who are confident and able to think creatively. These qualities can be especially important in improving learning among students from economically disadvantaged communities.”

from our Principals

“Having music as part of our daily school activities has not only enhanced the overall school environment, but it has also contributed directly to the improvement in our students’ academic pursuits… Midori & Friends has truly been a vital part of the lives of the families at our school. For some children, music has become a passion and a profession. For others, it has been a joy that will last forever.”

“Our test scores are quite high in ELA and math and I believe much of this is due to the excitement children feel when coming to school. Of course our academic teaching should be exciting but our arts programs also motivate our students. They love coming to school – and not just because of math and reading. Celebrating our academic success is a celebration of a well-rounded student. Our students eagerly go to band, violin, brass, or woodwind classes. Our concerts are always to capacity crowds. The correlation between music and high test scores is no coincidence.”

“The music, the talk, the critical thinking, the engagement and excitement you provided to our children made a grand impression, the residual of which will impact lives for many years to come. You’ve sparked minds, passions, and endless possibilities.”

“The guitar teacher has developed a wonderful relationship with the children, engaging them and helping them feel like musicians. They feel successful and truly love their new-found musicality. I believe they have become life-long guitarists. I have rarely had such a positive response for any organization that has come into our school to provide programming.”

from our Parents

“A year ago my daughter knew nothing about Tchaikovsky and now she is playing one of his pieces in her woodwinds class and enjoying music. At a young age she has been given the opportunity to experience success.”

from our Teachers

“We are so proud of the achievements and growth that our students have made because of your dedication to enriching the lives of children through music…We can’t believe the growth they have been able to show. It is truly amazing to see what they can do. Thank you, Midori & Friends, for bringing this program to our school. You have enriched our children not only with music instruction, but with an emphasis on character development.”

“I wanted to thank you for the wonderful partnership during our spring “Music & Literacy Workshop” at P.S. 64. Working with you was such a rewarding experience. It was such a great pleasure to see our planning go from page to stage! The children has a wonderful experience they won’t soon forget, and neither will I. It has been such a positive experience for our students, we must continue our work with this program!”

from our Students

“From the moment I walked into the music room, something in me changed. And it was the best change ever!”

“Dear Midori, Thank you for bringing your program to our school… Music makes me feel like a beautiful butterfly fluttering in the sky, sitting on fluffy clouds seeing the world around me.”