Music to Life

10/16/2026

For so many artists, the struggle is real: Do you focus on making an impact, or do you focus on paying the bills?

But what if you didn't have to choose?

Music to Life's Co-Founder, Liz Stookey Sunde, recorded a quick video to share what she has planned for her upcoming session at NERFA—Accessing the Creative Economy: Opportunities for Musicians to Make a Living while Making a Change.

This opportunity is bringing together an incredible group of regional arts leaders, industry experts, and touring musicians—including Heidi Reale (SparkShoppe), Corey Aldrich (ACE!), Etienne Abelin (ESYO), and NERFA keynote speaker Seth Glier, hosted by Liz Stookey Sunde (Music to Life).

Together, they’ll be breaking down actionable, sustainable revenue pathways like grant writing, fiscal sponsorship, ethical partnerships, and community residencies.

Plus, there will be a direct Q&A "topic tables" right after the session!

Hit play on the video for the full breakdown, and tag a fellow artist below who needs to hear this! 🎥👇

Liz Stookey Sunde, Founder and Director of Music to Life, will be h...

10/14/2026

🎶 World Singing Day is coming up on October 17!

What if the simple act of singing could bring people together across communities, cultures, and even around the world?

That’s the idea behind World Singing Day—a global celebration inviting people everywhere to raise their voices and sing together. You don’t have to be a professional musician or a perfect singer. Just bring your voice and your joy. 💜

This year, you can participate by:
🎤 Joining or hosting a sing-along in your community
🎶 Singing this year’s Song of the Year, “Room For Everyone”
🌎 Filming yourself singing for the chance to be included in World Singing Day’s global montage video

And if you participate, tag Music to Life and share what you’re singing! We’d love to see how our community is celebrating and share some of your voices along the way. 🎶

Find a way to join in at worldsingingday.org.

10/08/2026

🎶 We use the term “Musician Changemaker” a lot around here. But what exactly does it mean?

A Musician Changemaker is more than an artist—they’re someone who uses their music, creativity, community, and entrepreneurial skills to create meaningful social impact.

They’re musicians who see a need, imagine what’s possible, and use their unique talents and relationships to help make change happen. Their work can take many forms, but at the heart of it is a belief that music can be a powerful tool for good.

At Music to Life, we support musicians who are turning their ideas into action and using their artistry to make a difference in the world.

Music can move people. Musician Changemakers can move communities. ✨

10/01/2026

🎶 Happy International Music Day!

Across cultures, languages, generations, and communities, music has a way of bringing us together.

It can tell stories, create belonging, inspire action, and help us understand one another in ways words sometimes can’t.

Today, we’re celebrating the artists who use music not only to create, but to make a difference.

Because music is more than something we hear—it’s something we share. 💜

09/30/2026

Music wakes people up—structure gives them the power to build. 🎵⚡
️
We were thrilled to be invited by the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music to join their Curatorial Corner series!

In light of their new exhibition, Chimes of Freedom: Protest, Patriotism, and the Power of Song, our Executive Director Elizabeth Stookey Sunde spoke with Melissa Kozlowski about how our organizations bridge history and future action. While Chimes of Freedom preserves two centuries of music driving social change, Music to Life trains today’s artists to turn that creative inspiration into measurable, local civic impact.

Read the full interview, and see how musician-entrepreneurs are leading change from the ground up here: https://springsteencenter.org/curatorial-corner-music-that-makes-a-difference-a-conversation-with-elizabeth-stookey-sunde/

09/23/2026

🎶 September is Classical Music Month, and we are celebrating our artists who are expanding what classical music can do.

Meet Music to Life Juried Artist and MCA Workshop Graduate, Mika Komuro. A Japanese pianist and internationally performing soloist and chamber musician, Mika has performed across the United States, Europe, and Japan. She is also the founder of Vox Cor Trio, a piano, trumpet, and trombone ensemble exploring classical vocal music and the stories music can tell without lyrics.

