“Making Minds Sing!” Education Through Music 2025 Gala

Thursday, May 15, 2025. “Making Minds Sing!”, EDUCATION THROUGH MUSIC, 2025 Gala. Park Avenue, New York City. —The Education Through Music held its annual Fund Raising Gala on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Manhattan, New York, in its continued efforts to provide music programs for the underprivileged youth in New York City. 

This year, PS 72,  a n ETM music program recipient, was the featured school to perform at the 2025 Gala. PS 72 is located in the Bronx and serves a little over 600 elementary students and their families, most of which, struggle to meet basic needs like clothing, food, and housing insecurities, among other pressing needs for necessities as basic as toiletries; but has found relief in the support of ETM to provide music programming for the students of PS 72.  The Principal of PS 72, Greta Ratjen expressed her  gratitude for the award and programming, stating that, “Our students face challenges at home, and ETM has offered our students programs that grant them stability so that they can commit to being in school every day.”

The Education Through Music organization was established in 1991 to provide over 8 million hours of music education to underserved New York City public school students. In 2025, Education Through Music has taken the initiative to partner with 55 under-resourced schools across all five boroughs of New York, which include Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx.

 Education Through Music aims to be the leading music education organization with expert teachers who undergo ongoing training to build on their expertise they offer comprehensive curriculums and sustainable programs that positively impact schools, students learning, and the communities in which they serve education through music has made impeccable strides reaching nearly 20,000 students every week 87% of school students that live below the poverty line 95% of those students are students of color 15% of those students are bilingual with English as a second language and 24% of the students that education through music has reached those that are special needs. 

For anyone questioning their impact, Education Through Music’s music programming has aided and built the confidence of the youth and the schools that serve them by opening doors creating educational equity and music programs that help to increase the confidence of their student participants, helping each one to gain independence and build their ability to solve problems. 85% of schools supported by ETM scored above the prior year’s scores for the NYS English Language Arts test, and 98% of students served by ETM have outperformed the NYS math scores from previous years recorded.

The event opened with a special guest video by 3x Grammy Award Winning Actor and Lyricist , Common (Common Sense) who expressed his appreciation for the Education Through Music program and provided a warm introduction for ETM’s 2025 Event Host and Emcee, American radio personality and Journalist, Sway Calloway. 

Sway Calloway returned for his second year to host the Education Through Music, “Making Minds Sing”, 2025 Gala. Sway shared with the audience and The Knockturnal during his interview on the red carpet, the positive impact music had on his life as a child, growing up in Oakland, CA. Sway speaks about the discipline and the focus that he gained through learning the clarinet, and that learning an instrument has afforded him confidence and the ability to explore the world around him in an expansive way. He expressed the universal impact of music and that regardless of race, nation, or class distinction, music is the vehicle that opens doors for higher learning, not only through skill development but through comprehension and affording one access to worlds and opportunities in which they would not normally have access to.

The night continued with a performance from the PS 72 band, The Dewey Decibels, who performed upbeat numbers, “Party Rock” and “Happy”. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was highlighted in a special guest video segment as a segway into welcoming remarks by ETM’s Executive Director, Janice Weinman Shorestein.

Caitlyn Cristostomo, a college-bound graduate who has opted to study political science, credited her educational and life success to the positive impact of ETM’s influence on her early educational development. Caitlyn then performed an opening number with the ETM Choir, who sang “For Good” and “Lean on Me”. Moved by the testimonials, the performances,  the special guests and more, attendees of the Gala raised over $300,000 in less than 10 minutes during the “FUND-A-NEED” Appeal, where donors were able to make silent donations through QRC codes to ETM in support of PS 72, the elementary school that was awarded this year from ETM.

New York-based British designer, singer-songwriter, academic, and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Keanan Duffty, who was interviewed on the Red carpet with The Knockturnal, was awarded the music innovation award presented by music industry vet Chris Atlas of Atlas Music Group. Chris Atlas has notably held key positions at Tommy Boy Records, Cornerstone Promotion, Def Jam Recordings, and Warner Records.

Mr. Atlas shared his sentiment on the importance of music education and has supported ETM since 2022, when he was inducted as an honoree during his time with Warner Music Group and became a board member in 2023. Chris, a Bronx native who is hyper-aware of today’s economic climate, the loss of funding and programming for young people, stated that ETM was one of the few organizations he felt compelled to be a part of because it resonated and hit home with him. He stressed the importance of giving back and doing what we can to support the youth.

“ETM is an incredible program. It’s a much-needed program because it provides music services, music programming, and support for its teachers in schools that wouldn’t normally have access to these programs. I grew up with music, and I couldn’t imagine a world without it, so the fact that ETM can give kids an outlet  to express themselves, to learn about music, to develop their confidence, to learn about the arts…that holds such tremendous value.”

Chris goes on to add that he would like to see ETM continue to grow, and as a board member, he doesn’t shy away from the challenges ETM may face, as he is confident that the commitment and support from private citizens, corporations and music entertainment companies through funding, will continue to fuel ETM forward. He expressed his excitement in witnessing the continued growth of ETM into new schools and that the long-term vision motivates his continued efforts alongside ETM.

Additional awards and recognitions included a Legacy Circle Recognition Award, presented by Heidi Stamas and Rob Weisstuch to Katherine Elliott, Andrew J Malik, and Michael Schaefer; and Gabe Hernandez presented Frank Alvarado with the ETM Impact Award.

During the ceremony, guests enjoyed the choice wines of Chardonnay (Napa) and Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa) provided by Douglas Winery. Dinner included appetizers of salad, Tuscan kale with Brussels sprouts and radish; they enjoyed an entrée of beef tornadoes in bordelaise sauce. Dinner ended with a dessert of molten chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, and seasonal berries, or the option of classic crème brûlée with seasonal berries and whip, whipped cream.

The evening closed with guests dancing to an electric performance by rock band, The Hallows, who performed “The Middle”, “Rebel Rebel” and “Hanging On The Telephone”.

If you’d like to learn more about the organization and how you can support education through music, you can find them online at www.etmonline.org or follow them on their social media sites with the handle @etmonline, via Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.