Thank you for your interest in the P.A.U.S.E. Initiative! P.A.U.S.E. provides free music lessons to children in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve who are inner-city, public school students. The P.A.U.S.E. Initiative occurs both in schools and within community-based programs, operating in those often-critical after-school hours when some children are unsupervised and get into mischievous and possibly illegal activities. In addition to the substantially-greater academic advantage, children learning music also display increased self-esteem, teamwork, and interest in completing their education. It is partly because of these facts that the P.A.U.S.E. Initiative will have a substantial impact on the lives of children who participate. Click HERE for helpful links. Children involved in P.A.U.S.E. Initiative music classes learn music theory, instrumentation, and musicianship, while also developing and/or honing their social skills in a controlled, structured, and safe environment. The vision is great; the need is greater. Although the program currently resides in Chicagoland, the vision is to expand P.A.U.S.E. across North America. Currently we have 60 students in P.A.U.S.E. Initiative classes. By January 2010, we intend to provide music classes to 100 children! Will you help us reach our goal? Every $9.25 donation allows one child to receive a week of music education. “Uniting the Community Through Music” was recently adopted as the motto of the George S. May Foundation for the Arts P.A.U.S.E. Initiative. There is no doubt that this tremendous work can not be accomplished alone, rather it will only be possible with a community effort and the commitment of hundreds of people to surround children from all neighborhoods and backgrounds with the sound of music. If you want to help, there are many ways you can. From donating instruments, to making financial contributions, to serving as a volunteer, to championing the cause of music education, we encourage you to join us. As you ponder your level of involvement, thank you in advance for your contribution to shape the destiny and lives of the thousands of children who will become “members” of the P.A.U.S.E. Initiative family. We hope that you will partner with us to continue to bring music to some of the most underserved and low-income schools in Chicago.