Mission

We provide guitars and lessons to foster children and at-risk youth in a classroom setting with qualified teachers as an alternative to violence.

The Big Idea

Guitars Not Guns has viewed Covid-19 as a crisis, but also as an opportunity to grow and adapt. They now offer guitar lessons online. They hope to raise funds that will enable them to buy guitars and to help defray the costs of technology that will be necessary to continue the transition to an online format. The majority of students are from low-income families and many do not have access to quality internet connections at home. Even when in-person classes become available again, Guitars Not Guns will still offer online lessons as an alternative, which helps make music lessons accessible to those without transportation. Funding will be needed to meet technological needs so that the nonprofit can continue to deliver the gift of music to kids.

Guitars Not Guns has been a career path-changing program. Year after year, the program truly inspires youth to tell their story through music. Thank you, Guitars Not Guns.

- Jose Moran, impact director at Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County