Support the Next Generation of Musicians
Students in the VMA Junior Program bring live classical music to nursing homes, hospitals, libraries, and community spaces across the country.
Our Impact Since 2012
Follow the Journey
See how a gift to the VMA Foundation moves through students, educators and communities—turning musical opportunity into meaningful service.
Your gift begins the journey.
Your donation to the VMA Foundation provides charitable support for programs, leadership development, educator partnerships, outreach infrastructure and national growth.
Your gift enters an organization designed to turn musical talent into service.
Your gift welcomes a new musician into VMA.
Every new Junior Program member receives a personal VMA welcome package, including:
- VMA Club Founder Certificate or Junior Program Membership Certificate
- VMA Officer Pin to work toward
- Handwritten welcome card
- Official VMA Collector's Pen
Students don't need an existing club to join. The Club Founder Certificate encourages them to consider building one with their peers, and they can activate a club online whenever they're ready.
Your gift gives a young musician recognition, belonging and an invitation to lead.
Music becomes a pathway to leadership.
Through the Leadership Initiative, students have opportunities to:
- Participate in free virtual leadership workshops
- Serve in student government positions
- Learn how to become an outreach leader
- Develop skills in communication, organization and service
Students aren't simply learning about leadership. They begin practicing it.
Leadership becomes service.
Students work with their peers to turn ideas into action. Through Sweet Sounds of Service, they can create personal fundraising pages and invite their communities to support charitable causes.
Their efforts create dual impact—supporting the VMA Junior Program while also supporting charitable partners and initiatives involving meals, shelters and musical outreach.
Students learn that their initiative can create good beyond themselves.
Your gift helps educators bring students into the community.
VMA provides Educator Outreach Grants to participating music educators who bring their students into accessible, free community concerts.
The grant supports the educator's work while helping create opportunities for students to use their musical training in service.
Your donation helps build the bridge between music education and community service.
Music reaches communities.
Through student-led outreach concerts, VMA musicians share the gift of music in retirement homes, shelters, hospitals, community centers and beyond.
Your support helps provide the resources, coordination and guidance that turn students' practice into real-world impact.
Your gift helps students bring hope, connection and joy through music.
Someone receives the gift.
A senior hears a young pianist.
A child experiences live music.
A family shares a concert together.
A community experiences the generosity of a young musician.
The donation has traveled from generosity to a real human experience.
Service becomes part of who they are.
Through repeated opportunities to serve, students develop ownership, responsibility, compassion and leadership.
They discover that their musical abilities can be used for something larger than themselves.
The mission spreads through people.
Students invite their peers.
Educators introduce VMA to their students.
New musicians discover opportunities to serve, lead and bring music into their communities.
As more students and educators become part of VMA, the network grows—and so does its capacity for musical service.
One gift can help start a chain that continues through students, educators and communities.
“My daughter never heard classical music before. Now she knows.”
- Rosie’s Place Women’s Shelter
Students in the Volunteer Musicians for the Arts Junior Program share live classical music with communities that often have limited access to the arts, including shelters, assisted living communities, and public spaces.
How Your Gift Supports the Mission
100% of funds raised through VMA's student-led fundraising campaigns and designated program initiatives are dedicated to charitable program services.
Program support helps provide leadership workshops, student government and leadership development, educator recruitment and support, Educator Partnership Grants, student and family onboarding, national program coordination, outreach concerts, and other charitable service initiatives.
Program funds may also support the reasonable professional staff time and resources required to plan, coordinate, manage, and deliver these charitable services.
The Cynthia Yasuda Annual Giving Society helps provide the organizational capacity behind VMA's charitable work, including executive leadership, governance, administrative operations, stewardship, and fundraising infrastructure.
This complementary funding model allows student fundraising to remain focused on charitable program services while Annual Giving Society support helps sustain the leadership and infrastructure needed for VMA to grow responsibly and serve communities over the long term.
All expenditures are subject to the VMA Foundation's approved budget and board oversight and are used in furtherance of our charitable mission.
If you prefer to give by mail, please make your check payable to Volunteer Musicians for the Arts and send it to:
31 Wilmont Rd.
Framingham, MA 01701
Including your email address will help us send a receipt and acknowledgment for your donation.
We believe everyone deserves orchestra seats.
The Cynthia Yasuda Annual Giving Society
Honoring the legacy of Cynthia Yasuda (1948–2025) by supporting the VMA Foundation's free Junior Program, student leadership, outreach concerts, and volunteer recognition nationwide.
The Cynthia Yasuda Annual Giving Society recognizes individuals and families whose annual generosity sustains the mission of the VMA Foundation. Named in honor of our founding Board Secretary, Cynthia Yasuda, the Society celebrates her lifelong commitment to compassion, service, and the belief that every person has the capacity to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Annual Giving Society support helps provide the organizational foundation behind VMA's charitable work, including executive leadership, governance, administrative operations, stewardship, and fundraising infrastructure. By investing in the Foundation's long-term capacity, members of the Giving Society help ensure that VMA can responsibly grow, support its programs, and serve communities for years to come.
Learn More About the Annual Giving Society →