Since January 2026, Mika has collaborated with The Well, using music and the arts to support mental and emotional well-being. As part of The Well’s Healing Harmonies project, she composed Spiritual Healing, which will be featured in schools across the country through The Well’s Mindful Music program this fall.

✨ As we close out Classical Music Month, we’re grateful to support artists like Mika who continue to expand what classical music can inspire, express, and make possible.

🎹 Catch Mika live! She will perform a solo recital on Tuesday, October 13, at 12:10 PM at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati as part of the LunchTime Concert Series.

Learn more about Mika at musictolife.org/portfolio/mika-komuro

09/21/2026

🎶 One week left to apply!

Join Music to Life for the Musician Changemaker Accelerator (MCA) Workshop in Boulder, CO on Sunday, October 11!

This PAID, hands-on workshop gives artists the tools and connections to turn cause-driven ideas into action—including grant-writing skills, local mentorship, and a network of like-minded peers.

Selected participants receive:
• $100 stipend
• Complimentary meals
• Post-workshop business mentorship

📅 Workshop: Sunday, Oct. 11 | 8:30 AM–5 PM
📍 Location: Roots Music Project | Boulder, CO
⏰ Application Deadline: September 28

👉 One week left—apply today!
https://forms.gle/hH52f3dGTTx7ap6a7

09/17/2026

Meet Kareen King, a member of Music to Life’s Juried Artist Network. 🎶

Founder of The Golden Experience, Kareen is a Registered Drama Therapist, keynote speaker, creative engagement specialist, singer-songwriter, storyteller, puppeteer, and photographer who uses the arts to foster belonging and enrich the lives of aging adults and their care partners.

Through her original music, Kareen has recorded two albums that honor and uplift people who are experiencing troubling times. She uses music, storytelling, photography, and other creative arts to build bridges between people and create meaningful moments of joy and understanding.

At the heart of Kareen’s work is a vision for supportive living communities that are places of friendship, belonging, and shared experiences rather than places to be feared or avoided.

Kareen’s work is a beautiful reminder that creativity has no age limit—and that the arts can help every person feel seen, valued, and included.

Discover more about Kareen and The Golden Experience, and explore other artists in our Juried Artist Network at musictolife.org/portfolio/kareen-king.

09/16/2026

🎶 September is Classical Music Month, and we are celebrating our artists who are expanding what classical music can do.

Meet Music to Life Juried Artist, Karianne Waterland. Karianne participated in Music to Life’s Kansas City Musician Changemaker Accelerator (MCA) Workshop in February 2024 and became a Juried Artist that May.

A violinist, viola instructor, arts leader, and the Executive Director of the Northland Symphony Orchestra Association, Karianne has spent more than 20 years performing with the Northland Symphony and 15 seasons leading the Northland Symphony Youth Orchestra and Sinfonia.

For Karianne, music is a source of joy and a powerful way to connect people, inspire creativity, and create meaningful experiences. Through her work, she brings free, live orchestral performances to her community while nurturing the next generation of musicians through teaching and music education.

This fall, Karianne will complete her Core Certificate in Arts Management with the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

✨ Karianne’s work is a beautiful example of how classical musicians can shape their communities both on and beyond the stage.

Learn more about Karianne and her work at musictolife.org/portfolio/karianne-waterland.

09/09/2026

🎶 September is Classical Music Month, and we are celebrating our artists who are expanding what classical music can do.

Meet Music to Life Juried Artist, Darci Gamerl. Darci is an oboist, English hornist, composer, filmmaker, and arts leader, as well as co-founder of Bel Canto Duo. Her work brings chamber music together with documentary film, environmental research, and NeuroArts.

Her award-winning project, Taking Flight: The 8th Wonder of the World, combines documentary film and an original live score to explore the Sandhill crane migration, the ecosystems that sustain it, and our responsibility to care for the planet we share.

In 2026, Bel Canto Duo received Chamber Music America’s Interdisciplinary Collaboration of the Year Award for the project.

✨ Darci’s work is a powerful example of how classical music can connect us to the world around us in new and meaningful ways. Learn more about Darci and her work at musictolife.org/portfolio/darci-gamerl.